Are Borzois easy to groom?

The grooming reality for Borzois

What the coat needs

Borzois have a manageable coat that needs a brush two or three times a week. It is a light routine that keeps the coat healthy and cuts down on hair around the home without any specialist work.

Time and cost

Most of the work is done at home with a decent brush and the occasional bath. Costs stay low: nail clippers, shampoo, and a brush suited to the coat are about all you need, with a salon trip only if you fancy a tidy-up.

The bits every dog needs

Whatever the coat, the basics are the same. Trim or file nails every few weeks so they do not click on the floor or splay the toes, check and gently clean ears to catch infections early, and brush the teeth several times a week to head off the dental disease that is common and costly in dogs. Start all of this in puppyhood so handling becomes routine rather than a battle.

Personality and cooperation on the grooming table

The Russian aristocrat of the dog world. Elegantly aloof, blindingly fast, and deeply unsuited to off-lead parks.

A gentle temperament tends to sit still for handling without much fuss, tolerating nail clipping, ear checks, and brushing with far less resistance than a more excitable dog. Independent dogs sometimes resist being told to stay still, and tolerance for handling needs to be built up gradually rather than assumed from the outset. An athletic dog needs a proper run before a long grooming session, since pent-up physical energy makes holding still on the table considerably harder to achieve.

Training and temperament during grooming

Building tolerance for handling

Borzois often need more patient, gradual desensitisation to accept handling calmly, and skipping that early groundwork tends to make every grooming session harder than it needs to be.

Vocal protest during grooming

Borzois are quiet by nature, and most tolerate grooming without much vocal protest, even where the handling itself takes some getting used to.

Family involvement and other pets

Borzois need careful management around young children generally, and that caution extends to grooming: handling and brushing are best left to an adult rather than delegated to a child. With a cat in the household, grooming sessions are best done somewhere the two animals are not competing for space or attention.

Grooming costs across a dog's lifetime

Borzois typically live 9 to 14 years, and grooming needs tend to change with age: older dogs often have thinner, more sensitive skin and less patience for long sessions, so shorter, gentler grooming suits a senior borzoi better than the routine that worked at two years old. Insurance for a Borzoi in the UK typically runs about £35 to £75 a month, and skin problems from neglected coat care, matting, hot spots, and infected ears among them, are a common reason that cover gets used. Starting handling and brushing early with a Borzoi puppy, which typically costs around £800 to £2000 in the UK, makes every grooming session for the rest of the dog's life considerably easier.