West Siberian Laika
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| West Siberian Laika | ||
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| Country of origin | ||
| Russia | ||
| Classification and breed standards | ||
| FCI: | Group 5 Section 2 #306 | [? Stds] |
| Notes | ||
| The FCI does not have an official breed standard. | ||
West Siberian Laika or Zapadno-Sibirskaia Laika is one of the four hunting Laika breeds established in Russia by the All-Union Cynological Congress of 1947 and registered by the Moscow Kennel Club. Although this breed bears a resemblance to the Siberian Husky it is considered a hunting breed rather than a sleddog.
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[edit] History
The breed was gradually established in the mid twentieth century by selective sampling of Laikas (the word "Laika" simply means "barker") from the Mansi (Voguls) and Khanty (Ostyak) peoples of western Siberia. In the 1920 decade there were two centers of breed development in Sverdlovsk and Moscow. By the 1950s, Soviet government kennels had become heavily involved in development of the breed and new centers had arisen in Gorky, Perm and Novosibirsk. The Russian cynologist E. I. Shereshevsky was highly instrumental in this work, as team leader of the government Kennel of the All-Union Research Institute for Hunting Industry. By the 1960s the breed had become the most popular Russian hunting dog.
[edit] Temperament
West Siberian Laikas are versatile hunting dogs capable of hunting both small mammals (squirrel and marten, for example) or big game such as moose, bear, or wild boar. They can also be used as retrievers by hunters of waterfowl. By nature they are independent hunters, accustomed to hunting in broad expanses of deep forest; they are quite protective of their masters against big game in the wilderness. With other dogs they are highly dominant and will readily fight to establish hierarchical superiority.
[edit] Appearance
Males stand 19 to 20 inches at the withers, females 18 to 19 inches. The most usual colors are wolf grey, red, or black and white; the grey coat can vary from almost white to very dark grey. Facial and body markings similar to those of other arctic breeds are usual. Ears are erect, the coat is an arctic-type double coat, the tail is curled tightly. Body proportions are nearly square.
[edit] Miscellaneous
Although the breed is thought to number around 20,000 in Russia, it is rare in the west; the U.S. and Canadian population is probably around 100.
