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The Black Russian Terrier (or simply BRT) is a Russian breed of dog developed originally as a guard dog and police dog. It is rare outside its native country and is just starting to be recognized elsewhere; for example, it is one of the AKC's most-recently recognized breeds, gaining full status in July of 2004.
Appearance: The BRT gives the impression of great
strength, athleticism, and courage. It should be rustic (but
not coarse) in appearance, and should not look as though its
coat is sculpted or trimed. It should never appear to lack
substance or be weak in any way. Males should be noticeably
more masculine than females.
Coat: The coat is hard and dense, never soft, wooly,
silky, or frizzy. It should be between 4-10 cm (1.4-4 inches)
in length. It should form a beard and eyebrows on the face,
and a slight mane around the withers and neck that is more
pronounced in males. The coat is low-shedding and the colour
is always black.
Size: The male stands 25-29 inches (64-74 cm) at the
withers compared to the bitch's 25-28 inches (64-72 cm) with a
tolerance of 1.3 inches (3 cm) or more if the dog is well
proportioned. The breed weighs 80 to 143 pounds (36-65 kg).
Temperament: BRTs are confident, calm, highly
intelligent, brave and loyal. It should never be timid, and
will not hesitate to defend the people that it loves if it
thinks they are threatened. The BRT may seem aloof, but needs
human companionship and bonds deeply to its family. They are
wary of strangers and take a long time to warm up to
unfamiliar people, thus they make excellent guard dogs. BRTs
are dominant by nature and need confident owners who have
experience handling similar dogs.
Care: The BRT, because of its breeding as a working
dog, has a very strong "work ethic", and needs a job
to do in order to be happy. Early training is a must, as it
will exploit any owner who has failed to establish clear
dominance, and it's just too big to not be trained. They are
very responsive to firm, consistent training, and excel at
Obedience competitions.
They also perform well in other dog sports, such as
Agility, and Schutzhund training. They have a low-shedding
coat, and need grooming at least once a week, more for show
dogs. The BRT needs lots of exercise, and may become
Hyperactive and destructive if it doen't have a chance to burn
off its energy.
Health: The BRT is a generally healthy and somewhat
long-lived dog (lifespan of 10-14 years), however it is prone
to certain hereditary diseases. These include:
Major cocerns
Hip dysplasia
Minor concerns
Elbow dysplasia
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)
History: The BRT was developed in the former USSR by
the state for use as a military/working dogs. The breeding
stock was largely imported from the occupied countries,
especially East Germany. Breeds used in the development
include the Airedale Terrier, Caucasian Ovcharka, Rottweiler,
Newfoundland, Giant and Standard Schnauzers and the now
extinct Moscow Water Dog.
It was bred for working ability, rather than appearance,
and early examples only resembled today's BRT in their build
and coat type. It was bred solely by the state owned Red Star
Kennel until 1957, when some puppies where sold to civilian
breeders. These breeders began to breed for looks (as the
original was rather plain) while retaining working ability.
The breed was recognized by the FCI in 1984.
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