Quick Facts
Origin: Russia
Height: 11”
Weight: 6-9 lbs
Color: Black, Brown, Cream, Fawn, Gray, Red, Silver, Wolfgray with or without Tan markings, Fawn markings, Silver markings
Lifespan: 14-20 years
Temperament: Clever, Loyal, Clownish, Loving
Overview
Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka are the consummate apartment lapdogs. This breed was almost extinct following the Cold War. In Russia, rough climate and need for dogs to have purpose, almost saw the end of these gratuitous companions.
These little love bugs are quite high maintenance especially when their coat is kept full length. Plan on devoting time every day to keeping your pup clean and looking its best. You will need to take extra care with your pup before it fully matures as skeletal or joint issues can occur from jarring leaps to and from furniture. This breed will happily assimilate into family life provided your children know how to play with small pups.
Celebrity Owners
N/A
Fun Facts
AMA Book
Health
Like other small dogs, you should not allow your pup to jump or run up and down stairs until they have reached full size. The undue stress can cause skeletal and/or joint issues. Be sure if you keep your pup’s hair long to pull it up into a top know otherwise your pup may experience corneal abrasions.
Generally, Bolonki are healthy. Some health concerns you should be aware of include:
- Patellar luxation: Luxating simply means out of place or dislocated. Patella is a kneecap. A Luxating patella is a kneecap that chronically moves out of its normal position.
- Hip dysplasia: This condition is when the socket joint in the hip isn’t large enough, or more often too shallow, for the femoral head.
- Liver shunts: The portal vein carrying blood bypasses the liver. While most commonly a birth defect, liver disease such as cirrhosis can also be a cause.
- Hypothyroidism: The thyroid gland, sitting at the top of the windpipe in the back of the neck, is controlled by the pituitary gland at the base of the brand. Hypothyroidism would cause the metabolism to slow down.
- Hyperthyroidism: The thyroid gland, sitting at the top of the windpipe in the back of the neck, is controlled by the pituitary gland at the base of the brand. Hyperthyroidism would cause the metabolism to speed up.
Whenever you are considering a breeder, request health screens from both parents.
While you always hope your pet will live a long and healthy life, it is always a good idea to invest in pet health insurance.
Keeping your dog’s mouth clean and problem free goes a long way to your pup’s overall health. Dental hygiene can be the cause or can be the byproduct of other serious health issues.
Visual inspections can be performed to keep track of the signs of potentially waning oral health. These signs can be anything from bad breath to abnormal chewing to loss of appetite.
Keeping ahead of these warning signs can pay dividends. A preventative approach can delay and stop many of the common dental problems from arising.
Oral health can be tackled in five basic steps:
- Brushing your dog’s teeth to prevent an undesirable buildup of plaque
- Feed your dog a diet where the high quality dog food has dental benefits
- Regularly give your dog dental toys and treats
- Use mouthwash, to help where brushing misses
- At the sign of any abnormalities, consult a vet. You can even do it virtually, from the convenience of your home.
Dogs are just like humans in that they can experience anxiety. The degree to which they are susceptible to anxiety and how they deal with anxiety is breed specific. Left unchecked, initial signs of anxiety could give way to an anxiety disorder. The symptoms of anxiety disorders can lead to a myriad of behavior issues.
Knowing the signs and symptoms will best equip you to keep ahead of it and to nip it in the bud at the earliest signs. There are options available to help with anxiety.
Grooming
If you keep your Bolonka’s hair long you will need to wash its face, mustache, and beard daily. Keep your pup’s hair pulled up into a top knot to avoid irritating its eyes.
No matter the coat length, use a wide tooth comb to brush your entire dog at least once a week to keep the hair from matting and tangling. Keep your pup’s eyes and ears clean and clear of debris. Regularly clip your pup’s nails. Brush your pug’s teeth several times per week.
Cost
$1,500 – $2,500
Exercise
Bolonki are not athletes, but they still require at least a couple of strenuous outing a week. Be it a game of fetch in the park or a brisk walk to your favorite café or a romp around the yard, get that pup moving!
This breed can also benefit from easy games around the house and puzzle toys to stay mentally fit.
Nutrition
Your Bolonka will eat around ½ cup of food per day. The exact requirements for your dog will vary with age and activity level. Be mindful that little dogs that receive lots of treats and or table scraps end up overweight. A little dog that is overweight is significantly more likely to develop other health issues.
We’ve taken a look at some premium dog foods, high in nutrition here.
Training
As with all dogs, early socialization with humans and other pups is essential. Like many small dogs, intelligence mixed with stubbornness can make training tricky. Be consistent with lots of praise and positive reinforcement and the training will take.
Proper training is essential to ensuring the safety of your dog and those around you. Having your dog come when they should, and in general having them listen is something you want to address early in your pup’s life, as it will pay dividends down the line. There are many tried and true training programs to accomplish this training – faster and better than you might think!
Unless you’re living on a farm, or have the space, a yipping dog, or one that barks all day when you are gone could be an issue with the neighbors and/or landlord. Historically, dogs would bark to communicate with the rest of the pack when hunting and bark as a warning shot to predators eyeing up their flock. Barking is deep rooted in dogs and manifests itself in many ways and for a variety of reasons.
Just like any habit or instinct, there are effective ways you can train this issue away.
Supplements
A solid Glucosamine Supplement for hips and joints will go a long way to helping your furry friend.
Other helpful supplements include full-spectrum hemp oil or CBD oil. Fish oil skin and coat supplement.
Ensuring a comprehensive preventative vitamin and mineral plan is essential to keeping your dog healthy. Truth is, there are vitamins and minerals that your dog needs, but doesn’t produce naturally. While many of these vitamins and minerals can be found in your dog’s current diet and dog food, the question becomes, are there enough vitamins to ensure they aren’t deficient.
Poor nutrition can lead to some of the most common health issues, such as weak joints, compromised immunity, increased allergies, and low energy.
Vitamins play a vital role in your pet’s health and overall life expectancy. Here are some multivitamin and joint relief options.
As regulations around marijuana have eased, the emergence of CBD oils for humans and dogs have sprung up.
Just to begin to dispel the negative stigma, CBD extract comes from Hemp, marijuana’s cousin. Unlike its cousin, there are no psychoactive qualities in CBD oil. An emerging number of clinical and institutional studies have shown the wide variety of healing qualities in CBD, including pain management, and the containment of seizures and epileptic episodes.
Explore this remedy further to see all the health benefits that have transformed the lives of so many dogs to date.
The Good
Low exercise requirements
Low shedding
Lots of love to give
The "Ruff"
High maintenance grooming
Can be difficult to find a breeder