Meet Junior Handler Ellie Hodkowski
Elizabeth “Ellie” Hodkowski grew up in a Texas home with two Havanese. Despite the fluffy, little counterparts of her childhood, the now-15-year-old has always been drawn to the nobility of a much different dog breed: the Borzoi. Hodkowski’s fascination with the breed continued to grow, and before she knew it, she had a Borzoi of her own, and found a passion for competing in conformation and lure coursing together.
Love At First Sight(hound)
Her dream breed at one point felt out of reach. Borzoi are very different from the Havanese growing up, at minimum, in size. After lots of research and her aunt helping convince her mom, the family got in contact with Borzoi breeders. The first one suggested they attend a local show. “I finally got to meet some Borzoi in person, and my mom says she could see that it was love at first “sighthound,” she says. Her mom finally said what Ellie wanted to hear: Borzois were probably in their future. For Hodkowski, seeing the breed in-person made everything click for her. “I really liked their vibe,” she says. “They were very calm and just seemed like the right dog for me.”
After bringing home the family’s first Borzoi “Vladislav,” Hodkowski started going to handling classes right away. But it wasn’t easy at first. “It’s hard to train a puppy and yourself to show at the same time,” Hodkowski remembers. Even though it was challenging, she kept going and connecting with more trainers, which helped build her skills as a handler.
It wasn’t long before Hodkowski started thinking about adding a second Borzoi to her family. Her mom took a couple of weeks to be sure that the family ready for another dog, but soon caved. Vladislav’s breeder offered them one of his littermates, “Pypa,” and now, the Hodkowskis can’t image life without them. “We always say that we can’t imagine having just one. Borzoi were originally raised in large hunting packs, and you can see how they still like having a friend,” Hodkowski says. “They keep each other busy, and even my mom admits that two are easier than one.”
Shifting to Sports
At first, Hodkowski was just interested in getting a Borzoi as a pet, but she quickly became interested in conformation. “I hadn’t considered showing Borzoi, but several people mentioned it and said that young people were needed in the dog world, especially in Borzoi.” Growing up, Hodkowski’s mom was involved in 4H and had a positive experience, so she encouraged Hodkowski to give it a try.
Hodkowski quickly clicked with dog shows and is now involved in conformation, Junior Showmanship, lure coursing, and Large Gazehound Racing Association (LGRA) straight racing. She’s also gotten involved in Disc Dog and Barn Hunt classes with Pypa, and hopes to do some virtual scent work classes this summer.
Borzoi are unique and striking dogs that stand out on the end of the leash. However, Hodkowski notes they aren’t always the easiest dogs for juniors to handle. “Borzoi are a giant breed, so everything related to their care is bigger,” she says. “Bigger equipment, bigger car to transport them, more food, higher doses of medicine, you name it.”
Borzoi also aren’t known for being “flashy” in the ring. “You have to come up with ways to show them off, so the Junior Showmanship judge can see your handling skills even though you have a more reserved dog breed,” she explains. Borzoi also require a special approach to handling and training. “They’re not a ‘yes’ breed,” she adds. Hodkowski believes that the key with training is to work with, not against, Borzoi’s independent personalities. “You have to figure out what motivates them. And even that can change, so you need to be able to change your tactics depending on your dog’s mood. You also have to know when you and your dog aren’t in sync and to end a training session on a positive note,” she describes.
Training a Giant Breed
Although Hodkowski loves Borzoi, she says they aren’t always the easiest sport dogs. “Their prey drive can be a challenge, especially since we have a lot of rabbits and squirrels in our neighborhood. But it’s also cool to see that natural instinct,” Hodkowski explains. “I have worked with them to learn not to chase while on a lead, and we’re mostly successful. But I would never take mine off leash because if they saw a rabbit, there would be no stopping them.”
“Training a sighthound is different from other dogs. You have to learn not to repeat stuff too often or do a lot of drills, to let them choose when to learn and be looking for clues that they are feeling done with a session.” Hodkowski focuses on ensuring she has a strong bond with her dogs at home and while competing. “We did things that were just fun for both of us to build that bond so that they trusted me and wanted to work with me. Vlad loves jumping in the pool, so we did that with him a lot. Pypa liked the flirt pole a lot when she was little, and we also did barn hunting for a while.”
She focuses on having a positive mindset when working with her dogs. “I try to go in and just focus on doing my best with my dog, and to remember what we worked on in training and class to help them look their best. And this approach has paid off. Some of Hodkowski’s proudest moments so far have been breed-specific wins, including in January 2024, when Vlad won Best in Sweepstakes and Pypa won Best Puppy at the Lone Star Borzoi Club specialty. “It was a really exciting day,” Hodkowski recalls.
Tapping Into The Breed Purpose
As hunting dogs, Borzoi are incredibly athletic. “We love watching them run, so lure coursing and racing was a natural thing to try to do,” Hodkowski explains. For lure coursing, they started going to the Large Greyhound Racing Association straight racing trials with their puppies to do “puppy bumps” and see if they were interested. “They loved it, so when they were old enough, we tried longer AKC lure coursing trials,” she says. “Both dogs have their Junior Courser titles, and we hope to continue this fall.”
Her giant athletes took to the sport right away, and Hodkowski loves the opportunity to watch her dogs do what they love most. “Just watching Borzoi run and see their natural instincts kick in and doing what they were bred to do is amazing. They have so much power but are also graceful.” She also appreciates the atmosphere and community around coursing and racing. “I love going to the trials and seeing all the different breeds run and their different styles.”
Hodkowski pays special attention to keeping the Borzoi in good condition for running. “We make sure that they get exercise by encouraging them to play together and going to sniff spots where they can really stretch out their legs.” Because Hodkowski’s family lives in Texas, summer is especially challenging with the high temperatures. “Our boy loves to swim, so we play fetch in the pool with a bumper and hope to do more dock diving soon. Our girl doesn’t like swimming, so we got a dogPACER [treadmill], so she can get exercise in the cool house,” says Hodkowski. She is constantly learning more about how to work with her dogs to help them look and feel their best, including researching conditioning exercises and proper nutrition.
A Community of Breed Enthusiasts
While Hodkowski knew she was in love with Borzoi as a breed, she hadn’t anticipated becoming so close to other Borzoi lovers. “One thing my mom and I weren’t expecting was the community we would end up building through our dogs. We have met so many nice people in classes and at shows and sports.” The ability to connect with other Borzoi owners has made a huge difference for Hodkowski. “The dog world can be confusing for a beginner, and so many people have taken the time to help us along the way. It is really fun to see everyone at shows and sports and to root for their dogs as well as our own,” she explains.
Being a junior handler with a less common breed also has benefits. “You stick out, so people tend to remember you,” Hodkowski explains. She loves the opportunity not only to celebrate her dogs but also to educate other people about Borzoi. “I love talking about my dogs, and people always come up to me at shows — even other handlers seem to love Borzoi,” she says. “I think maybe I’m more approachable because I’m a junior. I enjoy that part, so I hope to do more breed outreach in the future. If you see me at a show or trial, be sure to say hi!”
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