The Russkiy
The Little Russian Dog - The Russkiy
By Sandra Oberreuter
The Russkiy Toy dog is one of the smallest breeds in the world. He compares in size to a Chiihuahua and might even be smaller. He weighs around 6.61 pounds and his height is between 7.9 – 11 inches.
Photo: axcium.com
These dogs originated in Russia. Beginning in the 20the century the English toy Terrier was the most popular dog in Russia. However, between 1920 and 1950 breeding of this toy terrier almost stopped. Then in the mid-fifties Russian dog breeder begin breeding them again. Most of the dogs used though had no pedigree.
Then in 1958, a male was breed with a female, which had slightly longer hair so the longhaired Russian toy dog was called the Moscow Longhaired Toy Terrier. The Russian toy dog was breed in two types, the longhaired and the smooth-haired.
These dogs are small, elegant, fine boned with lean muscles. They are lively, very cheerful, active but not cowardly or aggressive.
The Russkiy dog is squarely built with a neck that is long, carried high and slightly arched. He has a small black nose or it could match his coat color. His eyes are large, rounded, dark, and slightly prominent and set well apart. Ears are big, thin and set high and erect on his head with is not large. He has small white teeth with a pointed and lean muzzle. His docked tail is carried high.
The smooth- haired coat is short, close lying, shiny and has not undercoat. The longhaired coat is moderately long, straight or slightly wavy, close lying with distinct feathering on rear side of limbs. His feet have long and silky hair with ears covered in thick long hair forming a fringe.
They come in the colors of: black and tan, brown and tan, blue and tan, pale yellow and any shade of red.
Sandy has a web site on small dog breeds with information on different breeds including pages on dogs good with children and the elderly, choosing a dog and breeder, vet, dog clothes, dog houses and much more. Visit http://www.small-dogbreeds.com
