Black Russian Terrier
History of the breed
The Black Russian Terrier was developed in the former USSR by the state for use as a military/working dogs. Other names the breed goes by are Black Terrier, Tchiorny Terrier, Chornyi, Russian Bear Schnauzer, Russian Black Terrier.
The breeding stock was largely imported from the occupied countries, especially East Germany. It was bred for working ability, rather than appearance, and early examples only resembled today's Black Russian Terrier in their build and coat type.
The Black Russian Terrier 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 is one of the AKC's most-recently recognized breeds, gaining full status in July 2004.
Appearance of the breed
The male stands 25-29 inches at the withers compared to the female's 25-28inches with a tolerance of 1.3 inches or more if the dog is well proportioned. The breed weighs 80 to 143 pounds.
The Black Russian Terrier gives the impression of great strength, athleticism, and courage. It should be rustic (but not coarse) in appearance, and should not 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.
The coat is hard and dense, never soft, woolly, silky, or frizzy. It should be between 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 is more pronounced in males. The coat is low-shedding and the colour is black or black with some gray hairs.
Temperament of the breed
Black Russian Terriers are confident, calm, highly intelligent, brave and loyal. However, without proper training and socialization, they can become aggressive. It should never be timid, and will not hesitate to defend the people that it loves if it thinks they are threatened. The Black Russian Terrier 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. Black Russian Terriers are dominant by nature and need confident owners who have experience handling similar dogs.
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, as it will exploit any owner who has failed to establish clear dominance, and it's just too big to not be trained. Black Russian Terriers are very responsive to firm, consistent training, and excel at Obedience competitions. Black Russian Terriers 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 Black Russian Terrier needs lots of exercise, and may become hyperactive and destructive if it doesn't have a chance to burn off its energy.
Health Concerns of the breed
The Black Russian Terrier is a generally healthy and somewhat long-lived dog with a lifespan of 10-14 years, however it is prone to certain hereditary diseases:
> Major concerns
> Hip dysplasia
> Minor concerns
> Elbow dysplasia
> Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)
