Russian Toy Terrier / Moscow Toy Terrier Breed History

Russian Toy Terrier is loved for his excellent temperament, outstanding trainability, and general health as a longevity base.
Old russian aristocracy loved dogs. Russian czar family members had their dogs pedigrees and diplomas displayed. And a real lady had to have a "lady dog". The smaller the dog the more valuable it was. A dog could be valued as much as 10 times his weight in gold. "Lady dogs" always were on family portraits. And you can see early Moscow Toy Terriers at great pictures in museums allover the world; "lady with dog" is a very common name for a russian artwork.

When communists led by Lenin killed most aristocrats during the communist revolution, the great majority of dogs was destroyed as "spoiled capitalist's useless animals consuming the food while the working class is starving". The survivors became the base for "the exclusive new country toy breed".

Most Russian toy breeds died during the WW2. A very limited population became part of the base for a modern Moscow Longhaired Toy Terrier. In reality, very little is known of the true origin of this modern toy breed. It is thought that there may be some Longhaired Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, small English toys as well as some of the original Russian native toy breeds stock.

This breed is not found outside of the Soviet Union. Because the breed has gained such popularity at home,the demand far outweighs the supply. This is due, in part, to their small numbers in each litter. This breed gained its recognition in 1981 by the Russian Kynological Federation. However, there still is not recognized outside of Russia. The breed is considered a gem and a charmer of a toy breed. It was developed especially as an urban pet, primarily for the senior citizens and is able to withstand the winters.

Average height at withers 8-11 inches and average weight between 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 puonds. There are long hair and short hair varieties.

The MLTT could be black, brown, sable, fawn, tan or merle, usually with tan points. The body length equals the height at withers. The movement is easy and gracious. The tail is sometimes docked.