Russian Toy Information & Dog Breed Facts

The origin of the Russian Toy began with English stock and dates back to the early 18^th century when the Manchester Terrier and the English Toy Terrier first arrived in Russia. The Zoological Museum in Saint Petersburg holds evidence of this, where a preserved specimen of a small black and tan terrier from 1716-1725, stands on exhibit. The dog stands approximately 14 inches at the withers with the description saying: “Dog of the sleek haired terrier breed named Lisetta, belonged personally to Peter the Great.” In Russia, during the 18^th century, the Russian Toy became popular as the nobles’ and aristocrats’ companions. Socialites adored this breed due to its small size and lively temperament. The dogs then quickly became quite stylish to appear in public with a well-behaved small terrier at social events and at the opera. After that, the Toy Terrier became a kind of living accessory to the upper classes of society. Besides the dogs’ purpose as a companion dog, they were also used as watchdogs and rat-catchers.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, the population number of these toy breeds increased, and the breed was no longer a rarity, yet it remained a symbol of prestige. Moreover, the English Toy Terrier was one of the most popular decorative dogs in Russia. Then the Russian Revolution of 1917 almost exterminated the Russian Toy. That the reason why, in the period 1920-1950, shipping of toy terriers was almost stopped, and the number of dogs fell to a critical level. The breeding of dogs for companionship was brought to a halt and the fate of the Russian Toy was uncertain. After the death of Stalin, in the mid-1950s, a concentrated, well-planned effort was taken into action in several regions of the Soviet Union, including Moscow, Leningrad, Sverdlovsk, and Irkutsk to restore the Russian Toy to prominence.

Practically all dogs which were used in breeding had no pedigrees; many of them were not of pure blood. The standard established for the Toy Terrier significantly differed from the English Toy Terrier's standard in many aspects. Whether by a mutation or the introduction of other unknown small breeds into various lines, a unique puppy was born on October 12, 1958. Two smooth-haired dogs, one of which had a slightly longer hair, gave life to a male dog with a spectacular fringe on its ears and limbs. The decision was made to keep this characteristic. The male was mated with a female dog which also had slightly longer hair. So, the longhaired variant of the toy terrier appeared. It was called Moscow Longhaired Toy Terrier. The first official standard for the two breed varieties was written in 1966. A dog breeder from Moscow, Yevgueniya Fominichna Zharova played a major role in the creation of this breed variant. In the 1980s, a new breed standard declared that the Moscow Long Haired Toy Terrier and the Russian Toy Terrier were in fact two varieties of a single breed. In 2006, with the Russian Toy’s addition to the FCI list of recognized breeds, the “Terrier” was dropped from the breed’s name and is now called the Russian Toy, with both long and smooth coat varieties.

The Russian Toy is among the smallest dog breeds in the world. The breed was only recognized by the UK Kennel Club in 2017 and is not yet recognized by the American Kennel Club but it is accepted in the Foundation Stock Service. The numbers of the breed have been in decline until relatively recently when it has seen a revival in popularity and become more widely known outside Russia.