Russian Toy Terrier vs Bull Terrier - 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 Bull Terrier belongs to the Terrier group of dogs and this already tell you that he is highly energetic and that he is essentially intolerant of other pets.

They are hunters by nature. The Bull Terrier is known as the Gladiator of the canine world. This breed came about through English breeders of the late 19th century, crossing old fighting dogs which carried Bulldog blood with Terriers. It was in the 1850s that James Hinks of Birmingham in the West Midlands was the first person to standardise breed type for the Bull Terrier. Hinks wanted his dogs to be white, and breeding was designed to achieve this.

Because of medical problems with the all-white dogs, Ted Lyon introduced color, using the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and these became a separate variety. It is however, the white strain that is famous for pets as well as for show purposes.

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.

Strongly Built and Muscular

The Bull Terrier is a strongly built, muscular dog with a distinctive egg-shaped head. The height of this dog is roughly 53 – 61cm and he weighs in at about 24 – 29kg. He has a short, dense coat which comes in different colors such as white, red, fawn and white or brindle.

The ears are medium sized and erect and the eyes are pig-like, small and dark. The medium length tail is carried slightly upwards.

A Temperament of Courage

The Bull Terrier is a determined, strong-willed, stubborn dog and he will require firm handling and training. With socialization and training, he becomes a friendly, loving dog who is good around children.

He tends to be possessive with his human family and their territory, making him aggressive with other pets. Bull Terriers actually have even temperaments and they are good, social dogs with people. He is courageous, brave, full of spirit and character.

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.

The way people bring their dogs up has a lot to do with the way they turn out. The Bull Terrier has often been thought to be a dangerous dog, but this is because of a bad upbringing.

A dog like the Bull Terrier who has received firm, fair and loving training is an absolute pleasure to have as a pet. Yes, he is a strong willed, stubborn and intelligent dog and he has the make-up to turn out to be a handful. It is perhaps why he isn't the best choice for first-time dog owners who aren’t familiar with the breed and who don’t raise him the right way.

If you choose a Bull Terrier, bring him up correctly, have him trained and socialized and never neglect him and he is guaranteed to become a wonderful, loving family member.

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.

Your Bull Terrier is a robust breed, but there are some health issues that you will want to be aware of. For instance, the white Bull Terrier is more prone to deafness than the Brindle or tri-colored Bull Terriers. With good food and lots of love and care, he can reach 14 years of age. However there are one or two ailments what you want to be aware of.

Patellar Luxation:

This is a common orthopedic condition with dogs, affecting both knees and resulting in loss of function and discomfort. Patellar luxation can sometimes come from a traumatic injury to the knee. However, with non-traumatic patellar luxation, the femoral groove for the knee cap is shallow or absent.

Skin Cancer:

Not every variety of skin cancer in dogs is caused by sun exposure, but sun damage to the skin of the pure white Bull Terrier can be a factor. Dogs with white coats are more susceptible to sun damage. Speak to your vet about symptoms so that a physical examination will reveal the reason for sores on the skin.

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.

Exercise:

The Bull Terrier is a stocky, robust breed and he will need plenty of exercise. He thrives on a good run, long walks and ball games. He is notoriously destructive, so you need to recognize this before you buy such a dog, because simply putting one in your back-yard and ignoring him will make him aggressive and destructive. This is a dog that needs lots of physical as well as mental exercise.

Grooming:

With the short coat, Bull Terriers are easy to groom, and a brushing twice a week will keep the coat in tip top condition. He will also love the time you spend with him. Shedding of hair with the Bull Terrier is more frequent in the Spring and Fall.

Nail clipping and brushing of teeth are two other grooming routines for your dog. Remember that with teeth brushing, don’t be tempted to use human toothpaste as this can be toxic for your pet. Speak to your vet if in any doubt about how to brush your pet’s teeth.