Black Russian Terrier

Watchful and self-assured; quick to learn but independent.
A Black Russian Terrier
Photo: Seongbin Im
Adult male
50–60 kg
110–132 lb
Adult female
45–50 kg
99–110 lb
Lifespan
10.9 yrs
Class · Watchdog
also Companion

What it's like

By temperament the breed is calm, self-assured and watchful. It is reserved with strangers and closely attached to its own family. It learns quickly and is intelligent, but it can also be independent-minded. Admirers sometimes call it the black pearl of Russia.

Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Needs daily brain work
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Living with one

It has a wire or harsh coat. Loose hair stays caught in the coat until it is brushed, stripped or clipped out. Plan on a brush once a week, plus hand-stripping two or three times a year. It needs a moderate amount of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Black Russian Terrier is a large dog, heavier than a Rottweiler and lighter than a Great Dane. Males end up clearly heavier than females. It is one of the heaviest large breeds.

It is a powerful, large-boned dog, a little longer than it is tall, with a broad head and a deep chest. Its double coat is coarse and slightly wavy. The coat is always black, sometimes with scattered grey hairs. A beard, moustache and heavy eyebrows give the face a squared-off look, and the coat is usually trimmed to show the outline.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Black Russian Terrier puppy is already as heavy as a grown Labrador. They grow fastest between 4 and 5 months old. They keep growing past their first birthday, longer than a Beagle does. Most males grow into the size large-breed puppy foods are made for.
Fully grown
13 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight6
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
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Age
Male
Female
2 months
8.7–10.5 kg 19.2–23.1 lb
7.8–8.7 kg 17.2–19.2 lb
3 months
14.0–16.8 kg 30.9–37.0 lb
12.6–14.0 kg 27.8–30.9 lb
4 months
20.8–24.9 kg 45.9–54.9 lb
18.7–20.8 kg 41.2–45.9 lb
5 months
28.1–33.8 kg 61.9–74.5 lb
25.3–28.1 kg 55.8–61.9 lb
6 months
34.9–41.9 kg 76.9–92.4 lb
31.4–34.9 kg 69.2–76.9 lb
7 months
40.2–48.2 kg 88.6–106.3 lb
36.2–40.2 kg 79.8–88.6 lb
8 months
43.9–52.7 kg 96.8–116.2 lb
39.5–43.9 kg 87.1–96.8 lb
9 months
46.3–55.6 kg 102.1–122.6 lb
41.7–46.3 kg 91.9–102.1 lb
10 months
47.8–57.4 kg 105.4–126.5 lb
43.0–47.8 kg 94.8–105.4 lb
11 months
48.7–58.4 kg 107.4–128.7 lb
43.8–48.7 kg 96.6–107.4 lb
12 months
49.3–59.1 kg 108.7–130.3 lb
44.3–49.3 kg 97.7–108.7 lb
15 months
49.8–59.8 kg 109.8–131.8 lb
44.8–49.8 kg 98.8–109.8 lb
18 months
50.0–59.9 kg 110.2–132.1 lb
45–50 kg 99–110 lb

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical Black Russian Terrier lived to about 11 years, shorter than the typical large breed. The group was small, so treat the figure as rough.

Where it comes from

The Black Russian Terrier was bred to order by the Soviet military at the Red Star kennels outside Moscow in the late 1940s and early 1950s, as a large, all-round working dog with a strong guarding instinct that could cope with Russia's climates. Rottweilers, Airedales and Newfoundlands went into it, with the Giant Schnauzer at the centre, and the FCI adopted its standard in 19844,9.

The Black Russian Terrier began as a state project rather than a companion breed. After some years of development, the Red Star kennel began releasing dogs to civilian breeders in the late nineteen-fifties. From then on, amateur clubs in Moscow and other Soviet cities shaped much of the breed's later development, selecting for a more uniform appearance and a steadier temperament while keeping its working ability. Despite its name, it is not a true terrier. Its ancestors include the Giant Schnauzer, Rottweiler, Airedale and Newfoundland, among others. It was bred to guard military sites and to work alongside soldiers.

Breed standard

The Black Russian Terrier is judged against standard no. 327, in group 2, Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossoid and Swiss Mountain Dogs4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Black Russian Terrier figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a large breed is most likely at the later end.

Compare with related

Giant Schnauzer
Pinschers & molossoids · Large
Bouvier des Flandres
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Large
Cane Corso
Pinschers & molossoids · Giant
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Pinschers & molossoids · Giant
Or compare the Black Russian Terrier with any breed you choose
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Sources

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Parts of this page were written by AI ·