Russian dog breeds
Twelve breeds in Breed Guesser list Russia as a home, from the tiny Russian Toy to the Caucasian Shepherd Dog. Eight of them belong to Russia alone; the other four it shares with its neighbours or, for the Siberian Husky, with the United States.
Six rounds: which dog is from Russia?
Which one is from Russia?
Which one is from Russia?
Which one is from Russia?
Which one is from Russia?
Which one is from Russia?
Which one is from Russia?
Russia’s own: 8 breeds
Borzoi
Also called Russkaya Psovaya Borzaya, the Russian Hunting Sighthound
Its standard dates it to the 15th century, from crosses of the Tatars’ Arab-type sighthounds with strong Russian hunting dogs. Bred mostly to chase hare and fox.
Breed standard
Samoyed
Named after the Samoyed peoples of northern Russia and Siberia, who used these dogs to herd reindeer, hunt and pull sledges. Its first standard was written in England in 1909.
Breed standard
Black Russian Terrier
Also called Russian Black Terrier
Created in the late 1940s and early 1950s at a military dog school outside Moscow, with the Giant Schnauzer as its main ancestor.
Breed standard
Russian Toy
Grew from the toy terriers popular in early 20th-century Russia and went its own way from the 1950s. Its long-haired coat goes back to a puppy born on 12 October 1958.
Breed standard
Russian-European Laika
A hunting dog from the forests of European Russia. Local Laikas were united into this one breed in 1947, and its standard was approved in 1952.
Breed standard
West Siberian Laika
Bred from the hunting dogs of the Khanty and Mansi peoples of the Urals and Siberia. Its standard calls it the most widespread hunting breed in Russia.
Breed standard
East Siberian Laika
A hunting dog of the taiga and mountains of central and eastern Siberia, from Tungus, Yakut, pre-Baikal and pre-Amur Laikas. A breed since 1947.
Breed standard
Yakutian Laika
A sled and hunting dog of the native peoples of north-east Russia. Its first standard, in 1958, called it the North-East Sled Dog.
Breed standard
Shared with neighbours: 4 breeds
Siberian Husky
Its standard names the United States as its home. The game counts Russia as right too.
Breed standard
South Russian Ovcharka
Also called South Russian Shepherd Dog
A herding and guard dog of the southern steppes, thought to descend from bearded sheepdogs that came from Spain with fine-wool sheep. Listed under Russia and Ukraine.
Breed standard
Caucasian Shepherd Dog
From the old guard dogs of the Caucasus and the steppes of southern Russia, kept to protect herds and homes from predators. Listed under Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Breed standard
Central Asian Shepherd Dog
Formed over thousands of years across a vast area from the Caspian Sea to China. The game counts eight countries as right for it, Russia among them.
Breed standard
Which dog breeds are from Siberia?
The West and East Siberian Laikas and the Samoyed, whose standards name Siberia, and the Yakutian Laika from north-east Russia. With the Russian-European Laika from the forests of European Russia, the four Laikas are Russia’s northern spitz dogs; their standards tell them apart by size and colour.
| Breed | Where from | Height, males | Typical colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russian-European Laika | Forests of European Russia | 52 to 58 cm | Black with white, white with black, solid black or white |
| West Siberian Laika | Urals and Siberia | 55 to 62 cm | Grey, red, fawn or reddish-brown, white, or white with patches |
| East Siberian Laika | Central and eastern Siberia | 57 to 64 cm | Black and tan, black, black and white, white, piebald |
| Yakutian Laika | North-east Russia | 55 to 59 cm | White with patches of one or two colours |
The first three are all-round hunting dogs; the Yakutian Laika is a sled dog as well as a hunter. The Siberian Husky has its own comparison with the Alaskan Malamute.
What is a Black Russian Terrier?
A large working dog made in Russia, not an old terrier. Its standard says it was created in the late 1940s and early 1950s by selective interbreeding of breeds like the Rottweiler, Giant Schnauzer, Airedale Terrier and Newfoundland, with the Giant Schnauzer as its main ancestor. The breeding was supervised by the military dog school outside Moscow, and the dogs lived in its “Red Star” kennels. The aim was a large, strong, manageable working dog that coped with many climates. It was recognised internationally in 1984. Males stand 72 to 76 cm.
Where does the Borzoi come from?
Its standard traces it to the 15th century and the Mongol invasion. The Tatars hunted with Arab-type sighthounds called Koutsi, while Russian hunters used very strong dogs called Loshaya that could catch a deer or even an elk. Dogs crossed from the two became the first Borzoi, and they appear in the prayer book of Grand Prince Vasily III, father of Ivan the Terrible. Polish sighthounds, a bearded Courland sighthound, Greyhounds, and Crimean and mountain sighthounds were added over the following centuries. Today the standard calls it a hunting sighthound used mostly for hare and fox.
Which big dog breeds come from Russia?
Heights for males, from each breed’s standard.
| Breed | Height, males |
|---|---|
| Borzoi | 75 to 85 cm |
| Black Russian Terrier | 72 to 76 cm |
| Caucasian Shepherd Dog | Ideally 72 to 75 cm, at least 68 cm |
| Central Asian Shepherd Dog | At least 70 cm |
| South Russian Ovcharka | At least 66 cm |