Russian Toy Terrier is originated from Russia but Chow Chow is originated from China. Russian Toy Terrier may grow 23 cm / 9 inches shorter than Chow Chow. Russian Toy Terrier may weigh 29 kg / 63 pounds lesser than Chow Chow. Both Russian Toy Terrier and Chow Chow has same life span. Both Russian Toy Terrier and Chow Chow has almost same litter size. Russian Toy Terrier requires Low maintenance. But Chow Chow requires High maintenance
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.
Northern China is the original home of the Chow Chow. In that region of China, the breed was known as the Songshi Quan – “the puffy-lion” dog. They have also been known in China as the “Dog of the Tang Empire” or the Tang Quan. The Chow is believed to be an ancient breed that the Foo Dog, or stone dog guardians of Buddhist palaces and temples, is modeled after. It is one of the most ancient of dog breeds that are still around today.
It is believed that they have existed for around 2000 years or perhaps even as far back as 3000 years, starting out in Mongolia and migrating to China. The ancientness of the Chow Chow has been validated through DNA testing. In China all those centuries ago, the Chow Chow was born to be a working dog. They hunted, herded, guarded and pulled carts. They went on quests with the Mongolian armies when China was invaded, as well as when the Mongolians invaded the Middle East and Europe later on.
Today’s Canadian Kennel Club has about 350 Chows registered while the AKC gets 10,000 new registrations every year.
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.
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 Chow really does look like a small lion with a black tongue. The dog is sturdy and square with erect, small ears on a broad skull. They have a very dense double coat. Their eyes are deep set and look like almonds, while they all have that very distinctive purple or black tongue. Their lips are also distinctive with their blue color. The nose is black, but some Chows might have a blue nose. The tail is curly.
These are medium size dogs when it comes to height and weight, but they are powerfully built for their size. Their power is in their compact body holding the energy and strength of a much larger dog. Its hind legs are almost entirely straight, unusual for any dog. They get their lion appearance from the huge ruff that stands behind their heads. Their chest is broad and deep.
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.
Loyal and true to their family and those they know; the Chow Chow is a little standoffish with strangers. They are very protective and usually attach themselves to one or two people. They are intelligent but stubborn, which can affect your training with them. They need to respect their people and Chows respect hose who take care of them. They can be aggressive toward dogs of their same sex especially if those dogs are the same breed as well.
They are known to be very clean and many have compared them to cats in that regard. They appear to be dignified and refined. They are usually very quiet but very adaptable dogs.
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 -
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.
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.
Although an ancient breed that obviously has survived many centuries of trials, the Cho Chow of today is prone to several different health conditions. These include:
This condition can require surgery to keep the turning eyelid from injuring the eye ball.
This can cause lameness and arthritis.
This can cause lameness and arthritis.
Make sure you keep the ears clean and keep an eye on them.
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.
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.
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.
Don’t overfeed a Chow Chow as they are hard workers and big eaters. Feed them at least twice a day.
This eye disease can lead to blindness if not checked and treated.
These can be removed from an adolescent puppy.
Again, the Chow is susceptible to cancer.
Can lead to heart or kidney problems if left untreated.
Keep a close eye on your Chow Chow skin.
The Chow Chow was developed as working dog, but today’s version is more laid back and doesn’t need excessive exercise. Daily walks will suffice. They live very happily in the city if walked regularly. They are not really a competitive breed outside of obedience and confirmation. They are seldom seen in sports like agility or frisbee.