Base colour
Black and tan
- brown and tan
- blue and tan
- lilac and tan
- red with black, red with blue
- red with brown, red with lilac
- red
- fawn
- cream.
- The colour of the nose matches the main hair colour
About the Russian Toy
Origin: Russian Federation
- Typical life span
- 12-14 years
- Size
- Small — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 1.4-3 kg
- Height
- 20-28 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI groupFCI divides this breed into varieties, and our sources don’t record which one a breeder works. Ask them which variety their line is.
- Companion and Toy Dogs
- Origin
- Russian Federation
- Also called
- Pequeno Perro Ruso
- Known hereditary risks
- None well documented
About
What is a Russian Toy?
Very small, elegant toy breed with fine bone structure and lively expression, available in both smooth and long coat varieties. Known for their cheerful disposition and fragile build.
Russian Toy history and origins
Developed in Russia from English Toy Terriers in the early 20th century. Nearly extinct after the Russian Revolution but rebuilt from remaining dogs post-WWII, leading to standardization of both smooth and long-coated varieties. Recently recognized by AKC in 2022.
Russian Toy appearance and size
Typically 1.4-3 kg and 20-28 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Companion Dog
- Behaviour and temperament
“Active, very cheerful, neither cowardly nor aggressive. Always curious of the outer world, strongly devoted to its owner”
Quoted from FCI standard n°352. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Small
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Companion Dog” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 2 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 1 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Nothing hereditary documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Russian Toy
What you get with the Russian Toy
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Companion Dog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Active, very cheerful, neither cowardly nor aggressive. Always curious of the outer world, strongly devoted to its owner”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Distinct feathers on rear side of limbs and the tail.”
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 Toy
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
There are two varieties for the breed: smooth-haired and long- haired. • Smooth-haired: Short, close-lying, shiny hair, without undercoat or bald patches. • Long-haired: Body and neck are covered with moderately long (3-5 cm), straight or slightly wavy hair, close-lying.
Hair on the head and on the front part of limbs is short and close -lying.
Distinct feathers on rear side of limbs and the tail.
Ears are covered with thick, long hair forming a fringe.
In adult dogs the fringe, should completely hide the outer edges and tips of the ears.
Body hair should not be tousled or fluffy
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.
Shortened from FCI standard n°352 — 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 breed standard says
- Size
- “Height at withers: Dogs and females: 22 – 27 cm. Weight: Males and females: up to 3 kg. Preferable height: 25 cm, preferable weight: 2.3 kg”
- FCI gives a bound on one side only, so there is no range to state.
Quoted from FCI standard n°352. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
FCI varieties
FCI divides the Russian Toy into these varieties, listed in the registry's own words. Depending on the breed they separate colour, coat, size or line — they are not a full list of colours, which no registry we hold publishes. Ask a breeder which variety their line is.
- Smooth-haired
- Longhaired
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Russian Toy in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the Russian Toy
Nothing hereditary is documented for the Russian Toy breed, but there is still specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
No breed-specific hereditary condition for the Russian Toy is documented by any authoritative veterinary or kennel-club source found. The breed was almost unknown outside Russia until the 1990s and only gained wider FCI/AKC recognition recently, so little independent health research exists yet. This does not mean the breed has no hereditary conditions - it means none has been documented well enough here to name a specific test to ask for. Generic toy-breed risks such as patellar luxation are mentioned anecdotally on breed and hobbyist sites but are not confirmed for this breed by OFA, a Kennel Club plan, UFAW or peer-reviewed literature.
What to ask for anyway
- Patella examination on both parents
- Eye examination by a vet
- Cardiac auscultation by a vet
- Documented line history across at least three generations
0 sources
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Russian Toy owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Russian Toy 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.