Contents
History of origin
Charming dogs of the colored lapdog are the pride of Soviet dog breeders. This breed was formed quite recently, when compared with the ancient origin of its Maltese relatives and the ancient Chinese roots of the Shih Tzu. After the end of the Great Patriotic War, Leningrad dog breeders decided not to breed a service breed, which Soviet cynologists used to do, but a little friend – a companion dog. The country was already healing the wounds of the great war, people lived closely, usually in communal apartments or small apartments, and such a dog was most welcome for those who needed love and friendship.
In the early 50s of the twentieth century, work began in Leningrad on crossing lapdogs that had colored spots, until the first miniature puppies appeared with an even color – from jet black to light brown. The breed was given the name ” colored lapdog”. Now the dogs of the Tsvetnaya Bolonka breed are recognized by the Cynological Federation, but the breed has not yet been registered in the International Cynological Federation. According to Lina Honey, Vice-President of the National Maltese Breed Club of Our Country, judge-expert in service dog breeding, expert cynologist, owner of the Honey Club kennel, the breeders themselves are to blame for this: there is no initiative group that would bring the matter to the end – until the breeders can finally agree on breed standards. It will be very disappointing if our breed of lap dog is registered by another country in which these dogs are gaining popularity. For example, in England, Queen Elizabeth II has two colored lapdogs, and other residents of Britain also willingly start them. And they may well be the first to register this breed of lapdogs, but it will naturally lose the word “” in the name and this will not be fair, because it was our dog breeders who brought it out.
Breed description
Dogs of the Tsvetnaya Bolonka breed are distinguished by their miniature size – up to 30 cm at the withers, on average, weigh 3-4 kg. The word “colored” in the name of the breed does not sound accidental – this is the main difference between the lapdog and all other representatives of this species, which have a characteristic white color. In dogs of the colored lapdog, white is not allowed, as well as spotting – dogs must have a solid color. It can be anything from black to dark and light brown. The coat of the colored lap dog is long, silky to the touch, has soft large curls. A thick undercoat is hidden under the outer hair. The body is rectangular, the legs are straight with well-developed muscles. The tail is located at the top of the body, bent with a ring at the end. The head is rounded. The eyes are oval, from light hazel to deep dark brown. The nose is black or the same tone as the color of the coat. On the muzzle, a mustache and a beard of wool are well expressed. The ears are set high and hang down on the sides of the head.
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Character
“Dogs of the Tsvetnaya Bolonka breed were bred as companions, so their character contains all the features for a comfortable stay with a person,” says Lina Khani. – colored lapdogs are docile, smart, affectionate, kind and obedient. Aggressive dogs are withdrawn from breeding. Unlike other breeds of lapdogs, colored have a more solid character and some dogs can be wayward. Due to the thick undercoat, colored lapdogs tolerate cold better, so they can not only live in a private house and spend a lot of time in the yard, but also take longer walks with their owners, stay outside for a long time and even accompany their owners on hikes. They get along well with children, and are sincerely devoted to their owners. Perfectly amenable to education and training. Even in small apartments, these well-mannered dogs will not cause any trouble to their owners.
Care and maintenance
Once a week, colored lapdogs need to be bathed so that their coat is silky, shiny and crumbly. When bathing, you need to use shampoo and conditioner for long-haired dogs, and which one is right for your pet can only be found out by trial and error. Twice a week, the coat of the colored lapdog needs to be combed, to do this faster, it can be pre-sprinkled with water. If the dog goes out for walks in clothes, then upon returning home, it needs to be undressed and combed right there – under the clothes the wool is tangled and if not combed, it gets strayed into felt. Such areas will then have to be cut. The length of the hair of the dogs of the colored lapdog is the basis of their beauty, but if it is too difficult to care for it, the pet can be cut “under the puppy” – leaving the hair of medium length.
“I advise you to transfer puppies of the colored lapdog to adult food at the age of three months,” says Lina Khani. – In puppy food, a large amount of proteins and fats of vegetable origin is a big burden for the liver and pancreas of babies. Puppies don’t use that much energy to burn calories. Their fat and muscle tissue begins to grow rapidly, and the bones and joints grow more slowly, so excess weight is too much of a burden and we get dogs with ill-formed bones. And no matter how touching the well-fed puppies look, it does not bring them health. Let them be a little thin rather than overloaded. What kind of food to choose – natural or industrial – is up to the owner of the colored lapdog. But, if the puppy ate natural food at the breeder, and the owners want to transfer it to industrial food, and vice versa, this should be done gradually. First, 1 industrial granule must be added to natural food, the next day – 2, and so on for 10 days, until the dog’s digestive system is rebuilt. It is the same with natural – within 10 days add meat fiber by fiber, then 2, the next day 3 …
“If your city does not have the industrial food that the puppy breeder had, you can pick up another one, but you need to carefully look at the label and choose the one that will have the same protein and fat indicators,” advises Lina Khani.
Education and training
Despite their miniature appearance and charming muzzle, the dogs of the colored lapdog are still dogs, which means they live according to the laws of the pack.
– The owner of the dog should be at the top of the hierarchy, and then living together with the colored lapdog will become happiness and mutual joy for both him and the pet, – explains Lina Khani. – But for this puppy, you need to properly educate from childhood. As soon as you bring home a carrier with a tiny dog, the process of parenting has already begun. And you need to be strict, naturally, without violence. The puppy must understand that his place in the pack is the last. Know your place in the house, be accustomed to the tray, be able to ask for a walk, know the basic commands, not be afraid of people, be socially adapted. All this is easily achieved through a system of rewards and punishments. colored lapdogs are smart and intelligent and, if handled from childhood, they will grow into loyal and well-mannered members of your “family pack”.
Health and disease
The breed of the colored lapdog is still at the stage of formation, it has not been ruined by uncontrolled breeding, therefore the dogs are healthy and so far no genetic diseases have been identified in representatives of this breed. However, simple rules of hygiene and care must be followed to keep the pet healthy throughout its life.
– We do not wipe the ears of colored lapdogs, in no case do we pluck the hairs from them. As soon as we climb into the ears for no reason, then as a result, we get problems, – Lina Khani is sure. – Wool in the ear is a natural filter against dust, bacteria, infection. As soon as we destroy it, we can provoke otitis media. The same with the eyes – for no apparent reason, we do not rub our eyes, we do not bury anything in them. The nails of colored lapdogs need to be cut every 2 weeks. The difficulty lies in the fact that due to their dark color, it is not visible where the vessel ends and you can accidentally touch it. But the more regularly you cut your nails, the less problems there will be in the future.
– Often colored lap dogs are brought to the veterinarian and doctors diagnose problems with the liver. Owners begin to treat their pet’s liver, not realizing that they are fighting the effect, not the cause, explains Lina Hani. – As a result of many years of observation, I came to the conclusion that the reason for the poor functioning of the internal organs is the claws. Will explain. When the nails are short, the dog’s paw is balled up. And when they are long, the paw opens. The dog tries to balance and twists its wrists. Because of this, the elbow, shoulder twists, the spine is deformed, and the internal organs, as a result, are displaced and cease to perform their functions normally. The liver can be treated indefinitely, but until we put the skeleton in the right position, nothing will help. Therefore, we start by cutting the claws short.
We wrap the wrists with an elastic bandage and take the dog for a walk on the gravel, for example, near the railway tracks. And 5 km a day we walk it on sharp pebbles. They prick their paws and the pet intuitively squeezes them. Within two months, the skeleton returns to its correct position and the internal organs begin to work properly.
Popular questions and answers
The Tsvetnaya Bolonka answered the questions of the owners of dogs of the breed biologist, cynologist, author of a book on the upbringing and maintenance of dogs Irina Makarenkova.