Russian Toy Terrier vs Bavarian Mountain Hound - Breed Comparison

The Russian Toy Terrier is one of the dog breeds that hails from Russia in the 20th century. The Russian nobility fancied these little dogs as companions but also as they were useful for catching rats and being watchdog.They would set off an alarm with their barking.

It is believed that the Manchester Terrier and the English Toy Terrier were the foundation breeds for this dog.

They are available in smooth and long-haired varieties. The breed has recently been recognized by the UK Kennel Club but is not yet recognized by the American Kennel Club.

The Bavarian Mountain Hound was originally bred mixing the Bavarian Hound and the Hanover Hound. They decided to mix these breeds in a hope that the new breed will have the best of the parents. Actually, it turned out better than they could even imagine, since they created a great family dog, with magnificent stamina, quiet temperament and supersensitive nose that made them great hunters.

The Russian Toy Terrier is a petite dog and is inclined to be a fragile dog breed. It belongs to the toy group. It is also known as the Russian Toy Terrier or the Russkiy Toy.

The dog’s small size means it is ideal for living in the city or the countryside.

He measures between just 20 and 28cm and weighs between just 1kg and 3kg.

The dog has a small head with big eyes and ears which are large ad erect. The tail was always traditionally docked to give it a cute, compact look, but these days it is left long.

You also get a long-coated dog and the smooth coated dog. The long coated variety has a lot of feathering around the tail, legs and ears. Colors of the coat can be solid red, brown and tan, black and tan or greyish and tan.

Temperament:

This little dog is full of character and is bold and cheerful. He is such a loyal, devoted little dog and small though he is he is territorial, protecting and guarding his owner. It is such a sociable little dog, devoted to his human family, while being wary of strangers.

Even a small dog like this will need training and socialization as he can become yappy and clingy if he is constantly piked up and petted.

The Bavarian Mountain Hound is a medium sized breed of a dog. They have larger bones, but there is a very low risk of obesity. This is a very active dog, with a very muscular body. Their bone structure defines in a wide chest, and their back legs set a little bit higher than the front legs. They have strong necks and pear-shaped heads. They have strong jaws, ideal for a hunting dog. They are very specific because of their big brown eyes. The Bavarian Mountain Hound is a perfect pet. First of all, he is not a pack dog. He gets attached to his family and he is not very friendly with strangers. If they are trained well, they will never attack a stranger but they will bark and let you know that something isn’t right.

The Russian Toy is a small, feisty dog with long legs and huge upright ears. He is intelligent too. Don't let his fine structure deceive you as he is far more robust and tough than he looks.

He is a great playmate for disciplined, respectful children who know how to be kind to animals. Wild, unruly kids could so easily accidentally break one of his tiny little legs during rough play.

He loves his human family though and is guaranteed to make you an excellent little pet and companion.

Special talents: Since the Bavarian Mountain Hound is born with a strong scent, they are great for hunting. They can be trained to be search dogs.

Adaptability

If you live slow and quiet life indoors, maybe the Bavarian Mountain Hound is not the best choice for you. They are a calm breed, they do not bark a lot, but they need daily outdoor activity. They usually get attached to the owner, but in case you raise this dog in a family, they will be attached to adults and the children. They are very good while playing and living with the children, but if you usually have a lot of other children or strangers in a house, he will adapt to that kind of social life very easy.

It is very important that you start an early socialization of your Bavarian Mountain Hound. In situations where you raise this breed without the social life, they will have difficulties when they find themselves in situations with other animals. If you raise this breed with other animals in the same home, they will learn to play with other dogs, cats etc.

Learning ability

Bavarian Mountain Hound is not easy to train because they get easy distracted with smelling something more interesting than listening to your commands. It is not advised to have this breed as your first pet because they need an experienced trainer with a lot of patience and understanding.

There isn’t too much information about inherited health problems with this dog and he can live to be 11, 12 or 13 years of age, maybe even longer.There are one or two health problems to be aware of -

Patellar Luxation:

This condition occurs with the knee caps of the dog and either one or both back legs can be affected. Sometimes surgery will be required to help the dog.

Teeth Problems:

Little dogs always battle with their teeth, and the Russian Toy Terrier can experience problems when the puppy or ‘milk’ teeth don’t fall out. It affects the development of adult teeth. Sometimes the vet even has to have the teeth removed.

The Bavarian Mountain Hound is a quiet type of the dog. They don’t ask for a lot of attention and even if they develop some health issues you will have a hard time finding it out. So, the regular vet checks are a necessity. They usually suffer from an ear infection. The vet will usually check for a hip or an elbow dysplasia since those diseases occur with highly active breeds. Some irritations with eyelids are also found in the medical history of this breed but they are generally very rare.

Exercise:

The Russian Toy Terrier is a small breed and isn’t going to need too much exercise. However it will do him good to get out to sniff around, and a walk every day will be recommended.

Grooming:

Your Russian Toy Terrier is a fairly low maintenance dog and isn’t going to require specialist grooming. The little dog will simply require some occasional brushing to remove loose hair.

When you brush him, check inside his mouth for bad teeth as small dogs like this can suffer from pain with overcrowding of teeth.

Diet:

Tiny though he is, the Russian Toy Terrier will need good food. It will be tempting to pop sugary treats into such a tiny little dog’s mouth. This can in fact be seriously dangerous for him, not to mention that he can become obese. This opens up anew set of health problems.

You can feed this little dog commercially manufactured food but it should be the best quality one for small breeds.

Give him some tasty homemade food too. Simply add into one big pot chicken, brown rice or pasta and spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots. This food can all be chopped up, refrigerated and added warmed up and in small portions to your tiny pets dry kibble once or twice a week.

A tiny bit of raw meat can also go a long way to ensuring his skin stays healthy and free of skin infections.

Ensure that there is always a bowl of fresh, cool water within his reach.

Diet tips

There is a big difference in feeding the Bavarian Mountain Hound since you can raise him to be a pet or a dog for hunting. If you decided to keep this breed as a pet, they will do just fine with one of the dry foods that are good quality. If you want to raise them as a hunting dog, an active dog, then they will need a high-quality dry food and occasionally some raw minced meat.

Diet tips for puppies

High-quality food for puppies with a lot of nutrients that will help in growing the healthy bones and beautiful coat.

Points for Good Health

Since they have a short coat, the Bavarian Mountain Hounds don’t need a regular or any special kind of grooming. They will do just fine with occasional brushing. They don’t shed a lot, but in a season when they do you are free to brush them more regularly. They enjoy the brushings, cuddles, scratching, belly rubs - they are very lovable breed. But, as advised, take them to regular vet check because they can be very quiet even when they feel the pain.

Games and Exercises

The Bavarian Mountain Hound has a gene of a working dog and that is the reason why they need a lot of the activity on a daily basis. No matter if you take him to walk, run or a bike ride, they will love it. They do not like being on the leash since they love to use their nose to play. If you socialise them well, the dog park will be a great thing for them.