Head
Skull slightly domed, long and narrow, with scarcely any
perceptible stop, inclined to be Roman-nosed. Jaws long, powerful and
deep, somewhat finer in bitches but not snipy. Teeth strong and clean
with either an even or a scissors bite. Missing teeth should be
penalized. Nose large and black.
Ears
Small and fine in quality, lying back on the neck when in repose with
the tips when thrown back almost touching behind occiput; raised when at
attention.
Eyes
Set somewhat obliquely, dark in color, intelligent but rather soft in
expression; never round, full nor staring, nor light in color; eye rims
dark; inner corner midway between tip of nose and occiput.
Neck
Clean, free from throatiness; slightly arched, very powerful and well
set on.
Shoulders
Sloping, fine at the withers and free from coarseness or lumber.
Chest
Rather narrow, with great depth of brisket.
Ribs
Only slightly sprung, but very deep giving room for heart and lung play.
Back
Rising a little at the loins in a graceful curve.
Loins
Extremely muscular, but rather tucked up, owing to the great depth of
chest and comparative shortness of back and ribs.
Forelegs
Bones straight and somewhat flattened like blades, with the narrower
edge forward. The elbows have free play and are turned neither in nor
out. Pasterns strong.
Feet
Hare-shaped, with well-arched knuckles, toes close and well padded.
Hindquarters
Long, very muscular and powerful with well bent stifles; somewhat wider
than the forequarters; strong first and second thighs; hocks clean and
well let down; legs parallel when viewed from the rear.
Dewclaws
Dewclaws, if any, on the hind legs are generally removed; dewclaws on
the forelegs may be removed.
Tail
Long, set on and carried low in a graceful curve.
Coat
Long, silky (not woolly), either flat, wavy or rather curly. On the
head, ears and front of legs it should be short and smooth; on the neck
the frill should be profuse and rather curly. Feather on hindquarters
and tail, long and profuse, less so on chest and back of forelegs.
Color
Any color, or combination of colors, is acceptable.
Size
Mature males should be at least 28 inches at the withers and mature
bitches at least 26 inches at the withers. Dogs and bitches below these
respective limits should be severely penalized; dogs and bitches above
the respective limits should not be penalized as long as extra size is
not acquired at the expense of symmetry, speed and staying quality.
Range in weight for males from 75 to 105 pounds and for bitches from 15
to 20 pounds less.
Gait
Front legs must reach well out in front with pasterns strong and
springy. Hackneyed motion with mincing gait is not desired nor is
weaving and crossing. However, while the hind legs are wider apart than
the front, the feet tend to move closer to the center line when the dog
moves at a fast trot. When viewed from the side there should be a
noticeable drive with a ground-covering stride from well-angulated
stifles and hocks. The over-all appearance in motion should be that of
effortless power, endurance, speed, agility, smoothness and grace.
Faults
The foregoing description is that of the ideal Borzoi. Any deviation
from the above described dog must be penalized to the extent of the
deviation keeping in mind the importance of the contribution of the
various features toward the basic original purpose of the breed.
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