Borzoi History

The last Tsar, Nicholas II, was a first cousin once removed of Grand Duke Nikolai (known as Nikolasha), who owned and hunted from the Pershino Estate. Nicholas II's grandfather, Tsar Alexander II, was the brother of Grand Duke Nikolai's father. The simplified family tree below shows the relationship which is sometimes mistakenly referred to as one of nephew/(great)/uncle. Grand Duke Nikolai and his brother Grand Duke Peter married the Montenegro sisters Princess Anastasia and Princess Milica. There were no children from the marriage of Grand Duke Nikolai. I am publishing this article in The [...]

Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolayevich Romanoff was born in St. Petersburg on November 27, 1856. Member of the Imperial family, he is the son of the Grand Duke Nicolai Nicolayevich (born in 1831), and the nephew of Alexander II (the liberating Tsar who abolished serfdom in 1861). He is also related to the last Tsar of Russia, a great-uncle of Nicholas II, (1868-1918). He is familiar to the Borzoi world for his breeding, the famous "Perchino" kennel. But hunting and breeding were for him mere a hobby. A man of very tall stature (1 m 98), intelligent, but known to be quite nervous, even choleric, he [...]

Very little distinguishes a borzoi from the year 1900 from a borzoi in the year 2000. When we look at other breeds we will almost always see alarming differences. Why is the borzoi so consistent in type over such a long period of time? We owe this consistency and the high level of soundness to the Perchino hunt of Grand Duke Nicholas, Dimitri Walzoff and a small number of hunter/breeders surrounding Perchino. In the short period from about 1870 to 1915, by breeding a large number of borzois in all colors, including black each year and through scrupulous selection of only the fittest, they [...]

Peter Feodrovich Durassov (1835 – 1894), was a famous borzoi breeder in Russia. He was the son of Senator F. Durassov, in 1884 Equerry (Chief of stables) at the highest court, a wealthy nobleman - he owned 38 000 ha of land in six governments, factories and two houses in the Royal Village, Tsarskoje Selo. Russian name: Ца́рское Село́, "Tsar's Village" was the town containing the former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility, located 24 kilometers,15 miles south from the center of Saint Petersburg.[1] It is now part of the town of Pushkin. In 1873, Peter Fedorovich was [...]

Excerpts from a story “Small memories of a borziatnik” by V.F. Péléchevski, published in the “Hunting Magazine” in January 1876. The name and first name of the General cited in the story are not specified, but it is almost certainly that of the famous Borzoi breeder, General Alexander Vasilievich Jikharev (1790-1881) (Zhikharev) who lived in the village of Krasnoselie, in the Tambov region. "In the region where the author of these memoirs lived, there also lived a hunter, a veteran of the old fashioned hunt: General J.A.V.(1). This distinguished gentleman had reached the age of 68 years, which [...]

Prior to our visit to the village of Pershino in 1992 I was given books and magazines in Moscow as mementos of our historic trip to Russia. I am publishing these articles in The Borzoi Encyclopedia to encourage better understanding of the function of the Borzoi and its development as a breed. They are for all to enjoy reading but no part of my contributions to The Borzoi Encyclopedia may be copied, downloaded, printed or used in any way without my prior express written consent. This article is based on the compilations of Boris Markov, a very talented man and well respected Russian huntsman [...]

An early name for the Borzoi in the UK was "Siberian Wolfhound" with the word "Borzoi" appearing later in the 19th Century. This much travelled lithograph showing the Siberian Wolfhound (Borzoi) in the Greyhound family was originally drawn and published in "Der Hund und seine Racen" by Leopold Joseph Franz Johann Fitzinger (1802-1884) in Germany in 1876. Subsequently it was published in UK dog books five years later. I purchased this copy in Sydney, Australia during a visit in 1996 and brought it back to the UK. This lithograph of Siberian Wolfhounds was included in The Book of The Dog by Vero [...]

Canadian database first version. Where dogs names were gained from published show results, the year refers to the first date the dog was shown. It is not a year of birth. For puppies, a guess was made for a birth date in the year before or sometimes in the year the dog was shown. In this database it was helpful to add the town or state for unknown dogs to give them a location in the vast country of Canada. Generally the areas are east coast around Toronto, Ottawa etc then the major area in the middle of the country with the states of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Several breeders in the [...]

Catherine Estes has given us this beautiful article about one of the most famous and skilled painters of hunting scenes in the old Russia. Born to a modest German shopkeeper and his wife in Berlin, Rudolf Fedorovich Frenz entered this world on October 2, 1831, and graduated from the Berlin Academy of Arts either in 1854 or 1859. Between 1869/1870, he moved to Russia, where his depiction of grand hunting scenes and animal paintings would begin. His affiliation with members of the Royal Family and the upper echelon enabled him to accompany them on travels and hunting expeditions, and committing [...]

Historic research by Margaret Davis! Revision of the early American Borzoi history! The American system of partial registration leaves so much of the early history out of the studbooks, Here are chronological lists for 4 of the earliest foundation breeders in America and Canada (Terra Cotta). This information is collected from official AKC catalogues as well as studbooks and Gazette or newspaper articles to give the big picture. By comparing all four breeders, it was possible to amend or update litter information and other exchanges of dogs between them. A big jigsaw puzzle but some more [...]

The 1888 Modern Borzoi Description by Nikolai Jermolov Introduction and Translation by © Kristina Terra The first detailed modern Borzoi standard was written by Nikolai Petrovich Jermolov, an undisputed authority on the breed in the nineteenth-century Russia. The Jermolov family had bred Borzoi for over 200 years; and Nikolai Jermolov was considered one of the most talented and distinguished Borzoi breeders in the country. The Modern Borzoi Description was published in 1888 and was approved by the membership of the Imperial Hunting Society. In his article, Mr. Jermolov alludes to the breed’s [...]

Aleksey Kivshenko Born: 22 March 1851 in Venyov, Russian Empire Died: 2 October 1895 (aged 44) in Heidelberg, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire Education: Member Academy of Arts (1884), Professor by rank (1893) Alma mater: Imperial Academy of Arts (1877) Aleksey Danilovich Kivshenko (Russian: Алексей Данилович Кившенко; 22 March 1851, Venyov - 2 October 1895, Heidelberg) was a Russian painter, primarily of historical scenes. Among the best-known were those depicting the Russo-Turkish Wars. He also created hunting and genre scenes and was associated with the Peredvizhniki. He was born on a [...]

Link to the book: The dog in heath and disease by Wesly Mills. Drawings by R H Moore

Mr. Rousseau was a dealer, a middleman. He was a man who bought and sold borzoi for a profit, often to Americans. We can perhaps have in mind the following: "There were a lot of dogs in Perchino, new ones were born every year. Regularly compiled a list of "defective" dogs and these dogs were sold or donated." . One can wonder how many of these "in the eye of the Russian breeders, "defective", borzois passed through Mr. Rousseau's hands!

Color of borzois imported by Mr. Paul Hacke from Russia in 1891 from the middleman Mr. A. Rousseau. Most of the borzois were purchased from the kennel of Grand Duke George Alexandrovich. Source "Forest and Stream" 1891-08-20

Pictures from life at the Korbutovsky hunt! A.P. Korbutovsky was not an important breeder. Borzoi from this hunt is hardly found in the studbooks. He was a hunter, his borzoi came from Zikharev, Boldareff and others and that makes these pictures so interesting. There was not only the very rich with perhaps hundreds of borzoi but also the small hunter with 10 to 12 borzoi or even less, who bred occasionally or not at all!

Wolfhunting in Russia The enormous extent and diversified conditions of the various localities of this empire would naturally suggest a variety of sport in hunting and shooting, including perhaps something characteristic. In the use of dogs of the chase especially is this suggestion borne out by the facts, and it has been said that in no other country has the systematic working together of fox-hounds and greyhounds been successfully carried out. Unfortunately, this sort of hunting is not now so general due to the emancipation of the serfs in 1861. A modest kennel for such sport consists of six [...]

The goddess Vera 15 juni 2012 10:33 by Julia Svintsova Beautiful and gracious, Both Vera & Sighthounds By the end of the late 19th century. in November 1896 in the old manor Krasavka Atkarsk, located in the Lysogorskaya province of Saratov province, a baby was born. The hopes were perhaps that the child would be a brave sailor - following in the careers of both father and grandfather, like most of the relatives on the mother's side, - called Mola - who were both vice-admirals and admirals. But now it happened that this beloved baby was ... a girl, Vera Konstatinovna. And because they called [...]

The Borzoi Or Russian Wolfhound (from the book ""A History And Description Of The Modern Dogs Of Great Britain And Ireland. (Sporting Division)", by Rawdon Briggs Lee") There is no dog of modern times that has so rapidly attained a certain degree of popularity as that which is named at the head of this chapter. A dozen years ago it was comparatively unknown in England; now all well-regulated and comprehensive dog shows give a class or classes for him, which are usually well filled, and cause quite as much interest as those for our own varieties. Indeed, the Borzoi is a noble hound, powerful [...]

The Borzoi H.W. Huntington, Marlborough Kennels, 1898; published in "Outing: Sport, Adventure, Travel, Fiction" Far-off Russia, where winters are so severe that but for a few months in the entire year are the fields free from snow, is the home of a breed of dogs known there as the Borzoi, or Psovie. The dogs are grand in aspect, with long, flowing coats of silken texture that defy the terrible cold, and they are built on lines that speak volumes for the antiquity of their origin. In this country they are known as Russian wolfhounds. The first speciman of the breed ever exhibited here was the [...]

Country Life Illustrated, June 17th 1899 Of all spots in which to hold a dog show, the beautiful grounds of the Ranelagh Club are quite the most perfect. Opinions are unanimous on this point. The committee were fortunate in having these grounds lent to them for the occasion, through the influence of Her Grace the Duchess of Newcastle, who is president of the show. That the affair was a brilliant success is a matter of congratulation to all concerned. The Hon Secretary, Mr. Hood Wright, and Hon. Director, Mr. C. Cruft, worked very hard. Mr. Hood Wright was here, there, and everywhere, lending a [...]

Artem K. Boldareff, a great Russian land owner of the late 19th century, is known to be a great meritorious hunter and breeder of Borzoi in this period. He owned a group of renowned Borzoi and his breeding "Woronzova" (named after his estate) saw the birth of many quality borzoi. He is known for his preference for light colored Borzois ... Some of the borzoi were exported to U.S.A. (O'Valley Farm kennel) and we find the origins of Boldareff borzoï in a number of European pedigrees of the past, a priori, there was little direct imports (one in France - Zmïeïka born in 1904, by Henri [...]

I am publishing this article in The Borzoi Encyclopedia to encourage better understanding of the function of a Borzoi and its development as a breed. It is for all to enjoy reading but no part of my contributions to The Borzoi Encyclopedia may be copied, downloaded, printed or used in any way without my prior express written consent. At the time of writing this, the earliest record of the presence of a Borzoi in the UK appears to be 1804 with one owned by John Montagu, 5th Earl of Sandwich. This was more than eighty years before the formation of the Borzoi Club in 1892 and indeed many years [...]

by Herbert Compton published in 1904, Grant Richards, London. “Compiled from the contributions of over five hundred experts.” An aristocrat of aristocrats, the borzoi is at once the noblest looking as well as the newest addition to our bench of sporting hounds. He came with an Imperial halo about him, for amongst the earlier specimens introduced into this country were some from the Czar’s kennels. The Russian wolf-hound, like its Irish prototype, bears a great affinity to the greyhound. Except for its fleecy coat and feathered tail it is practically built on greyhound lines with certain [...]

Link; The Valley Farm Brochure

From the New Book of the Dog edited by J. Sidney Turner, Chairman of the Committee of the Kennel Club. Published in 1907. The Borzoi section was written by Major S.P. Borman. Although known in this country as the Borzoi, or Russian Wolfhound, this dog belongs to the Greyhound family – is, in fact, the Russian Greyhound of “Psovoi”, and is closely allied to that large group of Eastern Greyhounds which includes the Persian, the Circassian Orloff Hound, and others. No doubt all these dogs originated from one common stock, the characteristics of the various varieties probably being caused by [...]

For the Borzoi breeder, there can be no dearer desire than to visit the breed at its home, to see and learn about it at work. These are incomparable teachings and memories, teachings that cannot be replaced by anything, memories that remain indelible and connect you to the breed more firmly than the largest breeding successes. The magnificent image of the large-scale Borzoi premises overshadow everything else that can be remembered for a lover of this magnificent breed. Only the hunter in the saddle can understand the lust for the chase and pay tribute to the Borzoi as a hunting dog. With [...]

This article was written in 1984 for the BQs Annual, its purpose was to give a general picture of the background on bloodlines appear­ing in the Scandinavian Borzois today (1983). It is written in a rather subjective manner, as I, no doubt, have developed strong feelings and preferences during my time with Borzoi/Dan Persson. Sweden To understand the situation today, one has to remember that World-War II created a special situa­tion in most European countries. Norway, Denmark and Finland were all heavily involved, which made their breeding activities stop for a while. Sweden was lucky enough [...]