Episode 41 - Owning a Borzoi (puppy) - Spaying! What to Expect

[@blakewidrick8633]

I could literally watch those dogs all day just laying on the couch lol

[@DB-vk1tt]

I'd love to see a video on what exercise you give the dogs, how much, what kind, etc. And how did you juggle the exercise needs of Esper and Ora when Ora was a puppy?

[@juliaflumerfelt8755]

Every time you said her name, Esper’s one ear perked up!

[@maxj2161]

We watch your videos with pleasure! hello from the pharaoh dog Niobe from Russia)

[@esperborzoi]

My ladies send their love ❤️

[@sheiladoherty3732]

Thanks so much for replying. I can’t get him out the door to the hallway. He just goes into panic concrete mode. I am afraid to injure his neck. He just becomes stronger. I can’t pull him out. He is so laid back in the house. My 3 little dogs walk under, around & between his legs & he never responds. I have never seen such a calm dog this size. Never thought this could happen to a dog that likes to run. I have parks a few blocks in each direction. He follows me everywhere in the house the minute I get up but when I go to put my coat on he try’s to block the door to stop me from leaving but will not follow me out. He knows no commands at all. The breeder said he never showed any fear. While he lived on acres outside it was not always quiet. He heard guns go off all the time in Kentucky for practice shooting & it never bothered him. He played all day with the other Borzoi & was a happy dog. Maybe he just misses he past life & wants to go home. I am sure he never got the one on one attention he is now getting. I am home 24/7 with him & he is treated like a Prince. I will keep trying to get him out but It just stresses him out I wonder would he be better with a dog walker than with me who is strong or would that make him more scared with someone he doesn’t know. He is so strong that I am afraid for his safety & mine if he gets scared & I can’t hold him.

[@esperborzoi]

Sheila that's terrible, it sounds like he wasn't really trained at all (not knowing any commands). I would definitely reach out to some animal behavioral specialists, there are also some incredible sighthound support groups on facebook, you can even reach out to Ora's Breeder (@saxafraxborzoi) on instagram, they will be able to help or point you in the right direction. Unfortunately, I've not had any personal experience with that sort of behavior in any of my dogs, at least not to that extent. Please keep in touch with this, you can DM me on insta too @esperborzoi

[@wassabied]

hey, i love your videos! Can you please make one on how do your borzois handle being alone while you are away. Can you make trips without taking them with you? thanks

[@esperborzoi]

Great Idea for a video! I'll try to get it up this week.

[@leighannebright5723]

Would you be willing to introduce us to your parents Borzois? They are so beautiful and cool to learn about. I haven’t ever even seen one in person, I’ve only seen them on TV (and even then very rarely). You mentioned in a previous video that Espers brother has a much higher prey drive, and then on a later one that Ora is much more curious about the world than Esper. Anyway, thanks for the great content! I’m a huge dog lover and my breed of choice is whichever one I’m currently petting. 😁

[@gunnar6650]

Best KZbinr ever

[@esperborzoi]

Now you're just spoiling me.

[@Primarysearchtraining]

I second that!

[@evee._.6525]

I’m around 4’9 and rlly want a borzoi but people have said they have a high prey drive and chase after stuff when you take them out for walks sometimes and I don’t know if I’ll have the strength too pull it back, should I wait til I get taller?

[@esperborzoi]

Great question, Borzois can be a lot to handle on a leash, especially if they get it in their mind that they want to go for something. That said, the prey drive varies wildly per dog, per breeding line, even between sexes. One thing to note is that female borzois tend to be a lot smaller than the males, and therefore a bit easier to handle. If you can wait, it might be a good idea, and if you can get a chance to meet a borzoi and speak with some breeder that might help even more - even to alleviate some of your worries.

[@evee._.6525]

@@esperborzoi alright, thank you so much for responding

[@interdimensionalsteve8172]

The one downside to all sighthounds: training is an arse pain, and if they see a squirrel or a raccoon or something, you can forget them listening AT ALL :)

[@laughingseagull000]

What time should male borzois be fixed?

[@murrin-]

Helloooo! New to your channel and relatively new to the breed. I'm experienced with dogs in that I've grown up with them and adopted a 5 month old rescue but this will be my first puppy, that if all goes well I'll be bringing home in the summer of this coming year. My big big question is that, how did you recall train and what methods did you use and which were most effective? Also because my rescue is a terrier mixed with shepherd for the greater part and a mature grown adult now, who knows how to behave, most times; Will they try to push boundaries and test their position in the pack as much as a terrier would in their adolescence? Cheers, love your videos and your Russian ladies!

[@esperborzoi]

What works the absolute best for me, is find a fenced setting where you can start small and increase distance, have two people standing with treats some distance apart, and call the dog back and forth rewarding any successful recall with praise. As you get better and better take steps back until you’re working the routine far away. With this, the key, at least with my girls, is to never let the get away with not listening. If you can’t get them to come after a number of attempts, move back towards them and keep calling their name, even if you end up 2 feet from them and they come to you, reward it. lol

[@murrin-]

@@esperborzoi aaaaaa thank you! This sounds amazing, we have a pretty big garden which should help out and we're surrounded by enclosed field so it makes off lead fairly easy. Would you recommend a drag line as well just for a case of ***just in case*** until that trust is established? I fully trust my little hairy ginger to help out as well, but he's a terrier and has selective hearing when it comes to a good smell. Why did I ever think a sighthound and a terrier combo would be a good mix 🤣🤣

[@esperborzoi]

@@murrin- anytime you’re “off leash” with a sighthound, unless you’re comfortable with them running 1/2 a mile away from You, don’t be unleashed. Lol. (Speaking from experience) Once you’ve done the game enouhh, you can do it at a dog park or add distractions too.

[@caydenprescott]

NOOOODLES

[@chimmy9065]

New to your channel and I absolutely love your videos on Borzois since I'm preparing to own a borzois myself. Just a question have you ever had Borzois with cats? Hows the experience?

[@esperborzoi]

Currently live with a cat and 4 borzois with no problems. But every dog is different, different levels of pray drive. If you get a puppy, socialize them early on, with an old dog best to always supervise around the cat until you REALLY know

[@chimmy9065]

@@esperborzoi Thank you so much one of my worries was having a borzoi with cats but this is a relief to hear. Ill definitely be working on socializing like you said. Thank you again and keep up with the amazing videos😁

[@chimmy9065]

@@esperborzoi oh also is there a possibility that borzois can be senstive to deflea medicines? Someones borzoi got a sever reaction from the deflea medicine and got paralyzed waist down because borzois are a collie breed branch apparently and collies are usually sensetive to what goes in these types of medicines but Im not completely sure since arent borzois sighthounds and not collies? Or perhaps thats just because that borzoi in particular had very bad allergies?

[@rocketscientist1594]

I thought I’d share an article on best ages to neuter dogs of different sizes, based on a fairly large study done at UC Davis vet school. (I can’t find the articles I shared with my vet years ago.) This article talks about the problems of neutering large dogs too early. (If you’re not into statistics, ignore that stuff.) The conclusions are on page 4. In a nutshell, don’t neuter the giant dogs before age 2. (Borzoi count as giant dogs.) We had Frost neutered at age 2. He’s 6 now, and just fine.

[@rocketscientist1594]

Sorry - it won’t let me copy the link. It’s in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, and it’s titled: Assisting Decision-Making on Age of Neutering for Mixed Breed Dogs of Five Weight Categories: Associated Joint Disorders and Cancers

[@sheiladoherty3732]

I forgot to add that I live in New York City in the middle of constant noise & traffic.

[@RedwonMactamhais]

I breed Rough Collies, and my best friends wife is a veterinarian and career college student. She is 38 and still takes college courses in specialty fields. She first recommended I encourage people not to neuter male puppies and wait until female puppies are full mature adults. I try to be as responsible as possible. All my dogs have been fully DNA tested to prevent breeding puppies with inherited genetic disorders. They get health screened before I breed for a litter. I have also done my own extensive research. Including picking the brains of many other Veterinarians. While there are people on both sides of the fence on this, My recommendation to people who adopt my pups is, IF you must Spay or Neuter one of my puppies, I encourage you to wait until they have fully matured and stopped growing. That age for Rough Collies is somewhere between 18-28 months depending on dog. So I say to wait until after 2 years. This is important for both sexes, but especially important for male puppies. Early neutering has been linked to Training and Behavioral issues, and everything from multiple cancers, Hypothyroidism, Diabetes, to multiple Orthopedic disorders like hip dysplasia, Arthritis, Degenerative Myelopathy etc, and even Neurological and Cognitive Disorders I'm Spayed and Neutered dogs anytime after the surgery from immediately all the way into old age.

[@esperborzoi]

Great research, thank you for posting this!

[@sheiladoherty3732]

Hi Jacob I contacted you before re: finding an adult Borzoi. I got a breeder 4 1/2 year old male. My worry was how my 3 little boys would react. However all went well. They love him & he pays no attention to them. No prey drive here. My problem is very serious. Like you I live in an apartment. This poor dog lived outside his entire life in the county. He is petrified beyond belief outside & now will not go out on the street. He just shakes. He is the most gentle dog & so calm inside. You can do anything to him. He has developed pressure sores on his upper leg/hip area & had to go to the vet & on antibiotics now. How do I get him to walk as he needs exercise? His bones & muscles are going to weaken. He is so beautiful & 33” at the shoulder. His welfare is my concern. Help

[@esperborzoi]

Shelia! my heart goes out to you. I had a lot of similar issues when I got Esper, she was afraid of everything, bikes, traffic, everything. We worked EVERYDAY on building her confidence, going on walks trying to get her to go a little further everyday - I remember the first time I was able to get her to walk around the block I was so excited. The key is consistency, working on it daily. I am not saying this is a solution for sure in your case, but it's something to try. When I was with my girls in apartment, I made it my duty to give them ample exercise everyday, which involved not only daily walks, but runs as well, and time off leash at dog parks, or safe spaces. Are there any dog parks or places you can take him where he can get out? Is there anyway to take him out of the city once a week or so.

[@RoscyWoscy]

Does anyone know of some reputable breeders?

[@alex-internetlubber]

Saw episode 42 and was sad so came here instead