I am looking for info on the Black Russian Terrier. This dog, from its description, seems like the ideal working dog. I have read most of the web sites, but I would like all the info I can get. Is there anyone on these boards with experience working with these dogs? Who are the key breeders/ importers/ trainers in the United States? Are there any having success in military/police work or dog sport? Thanks in advance for your info.

You definitely want to talk to Richard. He has BRT pup and knows a lot about the breed. I'll send you a private message.

Oh. . .great. Yep. . . Richy is the person to talk to. Ask him about chinese hand warmer protection rats, or whatever they are. More interesting than BRTs in my opinion. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />


Oh hey, by the way, welcome to the board. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> You are gonna love it here, all Richard talks about is BRTs. LOL

Did somebody ask a question about the BRT?????

The BRT is a little different than the other protection breeds. They are more handler sensitive than most other protection breeds. They are much easier as puppies than other breeds. When it comes to obedience they need to be handled firmly, with little in the way of physical corrections. They bore easily with repetative exercises. They need a variety of exercises at the same time.

They are not as prey driven as many other breeds. As puppies they are easily distracted and you need to keep it fun and exciting for the puppy. By working it several times a day they do pick it up. In a lot of things males and females are much different. This is one area. Males are much more prey driven than the females.

The dogs are very calm around the house. They tend to be going really fast or not at all. They are very loving with their family. They are suspicious of strangers as adults. They need a lot of socialization as puppies or they can get overly defensive as adults. They tend to do well with all members of the family including other animals. The males in particular will not be dominated by another dog. Even with this level of dominance they do not get rank with the owner.

Because they grow so fast they are susceptable to getting pano. It has been a problem with several puppies I have heard of. More in males. They require grooming every 5-8 weeks. For show they need to be hand stripped prior to showing to maintain a proper coat.

Any other questions?

Remeber, you asked if there were aany more questions. If a RBT was in a crwod of a thousand pound puppies, I could pick it out unless it bit me and, it appears that biting me is a fair likely hood. If you had to describe a RBT phenotypically ( Van Camp....this means what does the dog look like)what would you say about it. I have hardly any experience with the more rare / exotic breeds.

Told ya I had no experience, I refered to the breed as a Russian Black Terrier. It's been a long day.

They look kind of like a funny cross between a Newfie and a Giant. Their hair is wavey. There are kind of two types of heads that are seen fairly regularly, a large kind of square head like a Newfie, and a lighter narrower head. The larger more solid head style is prefered.

Richard,
As long as we're talking BRTs...here are the questions that the masses seek the answers to:
1. Since they were created to work in Siberia, how do they function in a warm climate (i.e. the Southern half of the U.S.)?
2. How much do these puppies cost, and who is breeding them in the U.S.?
3. What traits would cause you to choose them for protection or competition as opposed to the Holy Trinity of "typical" Schutzhund breeds?
4. If the answer to #2 was an outrageous price, is this clever marketing over substance? (i.e. Buy our Secret Russian Super Dog to go with your Secret Russian Spesnaz Self-Defense tapes we sold you last year...and next year while you and the dog are getting your butts kicked in an attack we'll be lounging in Jamaica spending all your money).
5. Can BRTs be thrown from a sleeve to incapacitate an attacker?

Thanks for all the info, and thanks for the welcome to the boards.

I guess my question still remains. There are alot of dogs that if you read the breed description would seem perfect for work and sport. The problem lies in actually finding a dog that can perform in actual work/ pressure situations. Are there BRT's in the US that are performing well in working sports or police work? If so who are the breeders and trainers that are working these dogs and having success?

Another question how much do they shed? My last dog was a rott, great dog, totally unsuitable for work, but his shedding used to irritate the heck out of me. My uncles and grandparents had shepherds and their shedding used to drive me nuts. May seem silly but I pefer my dog to stayin the house but I hate having hair everywhere. What are their manners like in the house aside from the normal problems that can be dealt with by adequate training?

Torre,

1. Since they were created to work in Siberia, how do they function in a warm climate (i.e. the Southern half of the U.S.)?

They were bred for a wide variety of climates. They were actually developed near Moscow.

We haven't been through the summer in Arizona yet. They are a "hot" breed. Mine stays in the house in the summer and is out on the porch in the winter, particularly in the evening when it cools off. One of the top breeders in the country lives in Mississippi just out side of New Orleans. I know of several that are doing fine in Florida, and the Carolinas.

2. How much do these puppies cost, and who is breeding them in the U.S.?

Show/breeding quality puppies are $1,500 and pet/non-breeding are $1,000.

There are no really big breeders in the U.S. I know several breeders in the U.S. and Canada. They don't really lend themselves well to a kennel situation. They need to be with their people. The males can be tough to keep together. Though I do know of a couple of people doing it.

3. What traits would cause you to choose them for protection or competition as opposed to the Holy Trinity of "typical" Schutzhund breeds?

I am interested in personal protection primarily. I do want to do NAPD for trialing, and it is not as prey based as several of the other dog sports. The work behaviors are more balanced than the dogs used for dog sports and they do tend to be a little on the defensive side. Both good things in my mind as my dogs stay in the house and guard the house if we aren't home.

4. If the answer to #2 was an outrageous price, is this clever marketing over substance? (i.e. Buy our Secret Russian Super Dog to go with your Secret Russian Spesnaz Self-Defense tapes we sold you last year...and next year while you and the dog are getting your butts kicked in an attack we'll be lounging in Jamaica spending all your money).

I doubt may people will get thier butts kicked with a 105 to 135# dog providing back up. At this point, for the most part, they are all out of working stock. Most of the imports from Russia have both working and obedience titles and conformation championships. From what I can tell the Russians tend to train in some old ways. They tend to use defense to start the dogs and then move to prey. The dogs are defensive in nature so this can work well. With my puppy and my friends puppy we have been doing prey work based on Ed's tape on Bite training puppies. They had a bit of a slow start, but once they figured out the game they took right to it.

5. Can BRTs be thrown from a sleeve to incapacitate an attacker?

I am not sure what you are asking. This is a very large dog that works by attempting to take the person down. Much like the Giant they tend to grab and pull down and back. They will also drive through the person. I wouldn't want one on me unprotected. A short story. A male (135#) was imported from Russia with a protection title on him. The new owners wanted to see how he worked. So they took him out to have him agitated. The agitator made a pass and the dog grabbed the sleeve, picked him up, slammed him to the ground.

Princelydeeds,

The breed is not what I would consider perfect for most dog sports. They are too big for the jumps until they are older, they mature slowly so jumping has to be delayed until they are 2 y/o. They are not going to be really flashy on obedience. They do it well when properly motivated. It is getting that interest up that is the problem. They bore easily, when bored they look for something more entertaining to do.

Out side of Russia there is little sort work being done with the breed. I know of several people that are looking to get in to doing protection work. Several are looking to start in dog sports. I know of at leat one that is being worked in Ring. There are 2 puppies that are going to be worked in NAPD. NAPD is really better suited for the breed. Obedience is varied and basic. Protection scenarios are more defense based with more emphasis on courage tests and thinking tests for the dogs. There is also more defense work and a lot of handler defense.

They don't seem to shed a lot. It is a little hard to tell in our house as we have 3 black dogs, so there is some hair around all the time.

In the house they are very calm unless there is something going on to get them going. They tend to go full blast or not at all. When they play it is all out, the rest of the time they are content to lay around the house and just be near the owners.