BLACK RUSSIAN TERRIER Official UKC Breed Standard Guardian Dog Group ©Copyright 1995, United Kennel Club Revised January 1, 2017 GENERAL APPEARANCE The Black Russian Terrier is a strong, agile, large dog. It is heavily boned, and has well-developed muscles. The length of the body is slightly longer than the height at the withers; may be more pronounced in females. The skin is tight and well-fitted without folds, elastic, and evenly pigmented. The breed is capable of great endurance and is adaptable to a wide range of climates, including harsh conditions. Males are masculine and larger, stronger, bulkier and more powerful than bitches. Disqualifications: Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. The goals and purposes of this breed standard include: to furnish guidelines for breeders who wish to maintain CHARACTERISTICS the quality of their breed and to improve it; to advance The breed is energetic, stable, dignified, confident, and this breed to a state of similarity throughout the world; lively. They are friendly, but assertive, wary of strangers and to act as a guide for judges. and have strong protective instincts, but quickly calm Breeders and judges have the responsibility to avoid down at the disappearance of a threat. Black Russian any conditions or exaggerations that are detrimental to Terriers have great endurance, are capable of being the health, welfare, essence and soundness of this trained to a wide variety of tasks, and adapt well to breed, and must take the responsibility to see that various climate conditions. these are not perpetuated. Disqualifications: Extreme viciousness or shyness. Any departure from the following should be considered a fault, and the seriousness with which the HEAD fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion Large, massive, and in proportion to the body. The to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare length of the head should not be less than 40 percent of of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its the dog’s height at the withers. The muzzle is slightly traditional work. shorter than the skull. SKULL – Moderately broad, with a flat forehead and HISTORY well-rounded cheekbones. The toplines of the skull and The Black Russian Terrier was created in Russia during muzzle are parallel. The stop is marked, but not too the late 1940s and early 1950s by selective pronounced. interbreeding of several breeds, including the Fault: Round skull. Rottweiler, Giant Schnauzer, Airedale Terrier and MUZZLE – Strong, broad, and slightly tapering in width Newfoundland. The Giant Schnauzer is considered to be from stop to tip, the muzzle is slightly shorter than the the main ancestor of the breed. skull. The moustache and beard give the muzzle a The initial breeding was supervised by the military rectangular appearance. The lips are thick, well cynological school outside Moscow, and the dogs were pigmented and tight. based in their kennels named “Red Star”. The aim of the Faults: Coarse head. Light, weak head. Fine head. Stop creators of the breed was the development of a large, too steep. Snipey muzzle. Slack or loose lips. brave, strong and manageable working dog with TEETH - A full complement of strong, white teeth meet pronounced guarding instinct; a dog that could be in a scissors bite. useful for many services. The breed was recognized by Faults: Misaligned incisors. the FCI in 1984. Disqualifications: Any bite deviation from scissors. The Black Russian Terrier was recognized by the Missing teeth. United Kennel Club on January 1, 1995. EYES - The medium size, dark colored eyes are oval shaped and set straight and wide apart. Eye rims are dry, tight, and black. Faults: Round eyes. Eyes too large. Slightly light colored. the shoulder joint, and is well-muscled. Depth of chest Oblique or narrow set. Visible haw. should not be less than half of the height at the withers. Serious Faults: Visible third eyelid. Light colored eyes. UNDERLINE and BELLY – On the same line as the elbow Disqualifications: Wall eye. Different colored eyes. joint, or slightly below. Belly is moderately tucked up. EARS - The medium-sized, triangular ears are high set Flanks only slightly developed. and symmetrical. They are pendant; the front of the Faults: Withers not pronounced. Sway back. Narrow ears must fit closely to the cheeks. Ear leather is dense, back. Loin too long; narrow; not muscular enough. without folds. Serious Faults: Croup horizontal. Croup too steep. Faults: Long or low-set ears. Flying ears set away from Shallow chest. Short chest. the cheekbones. Erect or semi-erect ears. NOSE - The nose is large and black. HINDQUARTERS Disqualification: Nose color other than black. The well-muscled hindquarters are in balance with the forequarters. NECK HIND LEGS - Hind legs are straight and parallel when Strong, dry and muscular; and set at an angle of 45 to viewed from behind, standing slightly wider than the 50 degrees. The length of the neck is approximately front legs. When viewed from the side, placed slightly equal to the length of the head. The nape is strong and behind the dog. well developed. THIGHS - Moderately long, slightly inclined, wide, with Faults: Neck too short; not muscular enough. well-developed, ample muscles. STIFLE – Well bent. FOREQUARTERS LOWER THIGH: No shorter than thighs. The shoulders are long, broad, and well laid back. The REAR PASTERNS – Strong, low, vertically positioned. No angle between shoulder blade and upper arm is dewclaws. approximately 100 degrees. The distance from the Faults: Hocks turned in or out. Sickle hocks. elbow ulna to the ground is equal to from 50 to 52 percent of the dog’s height at the withers. FEET FORELEGS - The thick forelegs are straight and parallel Front feet a large, compact and round. when viewed from the front. The hind feet are slightly smaller than the front UPPER ARM - Muscular, no shorter than the shoulder feet, tending toward an oval shape. blades. Nails and pads are black. FOREARM – Straight, thick, round bone. Vertical when Faults: Feet turning in or out. viewed from the front and side. ELBOWS - The elbows lie close to the body. TAIL PASTERNS - Short, massive, and slightly sloping when Thick at the root, and set high. When the dog is moving, viewed from the side. the tail is carried jauntily, but the root of the tail does Faults: Shoulders too straight. Forearms too short. not incline over the back (squirrel tail). Elbows turned in or out. Little or no angulation between The tail is traditionally docked in the country of the shoulder blade and upper arm. Weak pasterns. origin. The length and shape of an undocked tail had no Serious Faults: Bowed forearms. influence on the evaluation of the dog. The preferable shape of an undocked tail is sabre or sickle. BODY Serious Fault: Squirrel tail. Solid, deep and voluminous, well-balanced. TOPLINE - Slightly sloping, from the withers to the root COAT of the tail. Rough and thick double coat. The outer coat is coarse, WITHERS – High and well-developed. More pronounced extremely dense, and wavy. The undercoat is soft, short in males than in females. and dense. The natural, untrimmed coat varies from BACK – Strong, straight and muscular. The length of the two inches to six inches in length. actual back is equal to half the length measured from The legs are covered in a long, dense hair. the withers to be base of the tail. The head furnishings form a fall over the eyes, and LOIN: Wide, short, muscular and slightly arched. The mustache on the muzzle. length is equal to half the length of the actual back. Recommended grooming for presentation in the CROUP – Broad, muscular, slightly sloping, and of show ring. The clipped coat should emphasize the moderate length. character of a strong and assured dog, and by no means CHEST – Deep, long and broad, with slightly sprung ribs. be excessively decorative. Clipping should accentuate The shape of the thorax (in cross section) is oval. The the massive head with flat forehead, well-lying ears, breast bone is long, and the forechest slightly extends strong neck, and well-constructed, strong body. The coat is left longest on the legs, the fall, and around the (A dog with a Disqualification must not be considered muzzle. for placement in a conformation event, and must be Faults: Soft guard coat. No undercoat. reported to UKC.) Serious Fault: Silky guard coat. Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Disqualifications: Smooth guard coat. Lack of head, Extreme viciousness or shyness. chest and leg furnishings. Any bite deviation from scissors. Missing teeth. COLOR Nose color other than black. Black. Solid black is the most desired. Black with Wall eye. insignificant, scattered gray hair, not to cover more than Different colored eyes. a third of the entire body; and Black and Tan (black with Albinism. tan points) are permissible, with soundness, structure White spots or markings and overall breed type being of the utmost importance. Clearly defined patches of gray hair. Tan points on Black and Tan dogs are found over each Smooth guard coat. Lack of head, chest and leg eye, on the sides of the muzzle and cheeks, on the furnishings. undersides of the ears, on all feet and/or legs, and under the tail. Tan points on the chest on Black and Tan The docking of tails and cropping of ears in America is dogs are optional; neither absence nor presence is legal and remains a personal choice. However, as an penalized. international registry, the United Kennel Club, Inc. is Fault: Rusty shading in the guard coat. aware that the practices of cropping and docking have Eliminating Fault: Any other color than described above. been forbidden in some countries. In light of these Disqualifications: Albinism.