Temperament: The Borzoi is a sweet, intelligent dog, quite affectionate with people they know well. They are proud and self aware dogs that are extremely loyal to their family. This breed can be trained in obedience, but since they are hounds, are more free-thinking, and less willing to please humans than some breeds. The Borzoi are smart, very intelligent, and capable learners. However the training of this breed has to be based upon mutual respect. Borzoi are often quite cat-like, often keeping themselves quite clean. This breed is quiet, rarely barking. They cannot be trusted off leash, unless in a securely fenced area. They are good with other dogs, but should be supervised with small non-canine pets such as cats and rabbits. Spending time outdoors with small animals is not advised. They should be socialized very well with cats and other pets at as young an age as possible, but remember the Borzoi will always be a hunter that may race after a fleeing animal.
The Borzoi is a noble dog that gets along fairly well with children, but it is not ideally suited for being a child's companion as it does not take well to rough-housing play, and prize their rest. During the growing stage, these dogs need a highly nutritional diet.
