Yakutian Laika

FCI standard Nº 365

Origin
Russia
Translation
Russian Kynological Federation, revised by Raymond TRIQUET, May 2019
Group
Group 5 Spitz and primitive types
Section
Section 1 Nordic Sledge Dogs
Working
With work trial
Acceptance on a provisional basis by the FCI
Wednesday 04 September 2019
Publication of the official valid standard
Wednesday 04 September 2019
Last update
Thursday 26 September 2019
En français, cette race se dit
Laïka de Yakoutie
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar
Yakutskaya Laika
En español, esta raza se dice
Laika de Yakutia
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd
Laika van Yakutia

Usage

Sledge and hunting dog.

Brief historical summary

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.

General appearance

Yakutian Laika is a dog of medium size, strong, compact, well-muscled, with moderately long legs and thick skin with no signs of looseness. The coat is well developed and should be sufficient for living and working in severe Arctic conditions. Sexual dimorphism is clearly pronounced, males are stronger and more powerful than females.

Important proportions

The length of body from the point of shoulder to the point of buttocks exceeds the height at withers by 10–15%.
The length of the head is a bit less than 40% of the height at withers.
The length of the muzzle is 38–40% of the length of the head.
The length of the foreleg to the elbow is 52–54% of the height at withers.

Behaviour / temperament

Yakutian Laika is a bold, lively, close to man, friendly, sociable and energetic dog.

Head

Cranial region

Head
Wedge-shaped, moderately pointed, proportional to dog’s size.
Skull
Moderately broad, slightly rounded, with a sufficiently high forehead. 
Stop
Well pronounced.

Facial region

Nose
Of big size, with wide nostrils, black or brown in colour.
Muzzle
Well filled under the eyes, wedge-shaped, gradually tapering towards the tip of the nose.
Lips
Dry, tight-fitting, well pigmented.
Jaws and teeth
Teeth are strong, white, preferably in a complete set (42 teeth according to the dental formula). Scissors bite or level bite. A tight undershot (without a gap) is acceptable for dogs older than 3 years.
Cheeks
Moderately pronounced.
Eyes
Set straight and wide, but not deep; almond-shaped. Eyes colour is dark brown, or blue as well as odd eyes (one brown, one blue) or blue segments on brown iris. Dry, tight fitting eye rims matching the colour of nose. Depigmentated eye rim against white background permissible.
Ears
Of triangular shape, set high, wide at the base, thick, erect or half-pricked. Ears covered with thick, short hair. Ears laid back while moving.

Neck

Of moderate set and length, muscular.

Body

Body
Compact.
Topline
Straight and firm, with a very slight slope from moderately pronounced withers to the base of the tail.
Back
Firm, wide, straight, muscular.
Loin
Short, wide, muscular.
Croup
Wide, muscular, long, rounded, almost horizontal.
Chest
Broad, with well sprung ribs, long enough, moderately deep.
Underline and belly
Slightly tucked up.

Tail

Set high, covered with a thick furry coat, curled up as semi-circle on the dog’s back, sickle curve tail allowed. At rest or in long distance movement tail may hang loosely.

Limbs

Strong, muscular, straight, parallel.

Forequarters

Generality
Straight, parallel, strong, very well-muscled.
Shoulders
Shoulder blade sloping, of moderate length.
Upper arm
Muscular, sloping, of moderate length.
Elbows
Set well to body, placed backward.
Forearm
Rather long, parallel.
Pastern
Short, strong, slightly sloping.
Forefeet
Well arched, with tight fitting toes and very hard pads. Thick coat (brush) between toes.

Hindquarters

Generality
Strong-boned and well-muscled. Seen from the rear : straight and parallel.
Upper thigh
Broad and muscular.
Lower thigh
Of medium length, strong.
Stifle
Well defined.
Metatarsus
Strong, vertical.
Hock
Hock joints angulation is well defined.
Hind feet
Well arched, with tight fitting toes and very hard pads. Thick coat (brush) between toes. Slightly bigger than the front feet.

Gait and movement

Fast, elastic. Characteristic gaits are brisk trot and gallop.

Coat

Hair
Thick, glossy, straight, coarse, of medium length, with very well developed thick and dense undercoat. On the neck it forms a mane, especially clearly pronounced in males; thick feathers on the back sides of the front and hind legs; the tail feathered with a small fringe. Coat is shorter on the head and front sides of the legs.
Colour
White and any patching (bicolour or tricolour).

Size and weight

Height at withers
Males: 55–59 cm. Females: 53–57 cm.

Faults

• Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Serious faults

 A strong deviation from the type, short-legged dog.
 Square in body.
 Flat-ribbed, shallow or barrel chest.
 Poorly balanced, sluggish movements.
 Wavy, soft, too short hair with a poorly developed undercoat.

Disqualifying faults

 Aggressive or overly shy dogs.
 Males in feminine type.
 Overshot, undershot with a gap (any gap is unacceptable), wry jaw.
 Total depigmentation of nose, eye rims or lips.
 Any solid colour except of white.
 Short (smooth) hair.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

https://www.fci.be/

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