Everything about The Black Russian Terrier totally explained
The
Black Russian Terrier (or simply BRT) is a
breed of
dog developed originally as a
guard dog and
police dog. It is rare outside its native country and is just starting to be recognized elsewhere; for example, it's one of the
AKC's most-recently recognized breeds, gaining full status in July of 2004.
Description
Appearance
The BRT gives the impression of great strength, athleticism, and courage. It should be rustic (but not coarse) in appearance, and shouldn't look as though its coat is sculpted or trimmed. It should
never appear to lack substance or be weak in any way. Males should be noticeably more masculine than females.
Coat
The coat is hard and dense, never soft, woolly, silky, or frizzy. It should be between 4-10 cm (1.4-4 inches) in length. It should form a beard and eyebrows on the face, and a slight mane around the
withers and neck that's more pronounced in males. The coat is low-shedding and the colour is black or black with some gray hairs.
Size
The male stands 25-29 inches (64-74 cm) at the withers compared to the female's 25-28 inches (64-72 cm) with a tolerance of 1.3 inches (3 cm) or more if the dog is well proportioned. The breed weighs 80 to 143 pounds (36-65 kg)
Temperament
BRTs are confident, calm, highly intelligent, brave and loyal. It should never be timid, and won't hesitate to defend the people that it loves if it thinks they're threatened. The BRT may seem aloof, but needs human companionship and bonds deeply to its family. They are wary of strangers and take a long time to warm up to unfamiliar people, thus they make excellent
guard dogs. BRTs are dominant by nature and need confident owners who have experience handling similar dogs.
Care
The BRT, 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, as it'll exploit any owner who has failed to establish clear dominance, and it's just too big to not be trained. They are very responsive to firm, consistent training, and excel 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 at least once a week, more for show dogs. The BRT needs lots of exercise, and may become
hyperactive and destructive if it doen't have a chance to burn off its energy.
Health
The BRT is a generally healthy and somewhat long-lived dog (lifespan of 10-14 years), however it's prone to certain
hereditary diseases:
- Major concerns
- Minor concerns
History
The BRT was developed in the former
USSR by the state for use as a military/working dogs. The breeding stock was largely imported from the occupied countries, especially
East Germany. Breeds used in the development include the
Airedale Terrier,
Caucasian Ovcharka,
Rottweiler,
Newfoundland,
Giant and
Standard Schnauzers and the now extinct
Moscow Water Dog. It was bred for working ability, rather than appearance, and early examples only resembled today's BRT in their build and coat type. It was bred solely by the state owned
Red Star Kennel until 1957, when some puppies were sold to civilian breeders. These breeders began to breed for looks (as the original was rather plain) while retaining working ability. The breed was recognized by the
FCI in 1984.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Black Russian Terrier'.
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