Black Russian Terrier Information

How will the UKC Board resolve this unprecedented mistake that has the dog world buzzing about the origin of every breed standard?

BRT BREED STANDARD DEBACLE

by Marilyn Powell, Immediate Past President Black Russian Terrier Club of America, Inc.;

Illustrated Standard Committee, Chairman, Breed Standard Revision Committee

The Black Russian Terrier Club of America (BRTCA) as well as the International Black Russian Terrier Club (Moscow, Russia), the Russian Krynological Federation (Russian National Club) and Black Russian Terrier breeders around the world are quite concerned about UKC’s recent adoption, effective January 1, 2017, of a new breed standard that allows the Black Russian Terrier to also be black and tan in color. In all other recognized reputable breed standards around the world, the only acceptable color for the Black Russian Terrier is BLACK.

The current AKC (approved 2009) and FCI breed standards (approved in 2011) are substantively parallel, formatting aside.

When it was brought to BRTCA’s attention in May 2016 that UKC had received a request to revise its 2008 standard to allow multiple colors other than Black, the BRTCA Board of Directors contacted UKC by letter and requested that it not adopt such a standard and urged it to adopt the FCI breed standard for the Black Russian Terrier. Another UKC club also formally submitted a request to UKC that it adopt the FCI standard for the Black Russian Terrier. In response to BRTCA’s letter to UKC, an email was received from Vicki Rand acknowledging receipt of the documents submitted and stating that “no BRT breed standard revision proposals have been presented to the Committee as of this date.”

On June 8, 2016, UKC was provided with certified translated letters from the International Black Russian Terrier Club, the Russian Kynological Federation (National Russian Black Terrier Club) and Dr. Eugene Yerusalimsky, with regard to the color issue and urging that the only allowable color remain black.

There are very good and legitimate reasons for the only allowable color to be black. Not only does the coat color relate to pigment, Dr. Yerusalimsky’s stated that coat color was related to temperament and that was a major reason for eliminating the black and tan reminiscent of the (aggressive) Rottweiler and the black and tan saddle reminiscent of the (hyper-excitable) Airedale. He also confirmed that the “experimental breeding” of black and tan dogs that occurred approximately 10 years ago was discontinued “by verdict of the Breeding Commission of the RKF” for that very reason.

Vicki Rand corresponded to me on June 10, 2016, that the “UKC Breed Standard Committee will be meeting on this after PREMIER.” Hearing nothing further after the conclusion of the PREMIER, I sent an inquiry to Ms. Rand as to the current status of the standard revision and received a response on August 4, 2016, that the “project is currently going through our Breed Standard Revision process.”

No other communication was received from Ms. Rand regarding the standard revision prior to its adoption effective January 1, 2017.

It had been my understanding from past communications with UKC that absent a UKC breed parent club, that UKC defaulted to the FCI standard for that breed. While the original 1995 UKC standard was somewhat similar to the then FCI standard, its 2008 and now 2017 revisions are not remotely similar. UKC and its Breed Standard Committee completely disregarded the letters and authoritative information it had been sent.

Unique Side-by-Side Comparison of Current AKC and UKC Breed Standards, 1995 and 2008 UKC Standards, and updated FCI 2011 Breed Standard

UKC’s adoption of its 2017 standard has effectively set the breed back to its formative years! As explained above, one of the primary reasons why the Red Star Army bred away from the colored dogs was because of temperament (Rottweiler, Airedale) and towards the black Schnauzer.

As a large majority of the Black Russians in the United States obtain dual or multiple registrations (FCI, CKC, AKC, UKC, RKF, etc.) on the same dog, it is not difficult to see how easy it will be to breed black and tan (and other colored) registered litters and to obtain conformation championships under UKC, thus exploiting the non-black colored dogs for a higher price (the “rare” BRT), and more importantly, polluting the small gene pool with the color gene, not to overlook the foundational issue of temperament.

Reference Quotes:

Reference Black Russian Terrier Breed Information:

BRTCA and UKC Correspondence (large file)

Updated 2011 FCI BRT Breed Standard

Current 2017 AKC and UKC Breed Standards

Original 1995 and Updated 2008 UKC Breed Standard