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About the Russian Black Terrier

Origin: Russian Federation
FCI status
Recognised by FCI
FCI group
Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs
Origin
Russian Federation
Also called
Terrier Ruso Negro
Known hereditary risks
Not researched yet

About

What the breed standard says

Bred for
Working dog, guarding dog, sporting- and companion dog
Behaviour and temperament
A dignified and confident dog; well controlled in all situations. When circumstances require, he immediately assumes an active-defensive posture, however, quickly calms down at the disappearance of threat. This handsome breed is amiable and has great endurance; it is undemanding, smart and friendly. It adapts well to training and various climate conditions and is hard working and reliable

Quoted from FCI standard n°327. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.

Characteristics

Size
Exercise needs
Easy to train
Amount of shedding
4 of 5
Grooming needs
5 of 5
Good with children
Cost to keep
Tolerates being alone
Intelligence
Health of breed
Not researched yet

Pros & cons

Pros & cons for the Russian Black Terrier

What you get with the Russian Black Terrier

  • Purpose stated in the standard: “Working dog, guarding dog, sporting- and companion dog”
  • The standard describes the breed as: “A dignified and confident dog”

What you are taking on

  • High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “The clipped coat should emphasise the character of a strong and assured dog and by no…”

Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.

Characteristics

FCI standard · Russian Black Terrier

Coat and colour

As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.

Coat

Rough and thick double coat.

Composed of a coarse, thick, slightly waved outer coat and a soft, short and dense undercoat.

The outer coat covers the whole body.

The natural and untrimmed coat length is between 5 – 15 cms.

The head furnishing is very well developed and forms abundant eyebrows, moustaches and beard.

Legs are covered in long, dens furnishing coat.

Grooming in the correct form is required.

The clipped coat should emphasise the character of a strong and assured dog and by no means be excessively decorative.

The coat is left longest on legs and around the muzzle.

The clipping should accentuate the massive head with flat forehead, well lying ears, strong neck and well constructed, strong body

Colour

  • Preferred
  • Permissible
  • Undesirable
  • Disqualifying

Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.

  • Permissible: Black, black with insignificant intermingling grey hair
  • (Grey intermingling hair not to cover more than a 1/3 of the whole body)

Shortened from FCI standard n°327 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.

What the standard penalises

What a judge marks the Russian Black Terrier down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.

Severe faults

Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.

  • Deviation from sex type.
  • Timid or overexcited behaviour.
  • Head short or light.
  • Visible third eyelid, light coloured eyes.
  • Croup horizontal or too steep.
  • Chest shallow or short.
  • Squirrel tail.
  • Bowed forearms.
  • Movement restricted; sluggish or heavy.
  • Guardcoat silky

Disqualifying faults

Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.

  • Deviation towards the ancestry breeds.
  • Nose other than black.
  • Wall eye or different coloured eyes.
  • Deviation from scissor bite or missing teeth.
  • Guardcoat smooth and lack of head, chest and leg furnishing.
  • Any other colour than the ones described.
  • White spots or markings.
  • Clearly defined patches of grey hair

FCI standard n°327

Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Russian Black Terrier in general; any individual animal can differ.

Health guide

What to ask for in a Russian Black Terrier

No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Russian Black Terrier on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.

Puppies

No puppies listed right now

No Russian Black Terrier breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.

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