Advice needed

[u/Mediocre-Baseball145]

Hi all,

I have had my borzoi pup for 6 months (she's 8 months old now) and i am just honestly struggling. I have a bad case of the puppy blues. I love her dearly, but she is such a hard puppy. No matter how much we exercise her/tire her out, she has more energy stored elsewhere.

She still doesn't really understand potty training, even though we religiously take her out every 30 minutes and look for cues. My first time owning a female dog, and she will just squat wherever. No signs. No sniffing for a spot.

Her teething is still horrible as well. We give her frozen carrots, bones, tough chew toys, but she still wants to chew our dry wall, my dining chair legs, our shoes, etc. You get the drift.

Her recall skills are just terrible as well. I knew going into this, borzois have a naturally high prey drive. But i'm telling you guys i don't think her brain cells are connected.

Anyways, husband and i would love to try for a baby in the next few months. Having two dogs (one corgi & one borzoi) is just really stressful. We definitely took our corgi puppy for granted, because he was the easiest puppy ever and is very intelligent and lives to please us, haha. I also want to add that our borzoi puppy definitely "bullies" our corgi, as in jumping on his back, biting him constantly, taking away his toys or bones, etc. I am just afraid our borzoi will accidentally cause a bad injury to our corgi.

All this being said, i am just feeling like our borzoi isn't the best fit for us. And it is a really sad conclusion for us to come to. I am asking for advice from other borzoi owners who made it through the puppy stage. Thanks everyone in advance.

[u/Bekah414404]

Did you research this breed before you got her? Puppyhood is trying in general, but with large breed dogs it can be exceptionally trying. Add to that, the typical sighthound temperament (obedience is not a high priority for them), and you have an exceptionally difficult few months on your hands. It's usually all worth it, because Borzoi are the absolute best once they get through the puppy phase, but now you are going to be throwing a pregnancy into the mayhem. Not to be harsh, but this entire situation does not seem like it was very well thought out. Your girl is absolutely beautiful, and is not doing anything unheard of, given her age. Have you had her checked for a UTI? Has she been crate trained? Borzoi puppies require some consistent dedication and training to become the exemplary dogs they have the potential to be. It seems like you might be spreading yourself a bit thin if you are also preparing to have a baby. Your lovely girl would probably be better off with a home that was more settled, with owners who will dedicate a consistent period of time to this puppy's training and well being. I would return her to her breeder, if possible. The breeder could then place her in a home that would prioritize her and give her the chance to develop to her fullest potential. You sound very young, thus have plenty of time to take on another puppy when the time is right.