The Russian Newfoundland, known as the Moscow Water dog, is an extinct dog, developed in Russia in the 1950s and the 1960s. This Soviet dog breed performs an unsuccessful attempt of the Russian army’s dog breeders to create a working dog for water rescue. Today the Russian Newfoundland is worth remembering mostly because of its involvement in the development of another Russian dog, the world popular Black Russian Terrier.
The history of the Russian Water Dog began after the WWII when a number of purebred Newfoundland dogs were brought from Germany to the Russian army’s “Red Star” kennel. In Russia the Newfoundland was historically called the Vodolaz, which means “diver” in Russian. The army breeders immediately started to cross the imported Newfoundland dogs with Caucasian dogs, and later with Russian German Shepherds. As a result several successful litters appeared, and the Russian Newfoundland was given its present name, the Moskovsky Vodolaz, or the Moscow Vodolaz.
Being not suitable for military service, this Russian dog breed was mainly used for the creation of the Russian Terrier, alongside with some imported European dogs.
In late 1960s the future of the Moskovsky Vodolaz was passed to civilians, and the commercialization of this Russian Newfoundland started. The new civil owners were not keen on experiments, and were crossing their pets mostly with purebred Newfoundland dogs. By the middle of 1980s the “Russian Water Dog” couldn’t be any more distinguished from the Newfoundland and was considered to become an extinct dog.
Breed Names:
Russian Newfoundland, Moscow Water Dog, Moscow Diver, Moscow Retriever, Moskovsky Vodolaz, Moscow Vodolaz, Moscow River Dog, Vodolaz
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