Yakutia, a mysterious land in Siberia. In this region lies the cold North Pole of the northern hemisphere with temperatures as low as minus 72 degrees Celsius. Two seasons characterize this region, the short summer and the long winter. This country is home to dogs that have adapted to the harsh Arctic climate. The Yakut Laika is a typical Nordic dog of the original type. The roots of this breed lie in the Kolyma region of Siberia, in Sakha (Yakutia).
The peoples of the polar regions have bred dogs as herding, hunting and sled dogs since ancient times. Originally, these characteristics were desired in one dog and were important for survival in the harsh region. These dogs were used where working animals failed. The Yakut Laika's always brought people safely to their destination.
The hunting instinct is very pronounced in this breed and they are still used today to hunt mammals and birds. Their "primitive" instincts have not been lost through decades of "beauty breeding". This very people-friendly Nordic is a curious and self-confident dog that needs to be trained consistently. He is alert, reports strangers and dogs immediately and defends his territory. A Yakut team must be tightly managed.
The Yakut Laika was threatened with extinction until the 1990s. Founded by Vladimir Dyachkov and Lena Sidorova, the breed was preserved within Yakutia. The first breeding pair was imported to Germany in 2002 by Erwin van Wel. Yakutian Laika's from the Kolyma region, Chukchi and Kamchatka dogs flowed into the Siberian Husky breed founded by Leonard Seppala. The fur trader William Goosak imported dogs from various Siberian peoples to Alaska in 1909.
For more information on this interesting dog breed, please contact the Yakutian Laika Association or Karatayka Samoyeds & Yakutian Laika
