Q: do Black Russian Terriers make good police dogs?
I heard somewhere they are. Don't know much about them.
Answers and Views:
Answer by Jenny Manyteeth
Some of them do; no breed has 100% qualifiers. IIRC, they were developed for such work by crossing as many as 20 breeds of dogs, including Airedales, Giant and Standard Schnauzers, Newfoundlands, Rottweilers, and Caucasian Ovtcharka. They were created and bred by the Soviet government’s Red Star Kennels for use in their military and police departments.
Photo Credit: golbenge (골뱅이)/Flickr CC
Answer by Mike
I am on my second BRT, they would make the best police dogs except for 3 things.
1. size, they are too big to fit in most K9 cruisers(there is less room in a K-9 car than a regular back seat of a sedan due to all the gear) a 90lb GSD is about all you can fit into a K-9 cruiser, BRTs on the small size(males) 125lbs a 30 in BRT will go 140, lbs.
2. Coat, their coat requires regular brushing and keeping them in about a 2-inch working cut (the show cut, what you see in pictures, is not what is used when they are working, it has no value except for show).
3. They are thinkers not reactors like GSDs, Mal’s, Dutch Shepards. They are extremely smart but like to think before they act, this does not mean they won’t attack on command, they will, but it takes more training than a wired up temperament Mal, Dutchie, or Euro GSD.
Why they would make a great police dog-
1. Their size, they are fantastic manstoppers, just as ferocious as the others mentioned here but they bring a much bigger hammer to the fight.
2. They are explosively fast and agile for shorter distances up to about 100 yards as fast as any of the other police dogs, I’ve watched my boy run down German Shorthairs and German Shepards and other fast dogs. They are like an NFL defensive end, huge with the speed of a halfback, or think quarter horse vs thoroughbred.
3. They have great noses so they make great trackers for chasing bad guys. They make great search and rescue dogs for rural areas but are too big for S&R other areas.
They are thinkers, not reactors (I know I said this before but this is the flip side of the coin), they are less likely to go off half-cocked and do something wrong, like attacking a kid, or other innocent.
BUT they are NOT for the first time protection dog owner, because they do everything the other police dogs do but are double-triple the size. One other person mentioned being silent until attacking(no warning bark) this can be true. In today’s world they are better suited, due to their giant size, as personal protectors, home guardians, patrol dogs.
Answer by Smootchie
Yes, they are great guard dogs! The KGB uses them as police dogs. They were bred for the Russian military.
Answer by Arthur
The Black Russian Terrier that is called sometimes Stalin's dog is a working type of dog developed to serve as guard and police dog. The character and temperament of the Black Russian Terrier suit this purpose very well. The Black Russian Terrier is a calm, confident, courageous, and self-assured dog. He is highly intelligent and adapts well to training. He is alert and responsive, instinctively protective, determined, fearless, deeply loyal to family, is aloof, and therefore does not relish intrusion by strangers into his personal space.
The Black Russian Terrier was initially bred as a working dog and it has a very strong work ethic. It really needs a job to do in order to be happy! Early training is a must and the Russian Black Terrier is very responsive to firm and consistent training. They perform very well at Obedience competitions and in dog sports. They have a low-shedding coat that needs grooming several times a week. This dog needs lots of exercises and may become destructive if it does not have a chance to work.
Answer by The Yuksel
Yes, they do. Best Police Dog, in my opinion, is the German Shepherd.
- My Personal Black Russian Terrier Experience
- Where can I get a Black Russian Terrier puppy?
- Black Russian Terrier - Facts You Must Know Before Adopting
Answer by Mashunia
Don't be fooled by this dog’s good boy appearance. The Black Russian Terrier may be sweet mannered with his family but it’s still a fearless guardian like he was when patrolling Stalin’s Siberian camps - the role he was bred for by the Soviet Army.
This dog is by its nature extremely suspicious of strangers and it will begin to show its protective instincts from a very young age. These instincts can sometimes lead to uncontrollable, unruly behavior if left unchecked in its earliest rearing, and is not given the training that this dog really needs. Black Russian Terrier puppies are very quick to learn, and they should be treated with a tender but firm.
The Black Russian Terrier is not a guard dog in the traditional sense but it can become such a dog in various situations. When it perceives a threat the Black Russian Terrier may not bark or growl but after a moment of stillness start an instant attack.
Know better? Give your own answer to this question!
Mike says
The comment has been moved into the body of the post.
RussianDog says
Thank you for your great comment. We’ve published it on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RusDog/