Overview
Despite the name this is not a terrier in any sense a Border Terrier owner would recognise. The Black Russian Terrier was created after the Second World War at the Red Star kennels, crossing Giant Schnauzers, Rottweilers, Airedales and others to produce a large, hardy dog for guarding military sites. The Kennel Club places it in the Working group.
The result is a tall, powerful, slow-maturing dog with a coarse black coat and an instinct to guard. With its family it is affectionate and even clownish; with strangers it is reserved and watchful. It is not a breed to take on without meeting the dog first.
Exercise and walking needs
An hour and a half spread over two walks is about right. The pace is steady rather than fast, and the dog enjoys a long, purposeful walk more than a frantic one. They are not sprinters.
Young dogs are still growing well past a year old. Keep walks moderate and avoid repeated jumping or hard surfaces until the owner says the joints are mature.
On the walk
- Strength: This dog can weigh as much as its handler. Walk on a well-fitted harness or a headcollar the owner has introduced, never a collar alone, and never on a retractable lead.
- Strangers: The breed watches people and decides for itself. Do not let anyone rush up to pat it. Put yourself between the dog and anyone approaching.
- Other dogs: Often aloof and sometimes dominant, especially with other large dogs of the same sex. Group walks are rarely a good idea.
- Coat: It soaks up mud, burrs and water and drips for an hour afterwards. Heat is the harder problem; shorten and shade on warm days.
Tips for professional walkers
- Meet the dog with the owner present, ideally twice, before you walk it alone.
- Keep the walk calm and structured. The breed responds to a quiet, confident handler better than an excitable one.
- Choose quiet routes and times. Fewer surprises mean fewer decisions for the dog to make about strangers.
- Check the beard and feet after walks for mud and ice; both clump heavily.
What to ask the owner
- How does the dog react to strangers, joggers and cyclists, and what cue does the owner use to settle it?
- Any hip, elbow or heart concerns, and are there restrictions on exercise?
- Which other dogs has it met and liked, and which should you avoid?