The Great Patriotic War was over. People returned home to peaceful life. The losses were great. The majority of stud dogs died during the war. The number of dogs in clubs also reduced. At that time people needed large, strong, unpretentious dogs of balanced temper, able to work in different climatic conditions to restore national economy and for military services also.
Under the leadership of colonel G. Medvedev kynologs of the Central Military School of Working Dogs (the Red Star Kennel) began breeding of new dogs , able to perform guard-work.
Using few dogs they created some breeding groups such as Moscow Newfoudland (Newfoundland + GSO), Moscow Great Dane (German Great Dane + GSO), Brudasty Hound (Airedale Terrier + Russian Hound), Moscow Watchdog (St. Bernard + CO + Skewbold Hound).
The crosses of Rizenschnauzer and Airedale Terrier, Rizenschnautzer and Rotweiller, Rizenschnauzer and Newfoundland turned out to be fine dogs of black color and wiry coat. They were united into one group and called as Black Terriers.
Work with this group of dogs turned out to be the most productive, so the kynologs of the Red Star Kennel continued to work on breeding of this line.
Further on other producers of not relative origin were bred, they are Rotweillers and Rizenschnauzers.
The first standard on a BT was published in "Regulations and Requirements for Training and Usage of Military Dogs" in 1958. It gave kynologs the possibility to begin work on a stock unification.
A good breeding foundation was created by the70-s. At that time kynologs-amateurs of different country Clubs of Working Dogs joined work of improvement of the breeding group. With the help of BT`s founders A. Mazover and V. Sheinin the best stud dogs and bitches were thoroughly selected at the shows and among the puppies. The experts in the ring were taught under the leadership of A. Mazover, V. Sheinin, E. Krasnoschyokova, T. Gusakova… Biologists, geneticists were also involved in a work. A work on breeding group became more hard and purposeful.
Gradually the BT-stock became more uniform, hereditary faults disappeared and working qualities were improved.
Leningrad kynologs under the leadership of O. Mironova, M. Shneiderovich, A. Mironov and N. Andrianova and Moscow kynologs under the leadership of M. Anokhina were especially successful in BT-breeding. Sverdlovsk breeders with J.Korepanova at the head also made progress in breeding.
Gradually BTs spread in Baltic countries, in the Ukraine and Siberia. They spread abroad as well: in Finlannd, Hungary, the USA and Czechoslovakia.
BT was recognized as a breed in 1981. The first breed standard was accepted on the 13h of May, 1981 by USSR Ministry of Agriculture.
In 1984 at the International Assembly in Mexico the BR-breed was recognized by FCI (standard N 327). The breed was named Black Russian Terrier. So, Black Terriersbegan to take part in International Shows under the name of BRTs. Thus, in the Shows in Bhrno (1994) BRTs took the prize places and got the Champion Titles.
Russian Federation of Working Dogs accepted the second variant of the standard on a BRT. This variant was more suitable for a modern BRT-type.
The work on the improvement of the breed is not over yet. But a large and effective black dog confidently takes places in International rings already, today it provokes great interest among Russian and foreign kynologs.
For the first time the decision of usage of working dogs in military applications was taken by Revvooensoviet in 1924. Regional schools-kennels were arranged in the Red Army in all regions. Both the Central School-Kennel of Military and Working Dogs and the Scientific Laboratory were situated in Moscow.
Since that training courses for officers started working. The officers were trained as instructors-and-trainers of working dogs and dog guides. In all forces special departments of communication, secret and guard services were formed, departments of sentry and sanitary dogs as well. In frontier troops they formed a department of tracking and scent hounds.
Only 30 breeds took part in the first Show of Worrking, Hound and Lap-Dogs in 1925. Out of more than 500 dogs there were only 117 working dogs.They are: 31 GSOs, 46 Doberman-Pinschers, 19 Great Danes, 5 Airedale Terriers, 5 Scotland Ovcharrkas, 2 Rottweilers, 1 Rizenssschnauzer, 1 St. Bernard, 1 Lionberger and 1 Newfoundland.
When the Great Patriotic War began, the number of working dogs of different breeds in Osoviahim clubs was more than 40 thousand. Alongside with new machines and arms 168 separate units of working dogs took part in battles during the war. Those units were formed out of Clubs and Hunting Societies’ dogs.
During the war the USSR was the first in the world in using dogs in military services. New forms of usage of tank-fighting dogs, mine-sniffing dogs, of usage of diversion service for work in the enemy rear and for carrying of seriously wounded, of ammunition and food were worked out.
Units of Military Working Dogs and Training Battalions of the Central School fought for Moscow, Leningrad, Bryansk; they fought at the West front, South-West, North-West, Don, North, South and Baltic fronts as well.
Dogs helped to clear of mines303 large cities; Pskov, Smolensk, Bryansk, Livov, Minsk, Kiev, Stalingrad, Odessa, Kharkov, Voronezh,Warsaw, Vienna, Prague and other cities were among them.
For successful military operations the Units of Military Working Dogs were awarded with Order of Bagdan Khmelnitsky, Order of Alexander Nevsky and Order of the Red Star. 80% of the officers got government awards, and the Central Order of the Red Star School of Dog Training was honored to take part in the Victory Parade.
Investigation and generalization of military usage of working dogs in the army revealed that there was no other universal dog in the Soviet Union, but a German Alsatian Ovcharka, which might be used in all kinds of service in our rigorous climate.
So, it was determined to create a new universal breed for military services. They had a foundation for such breeding in the Central School.
The scientific department and the kennel conducted some experimental cross-breeding. After testing of working qualities the first crosses of Rizenschnauzer-and-Rottweiler were left to produce new breeding groups of military dogs. Those new crosses were also crossed, and it became the starting point in breeding of Black Terrier.
A considerable number of litters of the 1st generation was got in 1952-54.
After testing of working qualities the best dogs were left as a desirable breed-type for future breeding and the 3d generation dogs were left for breeding in themselves.
Some puppies of the 2nd and the 3rd generations were brought to Clubs of Working Dogs for feeding and educating in individual conditions.
For the first time the stock of the 2nd and the 3d generations took part in the Exhibition of Agricultural Achievements in 1955. All of the dogs were awarded with the First Class and the Second Class Diplomas, and the Kennel of the Central School of Eorking Dogs got a Diploma also.
Further on to secure the desirable breed-type and useful working qualities, they chose the best matches and conducted in breeding on the best sire and the best combinations as well, and recurred crossings.
While breeding BRT, thy aimed at creating a large universal military dog of a sturdy built type, hardy and strong. The experience and methods of breeding of Orlovsky Rusak, of Budyonovsky Horse Breed and of Estonia Hound were used when breeding a BRT.
Information taken from:
http://www.wdogs.com/eng/black_russian_terrier/pages_of_history-e.shtml
Copyright © 2002 - 2004 kennel "Juodasis Vejas" ("Black Wind")