White Schnauzer vs Russian Toy Terrier - Breed Comparison

The Russian Toy Terrier is one of the dog breeds that hails from Russia in the 20th century. The Russian nobility fancied these little dogs as companions but also as they were useful for catching rats and being watchdog.They would set off an alarm with their barking.

It is believed that the Manchester Terrier and the English Toy Terrier were the foundation breeds for this dog.

They are available in smooth and long-haired varieties. The breed has recently been recognized by the UK Kennel Club but is not yet recognized by the American Kennel Club.

The White Schnauzer was established in Germany in 2006 for people looking for this particular breed of dog but in white.

The traditional color is salt and pepper. It seems that breed societies don’t allow the white breed, saying they don’t conform to the ideal breed standard.

The White Schnauzer is officially recognized in Germany, If you have a White Schnauzer you may not be able to show him with some of the major kennel clubs.

White is one of the four color varieties of the Miniature Schnauzer and it is also recognized by the  Fédération Cynologique Internationale. 

The Russian Toy Terrier is a petite dog and is inclined to be a fragile dog breed. It belongs to the toy group. It is also known as the Russian Toy Terrier or the Russkiy Toy.

The dog’s small size means it is ideal for living in the city or the countryside.

He measures between just 20 and 28cm and weighs between just 1kg and 3kg.

The dog has a small head with big eyes and ears which are large ad erect. The tail was always traditionally docked to give it a cute, compact look, but these days it is left long.

You also get a long-coated dog and the smooth coated dog. The long coated variety has a lot of feathering around the tail, legs and ears. Colors of the coat can be solid red, brown and tan, black and tan or greyish and tan.

Temperament:

This little dog is full of character and is bold and cheerful. He is such a loyal, devoted little dog and small though he is he is territorial, protecting and guarding his owner. It is such a sociable little dog, devoted to his human family, while being wary of strangers.

Even a small dog like this will need training and socialization as he can become yappy and clingy if he is constantly piked up and petted.

There are a number of different types of White Schnauzer. The white Schnauzer is actually one of 4 color varieties and these dogs are always miniature Schnauzers.

You won’t easily find a Standard- or Giant dog in white. They aren’t albinos, as the skin does have some pigment.

These dogs also have that square-shaped build and they stand between 28 to 36 cm in height and weigh between 4 and 7kg.

The coat is wiry with a soft undercoat. The ears are often cropped to stand erect, but if left they are half-erect, half-floppy and fold forward.

Temperament:

The White Schnauzer is an intelligent dog who will be able to be socialized and trained easily.

He is an energetic little dog and very playful and will get along well with children, loving the games they provide and loving to spend time with all members of his family.

He is loving and affectionate and is willing to share his home and people with other dogs too. He will make you a good watchdog, perhaps encouraged because of his reserve with strangers.

If you provide him with the right amount of mental and physical stimulation, he can become a balanced dog with an amicable personality.

The Russian Toy is a small, feisty dog with long legs and huge upright ears. He is intelligent too. Don't let his fine structure deceive you as he is far more robust and tough than he looks.

He is a great playmate for disciplined, respectful children who know how to be kind to animals. Wild, unruly kids could so easily accidentally break one of his tiny little legs during rough play.

He loves his human family though and is guaranteed to make you an excellent little pet and companion.

The White Schnauzer is such an adaptable little dog and he will happily adapt to life in the city or in the countryside, just so long as he is close to his human companions and gets sufficient exercise.

He is a sociable dog that just loves to be around his human family and won’t like to be separated from them for too long.

He makes a great family dog when you provide him with the right food, a warm dry place to sleep, exercise and lots of love and attention.

There isn’t too much information about inherited health problems with this dog and he can live to be 11, 12 or 13 years of age, maybe even longer.There are one or two health problems to be aware of -

Patellar Luxation:

This condition occurs with the knee caps of the dog and either one or both back legs can be affected. Sometimes surgery will be required to help the dog.

Teeth Problems:

Little dogs always battle with their teeth, and the Russian Toy Terrier can experience problems when the puppy or ‘milk’ teeth don’t fall out. It affects the development of adult teeth. Sometimes the vet even has to have the teeth removed.

While he is a spunky, robust type of dog, there are always going to be some health concerns to look out for.

Some problems to be aware of include kidney stones, cancer, and eye problems.

Kidney Stones:

Kidney stones may well not cause your pet the same pain that humans endure, but they are still a cause for concern. A kidney stone that gets too large and lodges in the ureter becomes a ureterolith. This can be very painful, resulting in pain and even vomiting.

The kidney can even swell and become damaged. Your dog could become critically ill, particularly because of the disrupted flow of urine.

Your pet will possibly have blood in the urine, fever, lethargy, poor appetite and weight loss. Veterinary-intervention will be imperative.

Exercise:

The Russian Toy Terrier is a small breed and isn’t going to need too much exercise. However it will do him good to get out to sniff around, and a walk every day will be recommended.

Grooming:

Your Russian Toy Terrier is a fairly low maintenance dog and isn’t going to require specialist grooming. The little dog will simply require some occasional brushing to remove loose hair.

When you brush him, check inside his mouth for bad teeth as small dogs like this can suffer from pain with overcrowding of teeth.

Diet:

Tiny though he is, the Russian Toy Terrier will need good food. It will be tempting to pop sugary treats into such a tiny little dog’s mouth. This can in fact be seriously dangerous for him, not to mention that he can become obese. This opens up anew set of health problems.

You can feed this little dog commercially manufactured food but it should be the best quality one for small breeds.

Give him some tasty homemade food too. Simply add into one big pot chicken, brown rice or pasta and spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots. This food can all be chopped up, refrigerated and added warmed up and in small portions to your tiny pets dry kibble once or twice a week.

A tiny bit of raw meat can also go a long way to ensuring his skin stays healthy and free of skin infections.

Ensure that there is always a bowl of fresh, cool water within his reach.

Grooming:

He is a low shedding breed so he will require a brushing just once a week. These dogs also have a certain professional grooming cut. Some schnauzer dog owners do stripping but this is mostly for show dogs.

Most people just have them sheared to make it easy to groom them. Whether stripped or clipped, they nearly always have a beard and bushy eyebrows.

Trim your pet's nails and give him a general once-over during the grooming sessions to ensure all is well.

Diet:

You White Schnauzer relies on you to make wise food choices for him. He will eat most things you offer him. That doesn’t mean you should as you can cause him to have a whole lot of digestive problems.

If you choose to give him commercially manufactured dog food, make sure its a high-quality one – devoid of toxic ingredients such as colorants, fillers and preservatives.

If you don’t know how to choose, your vet can show you the foods they have in stock and which would suit your pet best.

A little bit of home-made food now and then can also be good, but the food needs to be plain and simple to avoid abdominal pain. Boiled chicken brown rice and vegetables chopped up and added to the dry kibble occasionally can be a very good choice.