In addition, when two smooth-coated dogs are bred together, they may occasionally bear a long-coated offspring if the long hair gene is present in their pedigrees.

[11] Russian Toys are usually very reserved with strangers, but very loyal to their owners, always ready to protect them from any perceived danger.

According to some accounts, records indicate that eight smooth-coated Russian Toys competed in a dog show in Saint Petersburg as far back as 1874.

[13] The more generally accepted first reference to the breed appears in May 1907 when 11 Russian Toys were shown at an exhibition in Saint Petersburg.

But as a result of the October Revolution, the Russian Toy diminished in popularity and in numbers as these types of dogs were closely linked to the aristocracy and therefore frowned upon.

When breeding began to revitalize the stock of Russian Toys in Russia, only a few of the dogs left had pedigrees or were purebred.

[15] By 1960, 76 dogs were entered into an exhibition and the first standard for the two Russian Toy varieties was written in 1966 and authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture.

However, after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the popularity of imported exotic breeds nearly drove the Russian Toy into extinction.

[14][17] A resurgence occurred thanks to a new energetic generation of dog breeders,[12] but the breed remained virtually unknown outside of Russia until the 1990s.

[14] Several kennels have now been established outside Russia, the most successful ones located in Finland, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine and Czech Republic.

The Russian Toy was provisionally recognised by the Federation Cynologique Internationale in 2006 and gained definitive recognition in 2017.

Chikki developed an ear fringe and was mated with a female named Irma, who also had a longer coat than most smooth-coated dogs, and together they produced a litter of three long-coated puppies.

Ten years after Chikki's birth, between 1968 and 1969, approximately 300 long-coated dogs were registered[13] – a significant number considering that Russian Toy litters tend to be small, typically one to three puppies.

Today, the long-coated variety has an established presence in Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ukraine and a number of other countries, but the breeding program is particularly strong in Finland.

[19] The first Russian Toy was brought to Finland in 1988 when a long-coated male named Black-Champion-Bonaparte was imported from Russia and registered by Sirpa Lehtinen under Kennel Jojamint's.

[23] The following year, the AKC board and FSS acknowledged Russian Toy Dog Club of America, Inc Archived 2018-08-21 at the Wayback Machine.