SMOOTH AND LONG: THE TWO COAT TYPES OF THE RUSSIAN TOY
“Essentially, if you shaved a long coat Russian Toy and placed it next to a smooth coat dog, you should be looking at the same silhouette.”
on the ears or have curly hair. In the FCI standard (coun- try of origin), there are three additional disqualifications that are mentioned, which are semi-pricked ears in smooth coat dogs, drop ears in long coat dogs, and on smooth coat dogs numerous bald patches (more than 25%) or very soft, tousled, loose body hair with pronounced feath- ering. A trimmed coat on either variety is also a DQ in the FCI standard, and this item as well as the others are described in the AKC standard but are not stated explicitly in the DQ section. There are two additional coat-related items that are described outside of the coat section of the standard, and the first is that semi-pricked ears are per- missible on long-haired dogs with heavy fringe (but are not desirable). While the AKC standard does not spe- cifically discuss the smooth coat ears, the FCI does state that soft ears in a smooth coat is a fault as well. The sec- ond item is called out in the color section, and faults the presence of bald patches in smooth coat dogs and too
The structure of both coat varieties should be the same as described in the standard for the Russian Toy, with these key proportions: the length of the body should be equal to the height at the withers; the height at the elbow is only slightly more than half the height at the withers; and the length of the muzzle is shorter than the length of the skull. Essentially, if you shaved a long coat Russian Toy and placed it next to a smooth coat dog, you should be looking at the same silhouette. While some people have described a difference in temperament between the two coats, this is not found in the standard or my personal experience. Smooth coats and long coats fall along the spectrum of temperament for the Russian Toy and there is not a difference between the coats when you consider the breed as a whole instead of just individuals. All Russian Toys should have the same active, cheerful, intelligent temperament without being cowardly or aggressive. The difference described in the AKC standard is all about the coat of the dogs and a few items which are affected by the coat. There is only one disqualification that is coat-specific in the AKC standard, and this involves the ears; where long coat dogs cannot have the absence of fringe
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