Tender and gentle wild animal - Black Russian Terrier.

The breeding of the black terrier is an obvious and vivid achievement of the Soviet canine science. Other breeds, including the Central-Asian shepherd and the Caucasian shepherd, were developed through non-professional and uncontrolled breeding or by professional breeders before the revolution of 1917 - this is the way the Russian wolfhound and the South-Russian shepherd were bred. However, the black terrier was bred through target-oriented breeding by the specialists of the Red Star Kennel. The resulting breed embodied the straightforwardness and bravery of the Caucasian shepherd, the cunning and inventiveness of the Giant Schnauzer, the power and rage of the rottweiler, the solemnity and self-control of the newfoundland, the humor and liveliness of Erdel terrier. The black terrier suits both a lively and noisy family that has kids, and a family of one person. The black terrier will be happy to play, to have fun and to lie still at the master's feet, if the master is busy or tired. If you need a true and responsive friend - the one by whose side you will feel secure, if you need a guard, if you need a partner to join you for your hike, this is your dog. Tender and gentle wild animal - Black Russian Terrier.

Back in 1924, the Revolutionary Military Council issued a resolution to use dogs for military purposes. The Central School of Junior Dog Training Specialists was founded outside Moscow. The School had a kennel of war and sports dogs and a laboratory. All arms of the armed forces were instructed to hire dog trainers. Dogs served as tank fighters, mine-detectors, diversionists, aides, and signalers. During the Great Patriotic War, dog breeding troops fought in the battlefields together with the most advanced weaponry. Their successful military operations earned them the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, and the Order of the Red Star. The Central School of Dog Trainers was granted the honorable right to participate in the Victory Parade in the Red Square. In the aftermath of the war, the number of patrol dogs in the country went down, whereas there was a continuing need for such dogs in Russia. Both the Soviet Army and the national economy needed trained dogs.

Immediately after the war, the Central School of Military Dog Training - the RED STAR Kennel - was instructed by the Government of the USSR to train watchdogs. Watchdogs were to safeguard the property in varied climatic conditions.
The breeds selected were the ones meeting the needs of the Army and the related organizations. At the same time, there was no universal dog breed, except for the German East-European shepherd, that could serve for varied purposes in the rough climate of our big country. The dogs captured during the war included the Newfoundland, Rottweiler, and Giant Schnauzer, however, there were very few of them back then. The breeding conducted by the kennel was not systematic, and its ultimate objective was not to get a new breed, but to breed big sized, aggressive and easy-to-handle dogs. The project launch was marked by cross-breeding, and, as a result, several groups of breeds were created, only two of which exist now: the Moscow watch dog and the Russian black terrier. The following breeds were cross-bred in the Red Star kennel:
- East-European shepherd + Newfoundland;
- Saint Bernard + Caucasian shepherd;
- German dog + East-European shepherd;
- Newfoundland + Caucasian shepherd;
- Giant Schnauzer + Erdel terrier;
- Giant Schnauzer + Rottweiler.

Particular attention was paid to such breeds as Rottweiler, Giant Schnauzer, and Erdel terrier.

Giant Schnauzer is a tested patrol and search dog. It is a big, inventive, persistent and agile animal. It may be easily trained and it may serve as a watchdog and a defender. Rottweiler is a strong, aggressive, nosey and good tempered dog. This breed is good for cross-breeding, as its offspring reliably inherits its strong build and sturdiness. Erdel terrier is a die-hard, easy-to-handle and prolific breed. These dogs are energetic, strong, passionate, smart, schoolable and industrious. As a result of the work performed it was discovered that the offspring of one of the breeders - a Giant schnauzer named Roy - born to the bitches of any breed, color and hair type, is black, and their heads and legs are covered with thick hair. Roy (Zorab + Lady) is a strong dry male dog of square build, having a fine shaped head and thick hair. It is 62 cm tall at the withers, its girth is 65 cm, its metacarpus is equal to 10 cm. The fore feet are widely apart, and the hindquarters have their hocks put together. That was the starting point of the black terrier breeding. Military professionals used the method of complex reproductive cross-breeding as the basis for the new breed. Various breeds of dogs are coupled, so that their offspring have both their parents' valuable features and some newly acquired qualities. For example, the offspring born to a Giant Schnauzer and an Erdel terrier had nicely shaped heads, nicely shaped strong legs, a wide chest, dogs among dog fanciers. It was utterly prestigious to obtain a dog from the Red Star kennel, therefore, the animals were raised by the most caring dog fanciers. Black terriers appeared in Moscow, Leningrad, Vyborg, Saratov. They turned more and more popular in Finland, Poland, Hungary, where locally bred terriers are still found. The physical and working features of the black terrier were developed intentionally by the breeders, whereas its attractive appearance was developed much later. Military professionals did not care about the dog's appearance, they just wanted the dog to be useful to the Army and not to require any special care. In the kennels, thick coat and decorative hair are very difficult to take care of. There are very few dogs left whose hair is hard and wirelike. Dog fanciers that prefer handsome black terriers had them "dressed" through mating them with the Newfoundland, so that the offspring had hard, thick and long hair. The dogs whose bloodline lacked any Newfoundlands, often had short hair, and those who had too many of them, had thick and long though soft and silky hair.Even now it is not the appropriate structure and functionality of the dog's hair that matter, but the thickness and beauty of the dog hair on the head and legs. However, soft hair does not protect the dog's skin, and it is very hard to care about.

Therefore, the quality of the black terrier's hair is a lot more important than the amount of its hair. The dogs used at the initial stages of the black terrier breeding, were different: their heads were different, their bodies were different, their legs and hair were different. Teeth flaws were typical for this breed, as the dogs who had irregular bites were applied in the course of breeding, and, besides, dogs of varied build were mated, for instance, Rottweiler and Erdel terrier. Even now some black terriers have very wide upper jaws and very narrow lower jaws. The difference in the size of the upper and the lower jaws often ends in undershots. Sometimes, dog breeders find out that the color of the puppies born is far from being regular: it may be black with tan markings, straw, blue, which fact may also be explained by the application of dogs of varied colors at the initial stages of breeding. The blue color is mostly tricky, as the dog may turn blue when it is 1 - 1.5 years old.

Currently, the black terrier breed has split into two types: "terrier-like" dogs are of square format, they have narrow long heads and dry and highly set necks. Their typical features include the flat chest and flat muscles. Their express leg angles are nice to look at, although they may cause problems when the dog is in motion. Their long shin and high rear pastern cause the hock angle to be less than 130 degrees. Therefore, the pressure on the sinew goes up, and this may cause limping. This dog cannot use its rear hindquarters to produce a push, therefore, it is not capable of moving in the proper manner. When the dog's height at the withers is bigger than the length of their body, sometimes, it may cause an amble. Some breeders want the black terrier to look like a terrier, however, one should not forget that the black terrier also has the features of a Rottweiler, Newfoundland, and Giant Schnauzer. The word "terrier" was designated to drive attention to the dogs temper, vitality, sensitivity, bravery, persistence, and courage which is expressed not through their willingness to fight, attack cats or bite people in the streets, but through their ability not to retreat, to fight for themselves and to defend their master and his property. The other type of black terriers is characterized by strong bones, big muscles, a wide chest and rough build. Usually these dogs have a "stretched" format (a rectangle that looks almost like a square), however, this "stretched" format is created by the long chest.

The nervous system is stress-proof. It may seem that this dog is dull, lazy and slow. This is not true. Any attack performed by this dog looks more like a blow inflicted by a strong spring. This dog would inflict a blow and immediately turn into a calm animal. Sometimes this may cause a different kind of problem: gigantomania. Some breeders want their dogs to be particularly big, strong, heavy, forgetting that the principal feature of any dog is their capability to move swiftly. Can we say that one dog is better than the other because it is several centimeters taller and several kilos heavier? No. It is the harmony that predetermines the quality of the dog. If you purchase a dog whose task will be to defend you and to guard your property, you should know that this dog needs appropriate training and instruction.Black terrier's size and strength require discipline. Any black terrier who does not obey his master is dangerous to deal with. The temper and curiosity of a ten-months' puppy make it possible for it to beat down a adult with one push. Any black terrier shall be instructed to be obedient since its very first days, the puppy shall not be responsive to the city noise, passers-by, cats, birds and other living beings.

Black terriers are communicative, and their whole lives may be devoted to their master. Whatever happens, the black terrier believes that everything is fine as long as the master is nearby. Black terriers do not cause any trouble if kept in the apartment. Black terriers do not cast their coats and they do not have any specific smell even when they are being washed. Despite their big size, these dogs are calm and not imposing. Black terriers' place in the apartment makes it possible for them to view the whole of the place and the master's family. Many owners of black terriers agree that this dog is willing to keep the whole of the family together. This is the way they have fun. Black terriers are caring companions: they take care of other pets and the master's friends. They treat children with care, play with them, and gnarr at them a little. The black terrier's position is utterly laconic: "Do not touch me, and I will not touch you". This position is typical for strong and self-confident dogs.

Black terrier has a marked individuality, and it requires strict though fair attitude.The black terrier's training needs to be consistent: whenever something is prohibited, it shall be prohibited forever. Any growing black terrier fights for the leading position within the family, however, if the master is a born leader, ever black terrier will concede his position. The training of a black terrier cannot be delegated to children, elderly and deranged people. The environment also matters. This dog does not need any baby talk. Training plays a major role in the physical and mental development of a black terrier. Any training needs thorough preparation. Any owner of a black terrier should address professional breeders in order to find an experienced trainer. Black terriers are easy to train, and they have a very good memory. It is impossible to retrain a black terrier. Many trainers note that black terriers tend to "deliberate" during their classes. Sometimes, such "deliberations" make owners utterly nervous. The owner believes that his dog is stubborn, stupid and inapprehensive, whereas, at the same time the dog has already understood everything. Now it is deciding whether this instruction is worth fulfilling or not. If the final decision of the dog is the same as the one of its master, the dog will perform so smoothly as if it has been doing it all its life. The black terrier has a developed guarding instinct, and the black terrier is bound to show it in a critical situation.Therefore, one should never cultivate any uncontrolled anger when the black terrier is a puppy, because later this may cause serious obedience problems. Remember that a black terrier turns mature later than other breeds. It turns mature when it is 2.5 - 3 years old. The Russian black terrier is a very young breed, it has about 10 - 12 generations.

Its appearance and working features are not stable. Black terriers, whose ancestors mostly include Rottweilers and Caucasian shepherds, are self-confident, straightforward, and they make direct and strong attacks at the head or the upper section of the opponent's chest. Their snap is very strong. The other type of black terriers unites more temperamental, cunning, and quick-witted dogs. One of the dog trainers told me: "Your dogs are too smart!" When inside a training ring, black terriers often play the role of an "angry dog", although they are not serious about it. Or, vice versa: the dog lies on the ground and pays absolutely no attention to the minor attacks of the trainer who teases the dog with a lash or a piece of cloth. The dog looks absolutely indifferent and patient, it keeps its head in-between its front paws, its eyes are hidden beneath its quiff, and the whole game may go on in the same way until the trainer steps over the virtual boundary set by the dog, and then the dog produces an immediate bounce and a bite - a bite rather than a snap. These dogs never keep their teeth shut for a long time; they prefer to give a bite, to jump back and to jump around the opponent aiming at his belly, legs and groin. In order to prevent the black terrier from converting into a big though useless dog, the selection shall be based both on the appearance and on the working features of black terriers. This is the only way we can retain the precious features of this breed.