At the beginning of the 20th century, the English Toy Terrier was one of the most popular companion dogs in Russia. However, between 1920 and 1950, the breeding of these purebred Toy Terriers was almost abandoned and the numbers of these dogs fell to a critical level. It was not until the mid-1950s that breeders in Russia set out to revive the breed. Almost all of the dogs used for breeding were without pedigree and many of them were not purebred. The standard established for these Toy Terriers was found to be very different from that of the English Toy Terrier in many fundamental points. From that moment on, the evolution of the breed followed its own path.

On October 12, 1958 two smooth-haired subjects, one of whom had a slightly longer coat, gave birth to a male who had spectacular fringes on the ears and legs. We decided to keep this character. This male was mated to a female who also had slightly long hair. This is how we got the naked variety

long of the little russian dog. It was called the Long-haired Moscow Toy Terrier. A breeder from Moscow, Yevgueniya Fominichna Yarova, played an important role in its creation.

It was during a long development in isolation and a specifically oriented selection, that the new breed, the Little Russian Dog, was created with its two varieties: long hair and smooth hair.