The imposing, powerfully-built Russian Black Terrier is a smart guard dog bred to protect homes and businesses. These big black beauties are not true terriers, but they are working dogs developed from about seventeen breeds, including the Newfoundland, Giant Schnauzer, Airedale Terrier, and Rottweiler.
The Blackies, being people-oriented dogs, thrive on human affection and attention while always looking to stick close to the human pack. They are aloof with strangers by nature, and if they are not exposed to different people early in their life, these terriers become overly protective around unfamiliar people.
The BRT is ideally suited to those who have prior experience in handling large, dominant dogs. If you do not know how to train a powerful, intelligent guard dog, the Black Russian Terrier is not a good choice for you.
Its first working specimens participated at a dog show in Mexico
Until this year, the Black Russian Terrier was developed only by the state-run Red Star Kennel
The first breed standard was written and published
It was acknowledged and accepted by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI)
A second breed standard, more appropriate to the modern-day BRT, was adopted by the Russian Kynological Federation (RKF). The breed was introduced in the United Kingdom
The Russian Black Terrier was added to the Import Register by the Kennel Club (KC)
The BRT is an energetic breed that needs about 30-40 minutes of daily exercise. Your Blackie would happily participate in long runs, brisk walks, hikes, bike rides, and swims with you. It would also appreciate a game of flying disc or fetching a ball in an enclosed yard.
Black Russian Terriers excel at canine activities, including agility, obedience, Schutzhund, and rally. Make sure that your Blackie gets enough exercise or else it would become unhappy and may develop aggressive tendencies.
The Black Russian Terrier has a long, tousled double coat, comprising a soft, thick undercoat beneath a coarse, protective topcoat, which needs daily maintenance in order to keep mats or tangles from forming. You would have to brush its coat one or two times a week with a slicker brush.
You may need to learn to trim its fur around the face to keep it looking its best or hire a professional groomer to perform the task. If your pet is not a show dog, its coat can be clipped every few months or so.
As with all dogs, you need to trim its nails whenever they grow too long.
Black Russian Terriers do well on quality dog food, containing lots of protein, minerals, and carbs. They are prone to obesity, so keep track of its regular calorie intake and avoid giving too many treats while training.
If you want to give your BRT commercial dry dog food, Now Fresh Grain-Free and Wellness CORE are among the best brands available in the market.
BRTs are quite dominating and will push your limits unless you train it with a firm, consistent, and reward-based technique. They are, however, intelligent and will respond to training if you treat it with kindness and respect.
Early socialization and obedience training are needed to help curb its aggressive terrier instinct. Also, train it to accept living in a crate at a young age to ensure that your Blackie does not get into things it should not.
