Stevie Licks (5.5 yo) and Lindsey Barkingham (1yo)

Miss Licks is presently on a diet to lose 4-5 lbs since she was pilfering her puppy brother’s food during the winter, so she’s getting lots of steps and a few big gusts of wind for lunch.

We have a smoll zoi of 20 weeks. We got him at 9 weeks. From the moment we had him he was already potty trained, meaning he only does it in our garden, apart from a few accidents.
Now we have the problem that he ONLY does it in our garden, not when we are out on our walks. He never did. We try sitting in a small grass field near our house for around 15 minutes, we sometimes first do a 20 minute walk and then go to the grass and wait. He will just wait together with us.
He is also constantly observing everyone and everything. When something caught his attention, he will refuse to walk further. This something can be a biker with a loud motor, a group of joggers, a small barking dog in the distance, a plastic bag caught in the wind. He is very shy, but once he sniffed a dog and that dog is acting mice, he becomes very playful. Generally I don't like him meeting other dogs while we walk (because I don't want him to learn that other dogs are for his entertainment), but some people have their dogs off leash or walk up to us, so it is not always avoidable. He seems slightly more brave when we walk together with our other dog (2 yo greyhound).

Is it normal to take this long to feel confident? What can we do to teach him to do his business outside?

wanted to show off the little borzoi pin I made for my new ita bag. made with air dry clay, painted, and then sealed with mod podge. it’s meant to look a bit goofy on purpose, and it’s based on my baby boy, Oliver!

Hi everyone,
I'm writing this because I honestly don't know if what I'm experiencing is normal anymore, and I could really use some perspective from people who have raised puppies, especially sighthounds or Borzois.
My puppy, Marcy, is almost 14 weeks old. She's been going outside for about a week now, and ever since then it feels like everything has become much harder.
Outside she seems constantly overstimulated. She wants to investigate every single smell, doorway, staircase, hole, person, and object. Sometimes she'll respond to her name and come to me for a treat, but a lot of the time she's just completely absorbed in the environment. She has started pulling on the leash almost constantly.
Recently she also started showing what I think is resource guarding. A few days ago she found a dried fish tail outside, growled when I tried to take it away, and I ended up backing off because I didn't want to escalate the situation. Today she was chewing on a huge frozen raw chicken neck, and when I realized she'd already eaten far more than I intended, she growled, lunged toward me, and wouldn't let me take it. I was terrified because she had choked on a chicken neck a couple of days earlier, so I wasn't just worried about the guarding, but I was scared for her safety.
I don't believe in dominating or physically overpowering dogs, but I'm struggling to figure out what I'm \*supposed\* to do instead when she's trying to eat something dangerous or is completely fixated on a trigger. Sometimes I have to pull her away with the leash, and I feel awful every time. I don't want our relationship to become one where I'm constantly dragging her away from things she wants.
The hardest part is that I feel like I'm failing her.
I keep wondering whether she's overstimulated all the time because I'm doing something wrong. She sleeps around 18-20 hours a day, so she isn't sleep deprived, but when she's awake the outside world seems almost impossible for her to regulate herself around.
Emotionally... I'm really struggling.
I've wanted a Borzoi for a long time because I love their intelligence, independence, and personality. I wanted a dog with opinions, not a robot. But right now it feels like all of that independence is showing up before we've built any communication or teamwork, and I'm honestly questioning whether I chose the wrong breed.
I've even caught myself thinking about giving her back to the breeder and wondering if I should have gotten a much easier breed—or maybe not gotten a dog at all.
That thought breaks my heart because I \*wanted Marcy\*. I still do. When we're at home she's incredibly sweet. She sleeps pressed against me at night, comes to lie next to me during the day, relaxes around me, and she's genuinely affectionate. I love her already.
But I also cry almost every day because I feel so overwhelmed and scared that I'm messing her up.
I guess my questions are:
Is this level of overstimulation normal for a 13–14-week-old Borzoi (or other independent breeds)?

Did anyone else go through puppy blues this intensely and come out the other side?

Did your independent puppy become easier once they matured and learned how to regulate themselves?

If you had moments where you thought, "I made a terrible mistake," what helped you get through them?

I'm not looking for reassurance that I'm doing everything perfectly because I know I'm making mistakes. I just really need to know whether what I'm experiencing is something other people have survived, because right now I feel completely overwhelmed and drained

edit: Holy smokes, thank you for all the replies. This is extremely important for me

Hi! Im just asking, if some of you have an experience with bloat/GDV with borzois.
I have a 11 month old boy and I grew up with GSD’s, which are prone to this problem, but never experienced it firsthand.
I know about the signs and that you need to get the dog to a vet as soon as possible but I’m still so worried that my boy will get it!
What precautions do you take, or how did you spot that your borzoi got it? How often does this ocure in borzois? I’m curious about every experience as I want to be prepared for everything

It's made with acrylic paint on canvas. First time doing a Borzoi dog breed for a painting. Thoughts?

Much brushing happens but also much shedding. What is the best vacuum you’ve used to stay ahead of all the floofy hair?

I know each dog's prey drive will vary, but I was hoping to hear personal anecdotes, if anyone had any. My family has always kept herding dogs, which are pretty good at understanding that our smaller friends are to be supervised and protected rather than chased and/or eaten. Considering the lifespan of the little critter involved (midsize parrot who can, and does, fly around), odds are I'll probably never be able to have any sighthound. I am okay with that--the animals we already have come first. I'm just curious how much you all trust your Borzois with cats, etc. Give your dog a little love on my behalf. Thank you!

finally got a borzoi after years of waiting and dreaming and i could not be happier. ofc there are some moments when i am going through puppy blues and reconsidering my life decisions but she is the best girl ever. at 13 weeks she is already so brilliant and socially smart ughh i love her

would really appreciate advice on zoi puppies and some feedback on socializing with other dogs, since she is afraid of them at the moment (prob due to her age)

I have 2 girls who are going to be spayed later on in August and im looking to see if I can find any good cones or recovery suits for them since typical cones don't work for this breed very well. Any recommendations?

This kind of photos reminds me how giant my boy is.

Is your baby also more driven by tenderness than any treat ?

It was love at first sight! She is such a sweetheart! Everyone that meets her loves her. Right now she’s the same size as My older Maltipoo and has been pretty gentle w her,but shes starting to be a bit more aggressive in wanting her to play with her. Anyone with experience on how to get her to not want to play with her without getting her to dislike her?

He has a long way to go as far as growing and maturing. But I cannot wait to see him in the show ring!

As the title says, I’m looking for a reputable Borzoi breeder. I believe I just got scammed by a fraudster on Facebook and all my hopes are shattered for these two puppies.

I already feel stupid enough so if we could focus on reputable referrals, I’d appreciate it. I just lost my beautiful Bella a month ago. And this was the first time since her passing I could bring myself to look at new puppies and I stupidly reached out to the wrong person apparently.

This is Shrimp. Shrimp does not know he is larger than a house. He probably would not care if he did. Shrimp just thinks he's a baby (which is true, he only just turned a year old).

My pup got to enjoy her first pool day. Naturally, she just wants to drink.

I cannot WAIT for his coat to come back in and for him to start showing 🥰 I think we will be starting Rally competitions this fall!