History of occurrence
At the beginning of the 20th century, the English Toy Terrier was one of the most popular toy dogs in Russia. However, in the period 1920 – 1950 the breeding of pure toy terriers was almost stopped and the number of dogs fell to a critical level. Only in the mid-fifties did Russian dog-breeders begin the revival of the breed. Practically all dogs which were used for breeding had no pedigrees; many of them were not pure blood. The Standard drafted for Toy Terriers significantly differed from that of the English Toy Terrier in many aspects. From this moment, the evolution of the breed in Russia went its own way. On the 12th of October, 1958 two smooth-haired dogs, one of which had slightly longer hair, gave birth to a male dog with a spectacular fringes on ears and limbs. It was decided to keep this feature. The male was mated with a female which also had slightly long hair. Thus the longhaired variety of the Russian Toy appeared. It was called Moscow Longhaired Toy Terrier. A dog breeder from Moscow, Yevgueniya Fominichna Zharova, played an important role in the creation of this breed variant. It was during a long period of development, in an isolated context, along with a specifically conducted selection that a new breed was created : the Russian Toy with two varieties: Longhaired and smooth-haired.
General form
A small elegant dog, lively, long-legged, with fine bone and lean muscles. Sexual dimorphism only slightly defined.
Отличительная особенность породы Russian Toy (Russian Toy Terrier)
Head: small compared to the body.
Skull: high but not too wide (width at the level of zygomatic arches does not exceed the depth of the skull).
Stop: clearly pronounced.
Nose: small, black or matching the coat colour.
Muzzle: lean and pointed, slightly shorter than the skull.
Lips: thin, lean, tight- fitting and dark or matching the coat colour.
Cheekbones: only slightly pronounced.
Eyes: quite large, rounded, dark, slightly prominent, set well apart and looking straight ahead.
Eyelids: dark or matching the coat colour, tightly fitting.
Ears: big, thin, set high, erect.
Jaws/Teeth: small, white. Scissor bite. Absence of 2 incisors permitted in each jaw.
Neck: long, lean, carried high, slightly arched.
Topline: gradually sloping from the withers to the root of the tail.
Withers: slightly pronounced.
Back: strong and straight.
Loin: short and slightly arched.
Croup: the croup is somewhat rounded and slightly sloping.
Chest: the chest is oval, sufficiently deep and not too wide.
Underline and Belly: tucked up belly and drawn up flanks, forming a nicely curved line from the chest to the flanks.
Upper thigh: muscles are lean and developed.
Lower thigh: the upper and lower thighs are of the same length.
Hock: sufficiently angulated.
Metatarsus (Rear pastern): vertical.
Forefeet: small, oval, turning neither in nor out. Toes well-knit and arched. Nails and resilient pads are black or match the coat colour.
Hind feet: arched , a little bit narrower than forefeet. Nails and pads are black or match the coat colour.
Docked (only two or three vertebrae are left), carried high. In countries where tail docking is prohibited by law, it is left in its natural state.
Undocked: sickle tail. It should not be carried lower than back level.
Hair: there exists two types for the breed: smooth-haired and longhaired.
Smooth-haired: short, close-lying, shiny hair, without undercoat or bald patches.
Longhaired: body is covered with moderately long (3-5 cm) (1-2 in.), straight or slightly wavy hair, close-lying, which does not hide the natural outline of the body . Hair on the head and on the front part of limbs is short and close -lying. Distinct feathers on rear side of limbs. The feet have long, silky hair which completely hides the nails. Ears are covered with thick, long hair forming a fringe. Dogs of more than 3 years have such a fringe, which should completely hide the outer edges and tips of the ears. Body hair should not look tousled nor be too short (less than 2 cm.) (1 in.).
Colour: black and tan, brown and tan, blue and tan. Also red of any shade with or without black or brown overlay. Richer shades are preferable for all colours.
Easy, straightforward, fast. No noticeable change in the topline when moving.
Height at withers — 20-28 cm.
Weight — up to 3 kg.
Character
Active, very cheerful, neither cowardly nor aggressive. The behaviour is significantly different between males and females.
Maintenance care
Russian Toys are good for apartment life.
Although it is tempting to carry these dainty creatures about, these are active little dogs that need a daily walk. Play will take care of a lot of their exercise needs, however, as with all breeds, play will not fulfill their primal instinct to walk. Dogs that do not get to go on daily walks are more likely to display a wide array of behavior problems. They will also enjoy a good romp in a safe, open area off lead, such as a large, fenced-in yard. Don't think that just because he is small he should be confined to a small space.
Lifespan — 11 years.
Dignity
A loving, intelligent, trustful companion for you and your family.
Active, very lively, neither shy nor vicious, these dogs are said to be easy to train.
Difficulty keeping
Remember that toy breeds are still dogs, and thus are prone to Small Dog Syndrome -- behavioral issues that occur when owners treat their dogs like infants rather than canines.
Diseases
he Russkiy Toy is a pretty robust little dog for considering his size which makes him relatively healthy. However, he can still suffer from:
Bone fractures due to his tiny frames
Patellar Luxation
Severe allergic reactions to certain types or rabies and flea medication
Often needs a vet's help when changing from his puppy teeth to his adult teeth. Otherwise the adult teeth struggle to come forward and he ends up with two rows of teeth
