West-Siberian Laika

History

Known as a "Bark Pointing" dog, the West Siberian Laika is an extremely old dog breed that has existed in Russia prior to the 1900s. The original dogs of this breed are traced back to the Wolf bloodlines. As these dogs used to live with their owners, wild, in the forests of Russia prior to gaining popularity and becoming used to civilization. It is important to note that this breed is an avid hunting breed. Til this day this breed will not do well indoors and as a family only dog 24/7. This breed needs to thrive in his or her natural environment such as the forests and be a part of nature with you as his or her owner. This breed can absolutely be a part of the family if you are able to provide them with their needs as well as a hunting spitz type breed.

Appearance

Both males an note females weighing in at 35-50 pounds in weight and measuring 21-24 inches in height. This breed takes on a similar appearance to the Wolf with its wedge shaped head tapering into a severe scissor bite. Their short coat is a double layer coat with a thick, dense undercoat. They are available in wolf grey, red, solid white as well as shade variations and patches of color. Their two triangular ears stand tall on their head, while their two almond shaped eyes are available in dark brown or black. Their tail should demonstrate a complete curl on their lower back and have a fair amount of hair on it as well. Generally this breed is built solid, and with endurance.

Temperament

The West Siberian Laika is absolutely not meant for everyone. Full and proper education of the breed is highly recommended prior to considering this breed. The West Siberian Laika is a high strung, active and natural hunter. It is important to remember that they are "Bark and point" hunters because this also prepares you for the "barking" trait that comes along with owning one. This breed is as close to a "wild" dog breed that you can get. They only come into heat one a year, they only have their puppies during the spring, you'll notice other "dog" traits that are no where within this breed. Unlike other hunting dog breeds, you'll find your West Siberian Laika peering up into trees and such objects searching for prey to warn you of. This breed requires an owner as aware as this breed is of their surroundings to ensure safety and a watchful eye. A proper harness and leash is absolutely required while outdoors unless within a properly fenced in yard. This breed requires an owner who has full knowledge of this breed, who will use positive reinforcement training methods to work with this breed. We want to note that this breed is not a recommended breed for any "first time" dog owner, as this breed is very different and requires even more care and attention, as well as a lot of time, exercise and outdoor time. This breed will become very anxious when he or she sees prey and this trait will never go away due to the dog being such a natural hunter by instinct and still very "wild" at heart.

Grooming

Daily brushing is required as well as bathing when needed. This breed sheds more than others.

Special Notes

Please note that this breed is not for everyone. Please fully educate yourself about the West Siberian Laika prior to adding one to your family to ensure that this is the correct breed for your family and your lifestyle. Do not add one to your family unless you are able to make a life long commitment to your new addition. All dogs originate from wolves (Canis Lupus). Each breed of dog was originally created by mixing different breeds together in an effort to bring forth certain characteristics. Once a breeder has created acceptable “breed characteristics” within their bloodline and these “breed characteristics” have shown to be reliably reproduced in the offspring for three (3) generations, the bloodline may be upgraded from the category of “foundation stock” to “pure-bred”. The same “pure-bred” breed standards vary from different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders. Dog DNA testing companies can have accurate results for a specific bloodline of a small colony of dogs. However, there are tens of thousands of different bloodlines in the world which have not yet been tested for marker baseline results by Dog DNA testing companies as of 2017. For this reason Dog DNA testing companies do not guarantee the 100% accuracy of their breed lineage results and will also show different marker results for the same pure-bred breed in different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.