Alice White
The West Siberian Laika is the most numerous variety of Laikas, descended from the taiga hunting dogs that have lived on the territory of the West Siberian Plain since ancient times.
#1 The West Siberian Laika is a sociable dog, dependent on human attention and poorly getting used to loneliness.
At the same time, in the wild and on walks, she demonstrates great independence, bordering on uncontrollability.
#2 The West Siberian Laika is a descendant of aboriginal hunting dogs that have lived beyond the Ural ridge since time immemorial.
It should be noted that until the beginning of the XX century. in the taiga villages, there were many offspring of laika, each of which had its own distinctive features and loyal fans among local hunters. At that time, there was no question of division into breeds and intra-breed types, so animals freely interbred with each other, giving a person the right to select the most successful "specimens". Nevertheless, even in such conditions, the stratification into leaders and outsiders was quite natural. Therefore, when in 1939 the question of the standardization of Laikas came up, experts immediately turned their eyes to the Mansi (Vogul) and Khanty (Ostyak) offspring, which had established themselves as excellent hunters of taiga animals. In the same 1939, a meeting of Soviet dog handlers was held, at which five main breed types of animals were approved, among which were the wards of the Khanty and Mansi hunters.
#3 Purposefully breeding the ancestors of West Siberian Laika began in the 40s of the XX century. due to state necessity.
A country waging a war needed money, which could be obtained, among other things, from the sale of furs and meat. Well, Siberian hunters and their four-legged assistants were to get this valuable commodity.
