MyDogBreeds
Russian Toy Terrier is originated from Russia but Finnish Spitz is originated from Finland. Russian Toy Terrier may grow 22 cm / 8 inches shorter than Finnish Spitz. Russian Toy Terrier may weigh 12 kg / 26 pounds lesser than Finnish Spitz. Both Russian Toy Terrier and Finnish Spitz has almost same life span. Both Russian Toy Terrier and Finnish Spitz has same litter size. Russian Toy Terrier requires Low maintenance. But Finnish Spitz requires Moderate 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.
The “barking Bird Dog” or Finnish Spitz was Developed in Finland. The breed is fearless and small with a different style than many other hunting dogs. He style of tracking is unusual and he indicated his quarry by barking. He was bred to hunt all sizes of prey from as large as bears to as small as squirrels. He was called the “Barking Bird Dig” because he pointed at the prey by barking and giving the hunter knowledge of the prey and an easy approach to it. In Finland, the Spitz is still a hunting dog. In 1979 The Finnish Spitz became the national dog of Finland.
Spitz-like dogs have been present in Finland for over 8000 years. It is believed that dogs living in higher latitudes had more in common with the Taymyr Wolf od North Asia than with the gray wolf. Tests indicate that the chance of the Spitz being related to the Taymyr is between 1.4&a and 27.3%. The Taymyr is extinct today. This shows that the present day dog descends from more than one type of wolf and more than one area. The Spitz was a favorite of the Finno-Ugrian tribes as he helped them find food. These tribes were pretty isolated until 1880. Then the Spitz were mated with other dogs and were almost extinct as a breed separate from all the other local dogs.
However, like many other breeds the Finnish Spitz found a savior. A Finnish huntsman, named Hugo Roos, noticed the native Finnish Spitz while he was hunting up North. He decided to breed dogs that were genuine Finnish Spitz without the blood of other breeds mixed in. After thirty years the current day Finnish Spitz was born.The latest breed standard was confirmed by the Love Finnish Kennel Club in 1996.
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 Finnish Spitz is balanced and symmetrical in body and females are longer than males. They have a very distinguishable prick, foxy ears and face. They have a smiling expression and a curved tail. They are a golden-red color with a double coat. The under coat is dense and soft While the top coat is stiff. Puppies often look like little red fox cubs. When born they are black, grey or brown with a lot of black. As an adult the pups grow up to be a mix of fawn and dark black. Lips, nose and rims of the eyes should be black.
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.
Very child friendly – loves to play with children as long as the children pay attention to them. If not, the Spitz will go elsewhere.
They are independent thinkers and close to family but not strangers. They often “yodel” instead of howl.
Needs to be with people, bonds deeply with his humans. Most get along well with other dogs but because of their hunting instinct they are not good with small pets or birds.
They are smart and learn easily. They are great athletes and learn games and competition well.
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.
Typically, a somewhat healthy breed, the Finnish Spitz does struggle with a few genetic concerns. They have been known to suffer from:
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 the little guy. The Spitz had a good appetite for a dog its size and can gain weight quickly . Feed twice a day about 1/8th of a cup.
The same advice hold for the adult dog. Feed 1/4th of a cub of high quality dry food twice a day.
When the Spitz is a puppy you should limit strenuous exercise and jumping. Don’t spay neuter at too young an age. Wait until they are mature at 3-5 years of age.
Again do not exercise vigorously at too young an age. When older the Finnish Spitz will need a yard to run in and exercise to satisfy his hunting instincts. A long walk every day is a must.