The variety of types in Black Russian Terrier breed

This article doesn`t have its aim of discovering particular and com- mon aukts of the BRT breed.The main aim is to expose main cryteria of the desired type og the dog in or- der to increase competence and ana- tomical method of approach in bree- ding.This allows developing dogs which are corresponding to our needs.

Our experience for many years was based on using the best dogs of the breed with due regard of their genetic data. As the time passed, the tendention formed for prefering particular lines (brancheas) and the further breeding inside these lines. This allowed the fixing of the type. During the short period of time with the breed, the live-stock came to a homogeneity, and now there are no considerable fluctuations inside the breed, as it was before. However, it is quite often that in monobreed shows the prize-winners being perfectly built are of qiute different types. And there`s the point where discussions begin: which one is to be prefered, how to plan the breeding. It is necessary to take into account the concrete demands while deciding how to alter the breed standarts in order to impact some qualities. The fluctuations in this or that result in change of the whole built. Let`s consider most common variations in the built. The link between the alteration of a single point and the whole built. We`ll discuss then built of 3 types of dogs - a, b and c

a) the dog of light built with strong skeleton.
b) the dog of desired type with rough and strong skeleton.
c) the dog of rugged type with very massiv skeleton.

These dogs look wsomething like this:

a) the head is long,the skull is more narrow than the muzzle,the muzzle is slightly longer than the skull,the teeth fit tightly and are not large.The stopis slight,cheek-bones are expressed slightly,poor muscular development.

b) the head is of enough lenght,well-shaped,with wide skull,cheek-bones are somehow developed,the muzzle is massiv, little more narrow than the skull.The lower jaw is massiv,the incisors fit tightly and are big,fangs angulation is good. The stop is obvious but not sharp.The mucsular development is fine.

c) the head is short,with very large skull,with cheek-bones sharply expressed.The muzzle is short and broad.Incisors are in the same line withfangs,fit freely and have tendence for unlinearity,the bite is strong.The lower jaw is very massiv. The stop is sharp.The muscular development is exellent.

The neck:
a) long,dry,high-set.
b) well-set,well-muscled and of enough lengh.
c) low-set,short,massiv.

The topline:
a) enough strongbut not enough wide.
b) strong and wide.
c) often is soft,wither is weak.

The body:
a) the chest is not deep and broad enough,the ribs are flat,the forechest is not prominent,the stomach is tightened.
b )the chest is long,broad and deep,the ribs are well-curved,reaching to the elbows,the forechest is long.The stomach is normal.
c) the chest is very broad,deep and long,the ribs are too much curved,the chest gets wider th the groin.The stomach is sagged.

FOREQUARTERS
a) the angle betwee shoulder blade and the upper arm is more than 110,the shoulder blade is vertical,the withers is short, forearms are long and metacarpuses are nearly vertical.
b) the angle between shoulders and the upper arm is between 100 and 110, the withers (espressed by the shoulder blade and vertebrae) is long and muscular,the morearms are of enough lenght,metacarpuses are slightly bent.
c) the angle between shoulder blade and the upper arm variesand can be less than 100.Shoulder bones and forearms are not too long, metacarpuses are fine-boned,chords are weak,the dog seems stocky.

CROUP AND HINDQUARTERS
a) the croupe is short, nearly horizontal, the pelvis is plumb, the angle between the upper thigh and and the lower thigh is about 100, legs are fine-boned, the push is not productive, the movements are mincing, the narrow set of hind-quarters is qiute often. Thethigh is short.
b) the croupe is rather long, inclined to the topline, the angle between upper and lower thigh is some 130, metacarpusus are nearly vertical, chords are strong. The movements are productive with strong pushing function.
c) the croupe is short, horizontal, the pelvis is plumb, the bones of the upper and lower thighs are short with angle betwee them about 130. The pushing function is very weak, chords are weak, the movements are not productive.

MOVEMENTS
a) short, mincing tror, at higher speeds the dig falls into gallop. There`s tendency or soft, wingigng movements, though the dog could be rather well-built but light
b) the trot is short,swinging, with good pushing function and striving forward,nice capture of space. At higher speeds the dog doesn`t go into gallop and in spite of its mass the movements are easy and free.
c) the trot is short, the dog seems to type his legs into the ground. There`s weakness of back chords. The dog waddles, swingsits back. The space capture is small, the pushing function is weak, at higher speeds the animal falls into heavy gallop.

In addition it is necessary to define the quastions about preferring particular types of dogs in breeding.

1. It`s necessary to pay attention to the built of the chest.
a) the type of chest will not allow the development of stable topline, it leads to facilitation.
b) the desired type of the chest will keep strong toplinewith enough weigh.
c) such chest will ensure strong topline but leads to lenghtening of the type and makes the figure squat.

2. It`s necessary as well to pay attention to the built of the forequarters of a dog, which allow the productive movement. The most important is to mark the built of the shoulder blade and the upper arm. One should prefer long shoulder blades.

3. Pay attention of the croupe, its length and the lengthes of the upper and lower thighs. One should be aware of weak chords. Therefore, the breed can bemade monotypical by recieving the standart of the dog (the main point is to achieve the sceleton which corresponds our needs) and further breeding, using this standart. But this is not a job that can be made in a couple of years and it`s impossible to archieve such result by one or two copulations. But the planned breeding and using the experience of our foreigh collegues will lead to a success. Anyway, one of the main factors upon which the breeding depens is monobreed shows (maybe the only one in which the appearanceis not the main factor). Here all breeders gather together, here different seminars are conducted. Here also the live-stock is discussed from the point of view of the phenotypical data. The correct apprisal of the best representatives will allow to conduct further work in right trends.

Natalia Filatova from Samara (Russia),
expert of RKF (pictured by the author)