Both the Irish Wolfhound and the Borzoi are calm, dignified sighthounds that tower over most other dogs, and either can be a gentle housemate for the right owner. The differences that should actually drive your choice are life expectancy, coat care, and health risk profile. The Borzoi lives meaningfully longer on average, has a silky coat that mats and sheds, and carries a high rate of heart murmurs. The Irish Wolfhound is the taller of the two with a low-maintenance wiry coat, but a markedly shorter lifespan and a high lifetime risk of heart disease and bone cancer.

If you want the longest likely time with your dog and do not mind regular brushing, the Borzoi has the edge. If sheer size and an easy-care coat matter more and you have made peace with a shorter, surgery-prone giant-breed life, the Irish Wolfhound fits. Below is an attribute-by-attribute breakdown with the sources behind each claim.

The difference that settles most decisions: life expectancy

This is the gap that matters most, and it is real. A 2024 UK study of veterinary records, summarized on Wikipedia’s Irish Wolfhound entry, found a life expectancy of 9.9 years for the Irish Wolfhound against an all-purebred average of 12.7 years. The same body of work, cited on Wikipedia’s Borzoi entry, put the Borzoi at roughly 12 years. An older 2005 Swedish insurance dataset found 91% of Irish Wolfhounds had died by age 10.

That is not a rounding difference. A prospective owner choosing between these two breeds is choosing between roughly a decade and roughly seven to eight active years on average. If maximizing your years together is the priority, the Borzoi wins this category outright.

Side-by-side comparison

Full sourcing for each row is in the sections below.

Size: both are giants, but the Wolfhound is the tallest

The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest of all AKC breeds. Per the official AKC standard, dogs (males) over 18 months stand at least 32 inches at the shoulder and weigh at least 120 pounds; bitches (females) stand at least 30 inches and 105 pounds. The Borzoi is also large but stands lower: males from 28 inches, females from 26 inches, with males weighing roughly 75 to 105 pounds.

In practice both dogs need the same things from your home: floor space, a vehicle they can actually fit in, and furniture you do not mind sharing. Neither is an apartment dog in the convenient sense, though a calm sighthound that gets its daily run can adapt to a larger flat. The Wolfhound’s extra height mostly shows up in countertop reach and door-frame clearance.

Coat and grooming: this is where they truly diverge

The original framing that both breeds are equally “easy” to groom does not hold up. They have different coats and different upkeep.

The Irish Wolfhound has a hard, rough, wiry coat. A weekly brushing keeps it in order, and the breed benefits from occasional hand-stripping to remove dead hair, but day-to-day it is low effort. The Borzoi has a silky, flat-to-wavy coat that looks dramatic and behaves accordingly: it tangles and mats without regular brushing, and the undercoat sheds heavily in warm weather, per the Borzoi breed records. A Borzoi owner who skips brushing ends up with mats behind the ears and hair across the house during seasonal blows.

If grooming time is your constraint, the Irish Wolfhound is the lower-maintenance dog. If you do not mind a standing brushing routine, the Borzoi’s coat is manageable.

For brushes, deshedding tools, and coat care that suit a large double or silky coat, Chewy carries the widest range, and Only Natural Pet is a reasonable source for grooming basics and supplements. Compare options before committing to a giant-breed-sized tool.

Health: different risk profiles, both serious

Neither breed gets a tidy single health “score,” and any source that hands you one is guessing. The useful comparison is risk profile against risk profile.

The Irish Wolfhound carries two well-documented giant-breed risks. Dilated cardiomyopathy (an enlarged, weakened heart) shows up at rates between roughly 12% and 45% across studies, with one analysis citing a 3.4 odds ratio versus the overall dog population. Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) risk is dramatically higher: one figure puts the breed at 27.5 times the rate of the general dog population. Gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat) is also a standing risk, as it is in most deep-chested giants.

The Borzoi’s profile centers on the heart and on anesthesia. One American study cited in the breed records found 53.8% of Borzois had heart murmurs, which makes a baseline cardiac workup and periodic rechecks sensible. Because Borzois are lean, lightly built sighthounds, they recover from anesthesia more slowly and need a vet who dosed for that physiology; this is a known sighthound trait worth raising before any surgery or dental. Bloat is a shared risk.

The practical takeaway: budget for cardiac monitoring on either dog, ask any surgeon about sighthound anesthesia protocols for a Borzoi, and learn the signs of bloat (unproductive retching, a swelling abdomen, restlessness) for both. None of this is a reason to avoid either breed; it is a reason to choose a breeder who does cardiac screening and to keep a relationship with a vet who knows the breed.

Insurance: price it before anything is pre-existing

For two breeds with documented cardiac and orthopedic risk, pet insurance is worth pricing while the dog is young and healthy, before any murmur or joint finding becomes a pre-existing exclusion. For a giant breed, a single cardiac workup or orthopedic surgery can exceed a year of premiums. See our breed-specific breakdowns: pet insurance for Irish Wolfhounds and pet insurance for Borzois.

Temperament and trainability

Both breeds are quiet, calm, and gentle indoors, and neither is a barker or a hyperactive presence. The difference is disposition. The Irish Wolfhound is reserved and strongly family-bonded; the breed is sensitive and does poorly with harsh handling or long isolation, and can become destructive when left alone too much. The Borzoi is affectionate but more independent and aloof, comfortable on its own terms, and a selective learner that bores easily during repetitive drills.

For training, both respond best to short, positive, low-pressure sessions rather than rote repetition. The Wolfhound is marginally easier for a committed first-time owner because it is more eager to please; the Borzoi will cooperate when it sees the point and tune out when it does not. As sighthounds, both carry real prey drive: a securely fenced yard is not optional, and off-leash freedom in open areas is a gamble with a dog bred to chase moving game at speed.

Cost: comparable purchase, large-dog upkeep

Purchase prices overlap. Irish Wolfhound puppies typically run about $1,200 to $2,500, with well-bred, fully health-tested lines going higher. Borzoi puppies from a breeder generally run $1,000 to $3,000, per Spot Pet Insurance’s 2025 breed cost guide and its Irish Wolfhound counterpart. Waiting lists are common for both, since litters are limited. Treat any “instant availability” listing at a suspiciously low price as a reason to ask harder questions about health testing.

Ongoing costs track size more than breed: both are giant or large dogs that eat accordingly, need large-breed dosing on parasite prevention and medication, and cost more for boarding and surgery than an average-sized dog. Recurring large-breed food is usually cheaper on a subscription such as Chewy’s autoship than bought bag by bag. Request a written quote from any breeder, boarding facility, or specialist rather than relying on a single advertised figure, since giant-breed pricing varies widely by region.

Which should you buy?

Choose the Borzoi if your top priority is the longest likely lifespan, you are comfortable with regular brushing and seasonal shedding, and you want an affectionate but independent dog. Plan for cardiac screening and a vet who understands sighthound anesthesia.

Choose the Irish Wolfhound if you want the tallest, most imposing companion with a low-maintenance coat, you can accept the shorter giant-breed lifespan, and you want a slightly more biddable dog for a first sighthound. Plan for cardiac and orthopedic costs and choose a breeder who screens for both.

Either way, buy from a breeder who health-tests for heart disease, consider rescue, and price insurance early. See which breed fits your space, budget, and health expectations on GetPetPros, and dig deeper through our vet care hub and most-researched picks. To understand how we reach these calls, read how we evaluate.

Related on GetPetPros

• Irish Wolfhound breed guide
• Borzoi breed guide
• Irish Wolfhound vs Greyhound
• Borzoi vs Greyhound

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