Black Russian Terrier

The Black Russian Terrier (abbreviated as BRT), also known as the Tchiorny Terrier (tchiorny being Russian for black) is a breed of dog created in USSR in Red Star (Krasnaya Zvezda) Kennel during the late 1940s and the early 1950s for use as military/working dogs. At the present time, the Black Russian Terrier is a breed recognized by the FCI (FCI's from September 1983), AKC (AKC's from July 2004), CKC, KC, ANKC, NZKC and other cynological organizations. The contemporary Black Russian Terrier is a working dog, guarding dog, sporting and companion dog.

Despite its name, the Black Russian Terrier is not a true terrier: it is believed that about seventeen breeds were used in its development, including the Airedale, the Giant Schnauzer, the Rottweiler, the Newfoundland, the Caucasian Shepherd Dog and other breeds.

Description

Coat

The coat is a double coat with a coarse outer guard hair over a softer undercoat. The coat is hard and dense, never soft, woolly, silky or frizzy. It should be trimmed to between 5 and 15 cm (2-6 inches)[3 in length. It should form a beard and eyebrows on the face, and a slight mane around the withers and neck that is more pronounced in males. The coat is low-shedding and the colour is black or black with some scattered gray hairs.

Size

According to the FCI standard the male stands 72 to 76 cm and not more than 78 cm at the withers compared to the female’s 68–72 cm and not more than 74 cm. The male weighs between 50 and 60 kg (110-132 lbs), and the females weigh between 45 and 50 kg (99-110 lbs). Nowadays, even larger individuals are tolerated if the dog is well proportioned and retains correct movements.

At maturity (over 18 months of age), the AKC standard[4] recommends 27-30 inches for males with the desired height between 27 and 29 inches and 26 and 29 inches for females with the desired height between 26 and 28 inches. A mature male less than 27 inches or more than 30 inches at the withers is considered a serious fault. A mature female less than 26 inches or more than 29 inches at the withers is considered a serious fault. Although the standard also states "Height consideration should not outweigh that of type, proportion, movement and other functional attributes." In proportions, a Black Russian Terrier should be slightly longer than tall, a ratio of 9 ½ to 10 being ideal.

Temperament

The character and temperament of the Black Russian Terrier is of utmost importance. The Black Russian Terrier is a calm, confident, courageous and self-assured dog. He is highly intelligent and adapts well to training. The Black Russian Terrier was initially bred to guard and protect. He is alert and responsive, instinctively protective, determined, fearless, deeply loyal to family, is aloof and therefore does not relish intrusion by strangers into his personal space. Shyness or excessive excitability is a serious fault.

Care

The Black Russian Terrier, because of its breeding as a working dog, has a very strong "work ethic", and needs a job to do in order to be happy. Early training is a must and they are very responsive to firm, consistent training, excelling at Obedience competitions. They also perform well in other dog sports, such as Agility, and Schutzhund training. They have a low-shedding coat, and need grooming several times a week. Dogs who compete in conformation need to be groomed a minimum of every three weeks to keep the coat in show condition. The Black Russian Terrier needs lots of exercise, and may become hyperactive and destructive if it does not have a chance to burn off its energy.

Health

The Black Russian Terrier is a generally healthy and somewhat long-lived dog (lifespan of 9–14 years), however it is prone to certain hereditary diseases:

Major concerns:

·         Hip dysplasia

·         Elbow dysplasia

·         Hyperuricosuria

·         Juvenile laryngeal paralysis and polyneuropathy

Minor concerns

·         Hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD) - a nutritionally based developmental disease especially in young, heavy, fast-growing puppies;

·         Panosteitis (Pano or Wandering Lameness) - a nutritionally based developmental disease especially in young, heavy, fast-growing puppies;

·         Heart Disease - the most common heart problems are aortic stenosis, mitral valve dysplasia, cardiomyopathy;

·         Eyes Disease - the most common eyes problems are ectropion, entropion, conjunctivitis;

·         Allergies are a common ailment in dogs, and the Black Russian Terrier is no exception. There are three main types of allergies: food allergies, contact allergies and inhalant allergies;

Other problems

·         Hot spot;

·         Fungal infection - especially in ears and beard area.

This is why it is extremely important to screen any potential breeders as well as their breeding stock. A well intended breeder will have all health checks on all breeding stock before making the decision to breed their dogs. While health checks on breeding stock can not guarantee a puppy will not develop any health issues later on, it is important to "do your homework" on any potential breeder.