Russo-European Laika (Russko-Evropeĭskaya Láĭka) is the name of a

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

dog that originated in the forested region of northern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, one of several breeds developed from landrace Laika dogs of Spitz type. The Russo-European Laika itself dates to a breeding program begun in 1944 by E. I. Shereshevsky of the All-Union Research Institute for the Hunting Industry, in Kalinin (now

Tver Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population: The city is ...

) Province.

Breed recognition

The Russo-European Laika is recognized by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). History The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...

in the Spitz and Primitive types/Section 2: Nordic Hunting Dogs Group. The breed is listed along with two other Russian dogs, the East Siberian Láĭka and the West Siberian Láĭka.

Breed standard

The Russo-European Laika is described as being of medium size, males being about at the withers and females about . The breed has prick ears and a sickle tail carried over the back. Temperament should be non aggressive. Colour can be any of the normal Spitz-type colours, but red and ticking on the legs is undesirable.Download Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard from this page:

Temperament

The Russo-European Laika is a lively breed that enjoys time spent in the wilderness. As a natural hunter that frequently trees game, the Russo-European Laika uses its bark to alert the hunter to any treed prey (typically a raccoon or squirrel). The Russo-European Laika is also an excellent dog for duck hunting. It may often bark freely in the house as well because it is easily excited from its natural instinct. The Russo-European Laika has a strong love of humans and makes a good family dog. Once bonded to someone, it is quite territorial and makes an excellent guard dog. It is extremely tolerant of children, although not of strangers or other unfamiliar dogs. Because of its high energy and eagerness to please, the Russo-European Laika benefits tremendously from training of any kind. Socialization should begin as a puppy and continue throughout its life. Obedience training or a working job to do will give it a sense of purpose and the frequent exercise it requires. With this proper training, it quickly can become well balanced as a family dog.

Exercise

An energetic and keen dog, the Russo-European Laika requires plenty of exercise. Any opportunities to run free and hunt are optimal. Without enough activity, it will suffer from boredom and may become destructive.

References

External links