BLACK RUSSIAN TERRIER Dog Breed

The Black Russian Terrier gives the impression of great strength, athleticism, and courage. It should be rustic (but not coarse) in appearance, and should not look as though its coat is sculpted or trimmed. It should never appear to lack substance or be weak in any way. Males should be noticeably more masculine than females.

Coat
The coat is hard and dense, never soft, woolly, silky, or frizzy. It should be between 4-10 cm (1.4-4 inches) in length. It should form a beard and eyebrows on the face, and a slight mane around the withers and neck that is more pronounced in males. The coat is low-shedding and the color is black or black with some gray hairs.

Size
The male stands 25-29 inches (64-74 cm) at the withers compared to the female's 25-28 inches (64-72 cm) with a tolerance of 1.3 inches (3 cm) or more if the dog is well proportioned. The breed weighs 80 to 143 pounds (36-65 kg)

Temperament
Black Russian Terrier's are confident, calm, highly intelligent, brave and loyal. However, without proper training and socialization, they can become aggressive. It should never be timid, and will not hesitate to defend the people that it loves if it thinks they are threatened. The Black Russian Terrier may seem aloof, but needs human companionship and bonds deeply to its family.

They are wary of strangers and take a long time to warm up to unfamiliar people, thus they make excellent Black Russian Terrier's are dominant by nature and need confident owners who have experience handling similar dogs.

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