MyDogBreeds
Russian Toy Terrier is originated from Russia but Himalayan Sheepdog is originated from India. Russian Toy Terrier may grow 43 cm / 16 inches shorter than Himalayan Sheepdog. Russian Toy Terrier may weigh 42 kg / 92 pounds lesser than Himalayan Sheepdog. Both Russian Toy Terrier and Himalayan Sheepdog has almost same life span. Russian Toy Terrier may have less litter size than Himalayan Sheepdog. Russian Toy Terrier requires Low maintenance. But Himalayan Sheepdog 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.
The Himalayan Sheepdog comes from Nepal originally and was bred as a guardian for livestock. The exact location where the breed comes from is not documented well but it is thought that they come from North India and Nepal and they are rare outside of that area. They are a mountain dog – close in ancestry to the Himalayan Mastiff, and the Kinnaur Sheepdog of Tibet (Himalaya). All these Himalayan mountain dogs were all called “Gaddi dogs”. The term was used for all the large dogs no matter what their breeds actually were.
The Himalayan Sheepdog is called by various names depending on where they were from. They are called Gaddi Leopardhund in Himachai Pradesh, In Nepal they are known as Bhote Kukkur or Bhotiya. Then there are Chamba Gaddi dogs. They are an ancient breed that existed before documentation on breeds was kept.
They acted as both guardians and herders. They guarded the mountain men’s encampments as well as the livestock. They were also used at times to hunt large animals. Today they are found only within Nepal and India. These Himalayan Sheepdogs are on the verge of extinction in India. There are no breeding programs and their isolation has caused the dilution of the gene pool. It is not recognized by any clubs including the UKC and the AKC.
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 breed is a large dog, very athletic and strong. The Himalayan Sheepdog is muscular with a deep chest, strong neck and strong shoulders. It has a medium tail that is thick and busy, curled high over its back. It is a daunting dog that can be very intimidating. They have well padded and large paws. With a broad head and wide forehead, they have a strong, wide muzzle. Their ears are high on the head and hang from the sides. They have almond shaped medium eyes that are deep set with a black nose.
They are a very active and swift dogs. By their nature they are constantly in motion, patrolling their territory and guarding their flock and people. Their devotion to their people and their courage is the stuff of legends. Their coat is double with a large ruff around their necks that resembles a mane. The inner coat is dense and short while the outer coat is longer but dense as well.
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.
Yes with enough proper socialization
Protection and loyalty
They are not especially adaptable and need a large yard. They are not good in an apartment.
Intelligent but stubborn and independent making them able to learn if they want to.
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.
This is a pretty healthy breed with very few health issues. They have the usual large dog issues.
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.
Feed the puppy 2-3 times a day with a total of two cups of a quality dog food for large breed dogs.
Feed the adult dog twice a day with 3 to 4 cups of a high quality dry dog food for large breed dogs.
They are very strong and athletic.
The Himalayan Sheepdog needs exercise but not to be overworked. They should be taken on long walks at least once a day. They might play fetch or run in a yard, but they don’t like too much exercise.