Black Russian Terrier

Pinschers & molossoids

Large

Median 10.9 y

FCI group 2 · Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossoid and Swiss Mountain Dogs · The breed standard (FCI 327)

Median survival across 234 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 8–13 y

The Black Russian Terrier, also known as the Chornyi Terrier, is a breed of dog from the USSR. It was originally bred in the Red Star Kennel during the late 1940s and the early 1950s for use as a military/working dog. The Black Russian Terrier is a breed recognized by the FCI, AKC, CKC, KC, ANKC, NZKC and other cynological organizations.

Calm

Confident

Courageous

Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · reference ranges from the Kintail breed dataset

Adult weight

Reference

Male

50–60 kg

Female

45–50 kg

Breed club figure (the American Kennel Club)

Weight for age

Stock data

Male

Female

Expected range

Expected range from the breed's own adult weight, kilograms. Growth reference: Hawthorne et al. 2004, WALTHAM (five giant-breed fits, n=35).

Heat cycles · females

Stock data

First heat

8–12 mo

typical

Interval

180 d

typical

Bleeding

~9 d

typical

Proestrus 9d

Estrus 9d

Diestrus 52d

Anestrus 110d

General figures for dogs, not for this breed — individual cycles vary widely.

Questions people ask

Adult males usually weigh 50–60 kg and females 45–50 kg. Most are close to their full size by around 13 months, though the last little bit of filling out takes longer. Growth reference: Hawthorne et al. 2004, WALTHAM (five giant-breed fits, n=35).

No Black Russian Terrier cycle figures are published here yet, so this is general guidance rather than a breed number: 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.

The median is 10.9 y. Median survival across 234 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 8–13 y. How the later years go comes down to weight, teeth, exercise and regular check-ups far more than to the breed.