GENERAL APPEARANCE, TEMPERAMENT
     Dog of aristocratic appearence, of large size, of lean and at the same time robust constitution, of a very slightly elongated construction. Females are generally longer than the males.
(Size) Desirable height at the withers: dogs:75 - 85 cm, 29 1/2 - 33 1/2 inches. females: 68 - 78 cm, 26 3/4 - 30 3/4 inches. In males, the height at the withers is equal or barely superior to that from the summit of the croup to the ground, in females, these heights are equal.
In its everyday life the Borzoi has a quiet and balanced character. At the sight of game it gets suddenly excited. It has a piercing sight, capable of seeing very far. Its reaction is impetuous.
When not hunting, the typical gait of the Borzoi is the extended trot, effortless, very supple and lifting; when hunting the charging gallop is extremly fast, with leaps of great length.
Faults: Light or massive construction; stockly appearance or hight on the legs.
Serious faults: Soft constitution, coarse constitution, short trunk. Behaviour/Temperament: Agressive towards peaple.

COLOUR
Combination ofwhite with: yellow of different shades, light fawn with black overlay, grey, red, red fawn with black overlay, brindle, black. All the colours above mentioned may be solid or pied. The fringes, "breeches", featherings of the tail are considerably lighter than the background colour. For the overlaid colours a black mask is typical.
Faults: Flecks of the same shade as the background colour. Striking tan markings.
Serious faults: Flacks of shade other than that of the background colour, brown, chocolate, all lilac shades.

HAIR
Silky, soft and supple, wavy or forming short curls. On the haid, the ears and the limbs, the hair is satiny, short, smooth, close lying. On the body, the hair is quite long, wavy; on the region of the shoulder blades and the croup, the hair forms finer curls; on the ribs and thighs, the hair is shorter; the hair wich forms the fringes, the "breeches" and the feathering of the tail is longer.
Faults: Dull, tousled; fringes, "breeches", feathering of the tail sparse. Straight hair. Fine curls all over the body.
Serious faults: Stiff, bristly.

SKIN
Supple, elastic.
Faults: Insufficiently supple, elastic.
Serious faults: Loose.

FRAME (SKELETAL STRUCTURE)
Strong bone structure but not massive. The bones are rather flat. Muscles lean, well developed, especially on the thighs, but not showing in relief.
Faults: Light bone structure. Insufficiently developed musculature.
Serious faults: Heavy, coarse bone structure. Round bones.

HEAD
Lean, long, narrow, aristocratic.
Seen in profile, the lines of the skull and chamfer form a long, slightly convex line, the line of the sagittal crest being straight or slightly oblique towards the well marked occipital protuberance. Cranian region seen from the above, narrow, elongated into an ovale shape; seen in profile, almost flat.
Stop: very slightly marked.
Chamfer: Long, filled out in all its length, arched near the nose.
Nose: Large, mobile, considerably prominent in relation to the lower jaw.
Muzzle: The length of the muzzle from the stop to the tip of the nose is equal or slightly superior to that of the skull, from the occiput to the stop.
Lips: Fine, clean, well fitting.
The eye-rims, the lips and the nose are black whatever the colour of the coat.
The haid is so elegant and lean that the principal veins show through the skin.
Faults: Abrupt stop. Profile of the haid is distinct wedge shape due to exaggerated height of the skull. Forehead broad. Zygomatic arches developed. Chamfer too narrow. Chamfer short. Superciliary arches prominent.
Serious faults: Soft tissues. Blunt muzzle.

EARS
Small, supple, mobile, nearby, set on the above the eye level. Backwards, almost towards the nape of the neck, the tips of the ears situated near each over or directed downwards along the neck and close to it. When the dog is alert, the ears are carried higher and on the sights or forward; sometimes one or both ears are erect likehorse ears.
Faults: Low set, not set on backwards.
Serious faults: Thick, coarse, with rounded tips.

EYES
Large, expressive, dark hazel or hazel coloured, very slightly prominent, almond shaped, set obliquely.
Faults: Small, round, light hazel. Third eyelid too developed.
Serious faults: Deep set, blue, grey, and yellow.

TEETH
White, strong; full dentition, scissor bite.
Faults: Small, decayed; abnormally worn until pincer bite in subjects aged more than 6 years old. Absence of P1 and P2 (not more than 3 teeth).
Serious faults: Any deviation from the scissors bite (overshot or undershot bite, pincer bite in subjects aged less than 6 years; asymetrical bite) no matter how is the degree, absence ofincisors which prevents judging the bite, absence of more than 3 premolars, absence of P4, absence of any molar exept M3.

NECK
Long, clean, flattened laterally, muscled, slightly arched. Carried rather low.
Faults: Short, carried high.
Serious faults: Dewlap or loose skin at level of throat; neck of round cross-section.

CHEST
Of oval cross-section, not narrow, yet not wider than the croup, long, deep, spatious. Nearly reaching down to elbow level. The region of the shoulder blades being flatter, the chest gets gradually wider towards the false ribs, which are short; seen in profile, it forms a change in slope. The ribs are long, slightly prominent. The forechest is slightly prominent in relation to the scapular-humeral articulation.
Faults: Narrow, flat, sternal line much higher than the level of the elbows.
Serious faults: Hollow in its front part, barrel-ribbed.

BACK
Broad, muscled, elastic, forming with the loin and croup the same curve which is more pronounced in the males. The highest point of this curve is situated in the region of the 1st or 2nd lumbar vertebra.
Faults: Narrow with a hollow, too arched.
Serious faults: Sagging, straight back in males.

LOIN
Long: prominent, muscled, moderately broad.
Faults: Short, straight, narrow.

CROUP
Long, muscled, broad, slightly sloping. The width of the croup measured between the two hip bones (illiac crests) must not be less than 8 cm.
Faults: Narrow, short, steep.
Serious faults: sag too steep (the hindlegs are under the dog)

FOREQUARTERS
Forelegs clean, muscled. Seen from the front straight and parallel.
Shoulder blades long and oblique.
Upper arm: Moderately oblique, its length is barely superior to the length of the shoulder blade. Angle of the scapular-humeral articulation well pronounced.
Pastern: Slightly oblique in relation to the ground.
Elbows: In parallel plane to the median plane of the body.
Forearm: Clean, long, of oval cross-section; seen from the front: narrow, seen in profile: broad.
The height of the forelegs from the elbow to the ground is nearly equal to half the height at withers.
Faults: Forearm slightly crooked.
Feet turning slightly in or out.
Scapular-humeral angle too open.
Pastern too short, too oblique or too straight.
In or out at elbows.
Serious faults: Important deviations from the points described; knuckling over; forearm: of round cross-section.

HINDQUARTERS
Seen from behind: straight, parallel, set slightly wider than the forequarters. When the dog is standing true, the hindlegs are set backwards.
Haunches well muscled, long, placed obliquely.
Upper thigh:Long, muscled, placed obliquely.
Lower thigh: Long muscled placed obliquely.
Metatarsals: Not long, placed almost vertically.
All the articulations are well angulated.
Faults: All the articulations not angulated enought, .........?.........., close behind or spread hocks. Feet toeing in.
Serious faults: Important deviations from the points described.
Disqualifying faults: Presence of dewclaws.

FEET
Lean, narrow, "harefeet" (of elongated oval shape), slightly arched, with tight toes. Nails long, strong, touching the ground.
Faults: fleshy or flat, spread toes.
Serious faults: flat with spread toes.

TAIL
In shape of sickle or sabre, low set, thin, long (passed between the hindlegs, must reach up to the hip bone), furnished with abundant feathering. When the dog is standing, the tail hangs downwards, in action, it is raised, but not above the level of the back.
Faults: Set high or low, carried high, tip of the tail in ring shape, falling sideways, feathering sparsely developed, short.
Serious Faults: Coarse, corkscrew, broken, docked (even partially), in action falling downwards.
 

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