YAKUTIAN LAIKA

The Yakutian Laika is an ancient native dog breed which was naturally bred by aboriginal people of the North East of Russia as a sled dog and a hunting dog. Certain archaeological discoveries confirm that the local people used dogs for sledding and hunting as far back as 8000 years ago. The very first references about dogs in this region date back to 1633. The first published account of the Yakutian dogs was entitled “How Yakutians travel in winter” which was included in the book “Northern and Eastern Tartary” by Nicholas Witsen (Amsterdam, 1692). The first description of the Yakutian Laika appeared in the book “Geography of the Russian Empire” (Derpt, 1843), which announced it to be a “dog of a special breed”. The first mention of the Yakutian Laika’s total number found in the book “Statistical tables of the Russian Empire” (St. Petersburg, 1856): “There are 15157 dogs in the Yakut region used for sled work”. The first Breed Standard for the North-East Sled Dog was adopted in 1958 and it formed the basis for the Yakutian Laika Breed Standard published in 2005 by the Russian Kynological Federation. For many centuries, the Yakutian Laika accompanied the northern man in everyday life, helping him to hunt, vigilantly watch his home, herd reindeers and transport goods in the severe conditions of the Far North. These skills have glorified the Yakutian Laika as a versatile breed not only in Russia but also in many countries on different continents.