If you’re a dog lover looking to add a new furry friend to your family, you might want to consider one of these amazing dog breeds that start with the letter R.
From the energetic Rat Terrier, trough to the ideal companion – Russell Terrier or small Russian toy terrier, to the majestic Rafeiro do Alentejo, there’s a breed on this list to suit every lifestyle and personality.
| Breed | Other Names | Origin | Weight | Height | Apartment Suitability | Temperament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rat Terrier | American Rat Terrier, Decker Giant, Ratting Terrier | United States | Up to 25 pounds | Up to 13 inches | Good | Radiates positivity, tenderness, and elegance. Built for power and speed, with a coat that fits its relatively slender body. Expert on the farm and can root out rodents from their hiding places. |
| Redbone Coonhound | Reds | South America | Up to 70 pounds | Up to 27 inches | Moderate | Distinct characteristics, hound dog bred for hunting deer, raccoons, and bears. Muscular and powerful body, with a short and smooth coat. An intelligent breed that retains information during training. Challenging to train for long periods |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | African Lion Dog, African Lion Hound | South Africa | Up to 85 pounds | Up to 27 inches | Moderate | Outstanding dog with resilience and energy. Agile and muscular, with a unique ridge of hairs on its back. The coat is identifiable as red or sometimes wheat. |
| Russell Terrier | None | England | Up to 15 pounds | Up to 12 inches | Good | Powerfully built but a small dog with a prey drive. The coat comes mainly in white with black or brown markings. Has dark and almond-shaped eyes. |
| Rottweiler | Rott, Rottie | Germany | Up to 130 pounds | Up to 27 inches | Poor | Known for being herding dogs and pulling carts with meat for butchers. Loving and caring for its own family, but can get fierce with strangers. Needs a responsible and experienced trainer. |
| Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka | Russian Lapdog, Franzuskaya Bolonka, Bolonka Zwetna | Russia | Up to 11 pounds | Up to 10 inches | Good | Small but affectionate dog with a full coat of large, wavy curls covering the entire body. Comes in various colors such as brown, red, grey, and black. Can live up to 16 years of age. |
| Russian Toy | Russian Toy Terrier, Toychik, Russkiy Toy | Russia | Up to 7 pounds | Up to 11 inches | Good | A small dog with a cheerful soul and intelligent mindset. Alert and loves playing games. Comes in two varieties: longhaired and smooth-coated. |
| Romanian Mioritic Shepherd | None | Romania | Up to 130 pounds | Up to 29 inches | Poor | One of the largest herding dogs, loyal and disciplined. Protective of its owners and children, but not always considerate of strangers. Has a fluffy coat that comes in an almost pure white color with pale grey and cream patches. |
| Rafeiro do Alentejo | Portuguese Mastiff | Portugal | Up to 132 pounds | Up to 29 inches | Poor | A large dog that makes an excellent guard dog. Has a deep chest, heavily built muscular limbs, and a bear-like head. The coat comes in yellow, fawn, black, or a combination of one color with white markings. |
9. Rat Terrier
The rat terrier radiates positivity, tenderness, and elegance dog.
This dog is a native of the United States, where it was bred.
Other names for this dog include the American rat terrier, the Decker giant, or the Ratting terrier.
This fantastic dog is built for power and speed, backed by good looks. The coat that covers the body is usually enhanced with spots and nicely fits its relatively slender body.
Being an expert on the farm, this dog can root out any rodents from their hiding places.
A fast dog, the rat terrier, has the perfect body for chasing after rodents. Rat terriers can weigh 25 pounds and measure up to 13 inches in height.
What do I need to know about Rat Terriers?
Digging, chewing on furniture, and excessive barking are all rat terrier characteristics that signal a need for more attention.
Rat terriers can be stubborn dogs, but they’re clever and highly trainable.
They can enjoy (and excel at) canine sports like agility and obedience.
8. Redbone Coonhound
The Redbone Coonhound is a South American breed with distinct characteristics.
They are hound dogs bred for hunting deer, raccoons, and bears. This dog is nicknamed Reds due to its reddish coat.
The legs appear to be extended while offering support to their slender body.
The body is also muscular and extremely powerful, helping them in their original task.
They also boast a short and smooth coat that covers their body.
The Redbone Coonhound is an intelligent breed and retains information during training.
The Redbone Coonhound is intelligent in decision-making and gentle to its owners.
Are Redbones good for first-time dog owners?
Absolutely yes, but with one big caveat when it comes to training.
They are gentle, loving souls that can potentially be easy to train if sessions are kept fun and short (up to 10 minutes).
Redbones tend to learn something and stick with it, which is why a first-time dog owner needs to avoid teaching the dog bad habits.
Novice dog owners should work with a professional dog trainer.
They can weigh 70 pounds and stand up to 27 inches tall.
7. Rhodesian Ridgeback
This dog is an outstanding dog that has its origin in South Africa.
This African-bred dog has all the resilience and energy that you could wish a dog to have.
They are also known as African lion dogs or African lion hounds. Being a product of crossbreeding indigenous African dogs, this dog knows the actual meaning of survival of the fittest.
Agility and masculinity are some of the aspects that befit this dog.
A unique feature of this dog is the ridge of hairs on its back, which is where it gets its name.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback has a coat identifiable as red or sometimes wheat. This dog can reach 85 pounds and measure up to 27 inches.
Why not get a Ridgeback?
They can be wilful at times and are known to get bored easily if they’re not challenged enough, so it’s for this reason we wouldn’t recommend them if you are a first-time owner.
It’s important to set clear boundaries for your Ridgeback and everyone in the household will need to keep to these.
6. The Russell terrier
The Russell terrier is a powerfully built but small English dog.
This breed has a prey drive that helps ensure it never gets left behind. Their coat comes mainly in white with black or brown markings.
The Russell Terrier also portrays unsurpassed elegance.
They have eyes that are dark and almond-shaped. This terrier lives life to its fullest.
The Russell terrier can weigh up to 15 pounds and stands at 12 inches in height.
What food is bad for Jack Russells?
Avoid Table Scraps: While it may be tempting to share your meals with your Jack Russell, resist the urge to feed them table scraps.
Human food can be harmful to dogs, and some items, like chocolate and grapes, are toxic to them.
Stick to their specialized dog food to ensure they receive the necessary nutrients.
5. Rottweiler
The Rottweiler is a German dog, also known as rott or rottie. Rottweilers have a reputation for being herding dogs.
They also helped pull carts with meat for butchers in the past. Despite its work ethic, this dog is very loving and caring of its own family.
The Rottweiler can also get fierce when encountering strangers, and they have a bad reputation due to their fierceness.
A responsible, experienced trainer is needed.
If you want this dog to mingle with other dogs, you must train them early.
The Rottweiler can weigh up to 130 pounds and stands up to 27 inches tall.
Is Rottweiler a dangerous dog?
They were particularly aggressive toward strangers. Many Rottweiler owners report that while the dogs are not a threat to family, the pets can be extremely protective of their owners.
But with the increasing number of dog attack cases, the Central govt recently wrote to state governments to ban the import, sale, and breeding of 23 dog breeds that are considered dangerous in India.
These banned dog breeds include Rottweiler, pit bull, terrier, mastiffs and their cross-breeds as well.
4. Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka
This small but affectionate dog from Russia is also known as the Russian lapdog, Franzuskaya bolonka, or even sometimes the Bolonka zwetna.
They have a full coat of large, wavy curls covering the dog’s entire body.
They come in various colors brown, red, grey, and black. The Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka can live up to 16 years of age.
Here’s somebody you don’t see everyday. This is Nicky, the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka. A close cousin of the Bichon with a unique hair texture (crinkly wavy and suuuuuper soft) Lovely boy! 💙 https://t.co/0VsWqsdvPL pic.twitter.com/bkeJylzcbh
— Éaddie (@three_eyed_ice) August 16, 2018
During outdoor activities, the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka is sensible and respectful of others. Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonkas can weigh up to 11 pounds, with heights of 10 inches.
Generally, they are healthy but can be prone to some health problems, such as patellar luxation and hip dysplasia.
They are thought to be descended from the Bichon Frise and the Poodle.
3. Russian Toy
If you are searching for a small dog with a cheerful soul and an intelligent mindset, then the Russian toy dog should be on your list.
They are also known as the Russian toy terrier, Toychik, and Russkiy toy. They are also alert dogs but love having their favorite human taking care of them.
Games and playing are personal favorites for this dog, and they will always want more.
Crufts: the World’s Greatest Dog Show with 16K dogs. A woman carries her Russian toy dog in her dungarees Photograph: Oli Scarff pic.twitter.com/2ZqklDkLug
— Demforever (@rath_22) March 14, 2022
The Russian toy dog will always remind you if you aren’t giving them your full attention. When well-fed, the Russian toy dog can be as tall as 11 inches and weigh up to 7 pounds.
The Russian toy dog comes in two varieties.
They come in a longhaired version and a smooth-coated version.
The smooth-coated Russian toy has a coat that looks short, shiny, and closely fitting. Grooming should be easier for the smooth-haired variety, making them an ideal dog for many.
2. Romanian Mioritic Shepherd
This dog, the Roman mioritic shepherd from Romania, will always be on the list as one of the largest herding dogs.
They are loyal and disciplined, as well as independent dogs. When given instructions, the Romanian mioritic is rarely disobedient.
This dog is also protective and mindful of its owners and children at home. They are a breed that is not always considerate of strangers and may even scare them away.
Thanks @csavules !
Well, it’s not impossible to bring a Romanian Shepherd to US. We did it and is no regrets at all! This is Teddy, Romanian Mioritic Shepherd, yesterday afternoon. Rockford, IL 61109 pic.twitter.com/CSWsP3XgIy — Robert MIHAI (@robmih) March 19, 2024
Due to their large size, the Romanian mioritic Shepherd dog can get very messy to handle when put in wet environments or dirty locations.
Proper hygiene must always be maintained to keep them dry and neat.
A full-grown Romanian mioritic sheepdog can weigh as much as 130 pounds and reach heights of 29 inches.
The fluffy coat comes in an almost pure white color and comes with pale grey and cream patches.
1. The Rafeiro do Alentejo
The Rafeiro do Alentejo is also known as the Portuguese Mastiff. This dog is large and can make an excellent guard dog.
The dog’s chest is deep, with heavily built, muscular limbs. This dog’s bear-like head is home to dark eyes that peer into your soul.
The coat belonging to the Rafeiro do Alentejo comes in yellow, fawn, black, or a combination of one color with white markings.
They are dogs that can control their emotions and can appear quite solemn.
The oldest dog in the world, a Portuguese Rafeiro do Alentejo dog named Bobi, has died at the age of 31, or about 217 in dog years 🥺🐶
Owner Leonel Costa announced on Monday that Bobi had passed away in a veterinary hospital over the weekend, at the age of 31 years and 165… pic.twitter.com/Qzp9vVhxK9 — History Photographed (@HistoryInPics) October 24, 2023
Due to its large size, this dog requires an experienced owner. The Portuguese Mastiff must be fed well, exercised, and groomed.
The Rafeiro do Alentejo can weigh up to 132 pounds. They are large, reaching up to 29 inches tall.
Summary
These nine breeds hail from all over the world and come in all shapes and sizes.
Some are known for their hunting skills, while others make great companions or guard dogs.
But no matter what their specific strengths are, all of these breeds have one thing in common: they’re loyal, loving, and make great additions to any family.
