THE RUSSIAN TOY PERFORMANCE POTENTIAL IN A SMALL PACKAGE by Jennifer Grebinoski photography by paws to shoot
I started in agility with a small dog from a local shelter who was full of energy and enthusiasm. As he got older, I decided to start looking for my next agility dog and, of course, I wanted a dog just like my current dog. Over the years, I have had a lot of suc- cess and fun withmy first agility com- panion, and I’ve enjoyed the company of another small, but shy, dog who did not have the structure or tempera- ment to compete. When it came time to pick my next dog sports partner, I wanted as much of a guarantee as possible that the new dog would enjoy agility with me as well. My first dog is
five pounds and has an athletic build and a lot of personality. As I looked at different breeds, I came across a pic- ture of what could be a sibling to him, and that dog was a Russian Toy. After months of research and dis- cussion with breeders and owners of Russian Toys, I finally found my next performance partner. “Tsar” was 10 weeks old when he came to live with me, and we started our training im- mediately. The Russian Toy has a square build and is generally 8-11 inches at the withers, which is a good size for an agility partner. They are a lively, active, and cheerful breed, and
this makes them a good companion and training partner. From the start, my Russian Toy was very curious about the world, and motivated by both treats and toys. While my first interest was agility, I quickly realized that my boy was eager to learn and experience other things as well. We began foundations for obedience and rally, and we tried out lure coursing and barn hunt. His enthusiastic heel- ing and focused hunting made it clear that those sports would be in my fu- ture as well. What I have noticed the most about my boy and other Russian Toys is that
54 • T op N otch T oys , J anuary 2022
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