Breed Standard (UK) ©

RUSSIAN BLACK TERRIER – Interim Breed Standard 1^stSeptember 2000

General Appearance Large, imposing dog, above average size, strongly built with massive bone. Well proportioned general appearance, sturdy and robust frame. Well developed muscles. Body almost square. A medium texture, weatherproof coat  well Furnished on head and limbs. Trimmed.

 Characteristics   Natural guarding instincts. Easily trained. Very adaptable. 

 Temperament   Alert, lively and even-tempered, wary of strangers. Resilient, brave and self-confident.

 Head and Skull  Well proportioned with moderately broad skull and rounded cheekbones. Eyebrows slightly pronounced. Skull flat. Medium stop, not too accentuated. Top line of muzzle parallel to the top line of the skull.  Muzzle solid with slight tapering towards the tip and length a little shorter than skull. Whiskers and beard give muzzle a squared-off shape. Lips thick and black in colour, tightly fitting. Large black nose.

 Eyes   Medium, oval in appearance and dark. Set obliquely and wide apart. Eyelids dark and fitting tightly.

 Ears   High set, pendant, not too big, triangular in shape with the inner edge lying tightly against the cheekbone.

 Mouth    Jaws strong, with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower  teeth  and set square to the jaws. Full, strong dentition desirable.

 Neck   Reasonably long, powerful, muscular and clean cut.  Flows into the top line at an approximate 45° angle.

 Forequarters   Shoulders well laid back. Seen from the front, legs straight and parallel, pasterns  short and straight. Elbows carried close to the body.

 Body High withers clearly marked above top line, back level and  muscular. Depth of chest level with elbows or slightly below,  Chest deep with well-sprung ribs. Moderate tuck-up. Loin short, wide, muscular and slightly arched. Rump large and muscular with a barely visible slope towards the tail which is set high on the croup.

 Hindquarters   Seen from behind, legs straight and parallel, set wider than the front legs. Thighs muscular and well developed. Stifles well bent and hocks set low.

Feet   Large, well arched and rounded with thick pads. Black nails.

 Tail   Tail set is more important than carriage. Set high and thick.   Docked:  Customarily docked leaving three to four vertebrae. Undocked: May curl over the back,  not gay. Length and thickness in balance with body.At its meeting on 10^th July 2007, the General Committee agreed that an amendment should be made to the tail clauses of all traditionally docked breeds, in the light of the recent legislation on tail docking.  The tail clauses of all standards which refer to a breed as being ‘Customarily docked’ will be amended to ‘Previously, customarily docked.’

 Gait/Movement   At the trot, legs move in a straight line, with forelegs converging slightly. Fairly elastic movement.  Ground-covering movement  with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters.

 Coat   Medium texture  weatherproof  coat,  with dense undercoat. Not wiry or soft. When brushed the hair is broken coated and slightly waved. Furnishings well developed on eyebrows, beard and legs. The ears (from fold to tip), skull, cheeks, throat to sternum, underside of the tail, buttocks and rear of stifle  are closely trimmed.

 Colour  Black or black with grey hairs distributed through the coat, but not in confined areas, and in total no more than one third of the coat. and  Non-Standard.

 Size  Height at the withers: Dogs 68 -77cm (27 – 30 1/2 ins),    Bitches  66 -72cm (26 – 28 1/2 ins).

 Faults    Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

 Note Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

11^th July 2000 the General Committee approved an interim Breed Standard for the Russian Black Terrier- Effective 1^st September 2000 -Tail clause amended and effective  from July 2001 -Colour Non-Standard effective from January2004  Amendment to breed standard coat texture and colour effective 1^st April 2007

At its meeting on 10^th July 2007, the General Committee agreed that an amendment should be made to the tail clauses of all traditionally docked breeds, in the light of the recent legislation on tail docking.  The tail clauses of all standards which refer to a breed as being ‘Customarily docked’ will be amended to ‘Previously, customarily docked.’