Portraits of Popular Breeds at Home and Abroad: Russkiy Toy

The breed of Russkiy Toy or the Moscow Long Haired Toy Terrier originated in Russia from the English Toy Terrier when crossbreeding individuals without proofs of origin and mongrels. After some time, a long-haired puppy was born. The long coat around the ears of the dog, also called fringe, was very unusual and attractive. Therefore, breeders decided that this “flaw” will be a typical feature of a newly emerging breed. The first dogs were brought to the Czech Republic in 1986 and the World Canine Organization recognized the breed only in 2006. The same year, the breed was also renamed as Russkiy Toy.

These dogs have tiny physique, they are small and elegant. Their weight doesn’t exceed 3 kg. Their hair is either short and soft or 3–5cm long and slightly wavy. In both cases, it clings to the body. A typical feature of a Russkiy Toy is large ears with fringe – long, thick hair which, in adult age, fully covers the inner side of the ears and the ear tips.

They are great companions and are perfect for older people and children. They get very attached to their families, they love being in contact with them and hardly cope with loneliness, even though they can be taught to handle separation quite well with a decent amount of patience. They can be trained even by complete beginners as they are very intelligent and they are fast learners. They can also be great watchdogs which will loudly warn you about every undesired visitor.

They can do dog sports well; they will mainly be great at agility and dog dancing thanks to their fast and agile moves. Its small size doesn’t make it avoid long hiking. Exactly the opposite, this dog is very active and needs to be occupied enough to have the opportunity to properly frolick. It will be grateful if you take it for a run and it can also follow you on a bike. A great way to make it tired is coursing.

Even though it is quite an active breed, short walks will be enough if less exercise is compensated for by interactive games and brain-teasers that will occupy its mind. When feeding these dogs, you should focus on dry dog food designed for the specific needs of small breeds. If it gets high-quality feed, it doesn’t tend to be ill.

It isn’t spread a lot in the Czech Republic now but around twenty puppies a year are born here, so it might be soon more familiar to dog owners.