Skip to content
Cavalier King Charles spaniel resting on a sofa

Russian Toy breeders

The Russian Toy is a very small, fine-boned and long-legged companion dog from Russia, placed in the Toy group by The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) and bred in two coat types, smooth and long haired.

{"hide_search_input":false,"hide_near_input":false,"input_size":"","bar_flex_wrap":"","bar_flex_wrap_md":"","bar_flex_wrap_lg":"","input_border":"","input_border_opacity":"","input_rounded_size":"","btn_bg":"","btn_rounded_size":"","btn_rounded_size_md":"","btn_rounded_size_lg":"","bg":"","mt":"","mr":"","mb":"3","ml":"","pt":"","pr":"","pb":"","pl":"","border":"","rounded":"","rounded_size":"","rounded_size_md":"","rounded_size_lg":"","shadow":"","css_class":""}

Advertise your Russian Toy puppies, litters and stud dogs

Breeding Russian Toys in the UK? Add your kennel to caninebreeder.co.uk so buyers looking for Russian Toy puppies for sale can find you and get in touch directly. You can advertise Russian Toy puppies for sale and planned litters in smooth or long coat, list a Russian Toy stud dog, and display the eye certificates and patella grades that careful buyers ask about. Create your listing or see our plans.

No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.

  • Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
  • Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
  • Premium showcase for your services and prices, previous customers, awards, video, gallery and health certificates, with your phone and email shown to buyers.
  • Sponsored articles about your breed or industry, written and published by our team.
  • Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.

Create your free breeder profile Advertise a litter Advertise a stud dog

Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Russian Toy

The Russian Toy is a very small, fine-boned and long-legged companion dog from Russia, placed in the Toy group by The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) and bred in two coat types, smooth and long haired.

Origin and purpose. The RKC breed page says the breed was first kept as a watchdog and ratter, with roots going back several hundred years, and that the modern Russian Toy was stabilised and developed in the mid-1950s. The Russian Toy Club UK describes English-style toy terriers kept by the Russian nobility, a sharp decline after the 1917 revolution, and a rebuilding of the breed from the small terriers that remained. According to the club, the first long-coated litter was recorded in 1958, the FCI approved the breed in 2006, and the first Russian Toys reached the UK in 2008.

Size. The breed standard asks for a square, elegant dog standing 20 to 28 cm at the withers and weighing up to 3 kg, with legs slightly longer than the depth of the body and large, erect ears.

Coat and grooming. Smooth coats are short, glossy and close lying. Long coats are 3 to 5 cm, straight or slightly wavy, with fringed ears, feathering on the backs of the legs, a well-feathered tail and long, silky hair that hides the nails. Colours include black and tan, blue and tan, brown and tan, lilac and tan, red of any shade with or without an overlay, fawn and cream, and the standard describes white markings as highly undesirable. The RKC suggests grooming every day and notes that the breed sheds. The club suggests grooming smooth coats two or three times a week and long coats daily.

Exercise and home. The RKC lists up to an hour of exercise a day and says the breed can suit a flat, with a lifespan of over 12 years. The club stresses that, easy as they are to carry, these are active dogs that benefit from a daily walk.

Temperament. The standard asks for an active, lively dog that is neither timid nor aggressive, and the RKC describes the breed as loyal, eager to please and suited to agility and obedience training. The club notes that Russian Toys can be vocal and reserved with strangers, so early socialisation helps. See Russian Toy breeders, or compare the Miniature Pinscher and English Toy Terrier.

Russian Toy health tests

The RKC's Breed Watch places the Russian Toy in Category 1, meaning no breed-specific points of concern have been flagged for show judges beyond the standard. Under the RKC Health Standard, Good Practice for this breed is managing genetic diversity rather than a specific screening test, and Best Practice adds an eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme. The RKC's eye screening guidance advises examining breeding dogs within the 12 months before a mating and once more at 8 years of age if they have been bred from; examinations are carried out by BVA eye panellists.

The Health Standard also lists patellar testing as a breed club health scheme for the Russian Toy. The Russian Toy Club UK health page offers a patella test certificate that most vets can complete and explains the four grades of luxation. It describes Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease as rare in the breed with no known DNA test, and quotes a breed average inbreeding coefficient of 0.8%. Eye results for registered dogs can be checked on the Health Test Results Finder, and health questions can be raised with the breed health co-ordinator named on the RKC breed page.

Good Practice (RKC)
- Prioritising genetic diversity (check the inbreeding coefficient of the planned mating)

Best Practice (RKC), in addition
- Eye testing using the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme

Breed club health scheme (listed in the RKC Health Standard)
- Patellar testing

Breed Watch: Category 1

Choosing a Russian Toy breeder

A responsible Russian Toy breeder has both parents eye tested under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme within the year before mating and has their knees checked for patellar luxation, preferably on the breed club's certificate. They should know the inbreeding coefficient of the litter and be able to explain why they chose the sire. Ask which coat type and colour each puppy is expected to have; the RKC's Colour Watch places the breed in Category 0, so there are no non-standard colour options at registration. Good breeders talk openly about raising a very small puppy, including safe handling and teething, which the club says sometimes needs a vet's help. See the puppies with their mother; for licensed breeders in England this is a legal condition, along with not selling puppies under 8 weeks. Breeding three or more litters in 12 months and selling any of the puppies in England requires a council licence. The Russian Toy Club UK publishes a code of ethics for members; our buyer safety guide covers warning signs.

  • When were both parents last eye tested under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme, and can I see the certificates?
  • What patella grades did the parents receive, and who examined them?
  • What is the inbreeding coefficient for this litter?
  • Has Legg-CalvĂ©-Perthes disease or any knee problem appeared in either parent's line?
  • Are you a member of the Russian Toy Club UK, and will the puppy be RKC registered?

Russian Toy questions

How small is a Russian Toy?

The RKC breed standard gives a height at the withers of 20 to 28 cm for both sexes and a weight of up to 3 kg. The RKC notes that the standard describes the ideal, so an individual dog may end up larger or smaller.

What is the difference between the smooth and long-haired Russian Toy?

Both are the same breed and are judged to one standard. The smooth coat is short, glossy and close lying. The long coat is 3 to 5 cm, straight or slightly wavy, with fringed ears, feathering on the backs of the legs and tail, and long hair on the feet that hides the nails. The Russian Toy Club UK suggests grooming smooth coats two or three times a week and long coats every day.

Which health tests should Russian Toy parents have?

The RKC Health Standard lists attention to genetic diversity as Good Practice and an eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme as Best Practice. It also lists patellar testing as a breed club health scheme, and the Russian Toy Club UK provides a certificate for vets to record the grade.

Can a Russian Toy live in a flat?

The RKC describes the breed as suitable for a flat or apartment, needing up to an hour of exercise a day. The breed club adds that these are active dogs that benefit from a daily walk and can be vocal, which is worth considering if you have close neighbours.

More for Russian Toy owners and breeders

Official sources