Russian Toy

The Russian Toy Dog is descended from the English Toy Terrier, a breed appreciated by the Russian Court in the early 20th century. Decimated in the October Revolution, the breed was lost. During the 1950s, a handful of passionate Russians decided to recreate it by mating the rare survivors. The use of breeding animals not strictly conforming to the standard resulted in the creation of a breed, with smooth and short hair, very far from the model, the English Toy Terrier. In 1958, a variety described as long-coated was added to the standard.

Intelligent, curious, non-aggressive, lively and playful, it is an ideal companion, relatively easy to train. It is of great sociability even towards strangers and its outbursts of friendship are common. Its natural sympathetic relationships with its peers also develop with cats. Only rats and other rodents awaken its Terrier instinct.

The Russian Toy Dog has a lively, elegant and graceful appearance. Small in size, 20 to 28 cm at the shoulder, it has very long legs, large ears with high set and a fine muzzle at the end of which is a small truffle matched to the coat. A long tail is added to the skeleton. Its large eyes give it a charming air. Preference goes to coats of sustained colors. The fire can be combined with black, brown or blue without excluding a reddish base color. The hairs of the ears of the long-haired variety only reach their final size at the age of 3 years.

Both varieties of the Russian Toy Dog are hypoallergenic since they do not have an undercoat. The long-haired variety is not subject to grooming. Taking care of it is extremely easy, just brush its hair once a week. Despite its small size, this dog is robust and rarely sick. In winter, the dog develops dandruff, but it can easily be removed with the help of a shampoo.