Russian Salon Dog

The Russian Salon Dog is a cheerful and docile compact breed that was developed in Russia at the dawn of XXI century. Thanks to its well-developed sociability, frisky nature and gentleness to kids of any age, it befits splendidly for the role of a companion animal. And the breeds’ gorgeous coat and graceful physique explain its popularity in the show ring.

Photo: © kennel Solid Gold (solid-gold.ru)

The Russian Salon Dog owes its existence to professionalism and laborious work of the one and the only person, namely Lakatosh Julia Alexandrovna. As the first-quality dog expert and zoo-engineer, she decided to create a small dog that would satisfy her own requirements for the conformation and temperament of an ideal pet. She enlisted support of familiar breeders and at the beginning of the XXI century embarked on experiments with crossbreeding.

The crossbreeding allowed to achieve necessary variety of the foundation stock. In the process several miniature breeds were used but their exact names are still kept in secret. On the whole, breeders developed five main bloodlines, which differ from one another by the list of initial breeds in addition to three fundamental ones. Subsequently other canine varieties were excluded from breeding although some good specimens that resulted from crossbreeding were occasionally used in the program. At the same time the dogs that didn’t comply with standard requirements were completely rejected from crossing.

By now all key characteristics of this breed have already been securely established in its gene pool and each and every new generation invariably inherits them. The Russian Salon Dog is a unique breed to the effect that there are no canine varieties that are recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale) (FCI), with such a combination of fundamental features of appearance and character. Particularly it stands out by a compact size, erect ears, long, soft and straight coat of various shades of ginger (occasionally spotted). It also possesses W (wild) gene (RSPO2) when the hair is spread over the dog’s body evenly and grows long even on its front legs and muzzle.

In July 2013 the Russian Salon Dog received recognition of Russian Kynological Federation (RKF) as a breed group. In 2016 the native club started registering its specimens. Today some part of the breed’s population already has three generations with RKF pedigrees. The owners of such dogs have right to register matings in one of the RKF’s departments, participate with their pets in conformation shows of this organisation and earn awards and titles. The dogs that haven’t yet gained the necessary depth of their pedigrees or the breed members with minor defects in the conformation can be also involved in breeding under the supervision of the breed’s creator. Afterwards such canines will be provided with official documents under her signature. Currently the cute and good-tempered Russian Salon Dog has already earned love of many fanciers of toy breeds.

The temperament of the Russian Salon Dogs resembles the personality of other miniature breeds: it’s loyal, sweet, friendly and very communicative. It needs minimal socialisation and can adapt to any living circumstances so it makes an ideal apartment dog. This breed absolutely loves frisking with kids, although it also should be handled very carefully because of its small size. That’s why teach your kid the basic rules of the communication with four-legged friends.

The Russian Salon Dog usually stands aloof in the presence of strange people, but in general it’s unable to any aggressive actions. It’s worth to remember though that any dog can bite if it feels that something or someone threatens itself or its territory. It’s essential to explain your pet that houseguests must be treated respectfully. This breed is too unsuspecting and good-natured to make a good guardian. Nevertheless it will always start barking if some stranger approaches the house so the Russian Salon Dog copes well with the role of a watcher.

As a rule, this small dog behaves itself friendly with its counterparts and gets on wonderfully with the dog of any size. However homeless canines can pose serious danger for its member so the master should always keep an eye on his pet during walks. The Russian Salon Dog is notable for high tolerance to other pets and proper socialisation will guarantee its peaceable co-existence even with a cat.

Not registered for the moment.

The maintenance of the Russian Salon Dog is a time-consuming task. Ideally its thick and long coat should be brushed on a daily basis although the interval between grooming procedures depends on individual characteristics of the dog. It’s recommended to brush the dog’s hair with a brush with long teeth, which won’t damage its texture. Contrary to other similar breeds, the specimen of the Russian Salon Dog can wear a short haircut and still participate on an equal footing with its long-haired congeners.

Bathe your pet every couple of weeks and it will always look flawlessly. It can be done with the help of special shampoos for breeds with long coat. After bathing it’s necessary to spay the dog’s fur with a conditioner to make further grooming easier.

Don’t forget to regularly trim nails of your Russian Salon Dog and check its ears for the signs of infection of irritation. Every week brush teeth of your pet with a vet-approved toothpaste. If properly groomed, this breed sheds very moderately.

The Russian Salon Dog has obedient disposition and responds to training extremely well. It can master all tricks, which can be performed by such a small dog. Thanks to the boundless devotion to its master, this breed always wants to please him and assiduously follows all his commands.

Encourage your pet with its favourite food and you will quickly obtain impressive results from your efforts. Nonetheless, physical coercion and rough tone of voice will only intimidate this sensitive dog so they must be completely excluded from training techniques.

The Russian Salon Dog stands out for low requirements for physical activity so it suits well for canine fanciers who prefer a sedate life style. The breed member can get by with only two or three calm strolls per day, but it always enthusiastically takes any opportunity to play and run in the properly fenced territory.

This dog absolutely craves for attention and company of its human family and can get into a habit of gnawing at your possessions if it’s left alone too frequently and for a long time.