Prick-Eared

These dogs are commonly used in the areas surrounding the Baltic Sea spanning from Finland and Northwestern district of Russia down to Poland for flushing and treeing small games such as grouses, squirrels and rabbits; and, less commonly, for baying larger games such as moose, boars and bears. Also, these spitzes gained a reputation for being obnoxiously annoying as bark pointers. What’s a better portable and versatile dog for the commoners?^[1]

I am abusing the terminology “dingo” ever since Scottie from retrieverman used it to describe quasi-feral hunting dogs. While technically the Nordic hunting spitzes are wolf-hybrids, it’s easier to think of dingoes as more tamable feral dogs than wolves potentially are; so it is more apt to describe these wolf-dog hybrids “dingoes” figuratively.^[2]

Earlier, I referred to Finnish Spitz [Suomenpystykorva], Norwegian Elkhounds [Norsk Elghund], Swedish Elkhounds [Jämthund], Karelian Bear Dogs [Karjalankarhukoira] and Norrbottenspitz [Norbottenspets] as the “elkhound” landrace, it is probably better to refer to them as “laika” [literally means "barkers"] as Russians incorporate the Nordic elkhounds and bear dogs as part of their definition; it is a better catch-all phrase for bark-pointing spitzes to use in a similar fashion how “saluki” describes the sighthound landrace inbetween the Sahara and Kazakhstan.^[3][4] Nevertheless, I wanted the dogs in the photograph above long before I factored in the positives and merits of having a herding dog during my search for the perfect companion.

When the above picture was first published, stumbled upon while writing a paper on Soviet occultism for a class about marginalization of religions, my obsession with the dogs of Karelia began. I was looking at these laikas approximately five or six years ago, but the idea of getting one never came to fruition. I got distracted by the idea of breeding reptiles when the time called and sought a commonality among people at large. In hindsight, although what I did was atrocious within that community, no longer were the rose-coloured glasses were on about the skewed perception on hobby-breeding. It’s a good detour since I wasn’t emotionally ready for a dog at the time.

If a house within the dreamland appears before me, I will keep these dogs– Karelo-Finnish Laikas: the smallest of the laikas within Russian borders.^[5] Technically, I could had gotten these dogs as an apartment dweller, but it occurred me if no one breeds them in Canada, apart from the closely related Finnish Spitz, and if this particular strain of the laika landrace is not yet recognized by any Kennel Clubs, it is better to import a few dogs for a foundation stock. Who doesn’t like genetic diversity?

In fact, I could be irresponsible and test the water of the metro’s three dog limits; however anyone with a sense of population genetics would know this is morally wrong to do with a strain or breed yet to be established here. Also, with the dog laws as they are now, and people buying into the rhetoric about how a responsible breeder takes unwanted dogs back alongside enduring the guilt-trip of ensuring all offspring has a fallback, it is not really wise to pursue such fantasy within the city limits without a kennel license [if any.] Not to mention, one would need to be in a position to give up his potential career to ensure the dogs’ and bitches’ temperament doesn’t degenerate for the sakes of conformity. Let alone the fact, the only interest I have is the taste of wild game; nor do I crave meat, so I don’t hunt. But I digress.

So what are the differences between the unrecognized Karelo-Finnish Laika and the established sibling breed Finnish Spitz? Height and weight? Not much different, if any, however there is a bias for preferring a dog that is slightly more robust in build and has a more wolfish muzzle.^[6] Personally, the deep orangeish-red colour is something unmatched along with the allowance of black-tipped guard hair gives these dogs a certain aura.

If one thinks there is virtually no difference between the Finnish Spitz and the Karelo-Finnish Laika, they could be no closer to the truth, imported Finnish Spitzes were and are used extensively in resurrecting the Karelian strain after, like with many bottlenecked breeds, World War II followed by an epidemic of rabies. So while the small laika of Karelia follows the same conformation as their cousin, hunters feels the show rings watered down Finnish Spitz’s temperament and their ability to hunt. However I imagine there are still kennels who maintain hunting strains of the unfortunate victim of fanciers and faddism.^[7]

But what is this really all about? Ssssh… don’t tell anyone, but there is a slight fetishism for Soviet artifacts and an obsession with Finland and northern Sweden slash Norway compounded upon a lifelong appreciation for “Japanese dingoes.” Or… should I say “gin-dough?”

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Footnotes

1. There’s not a lot written about laikas, but travellers and researchers commissioned by nobilities, dating back to the 17^th century, reported seeing reddish dogs used to hunt squirrels in Eastern Europe near the Baltic Sea.

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2. Scandinavian hunting spitzes and Sami herding dogs have been found to be carriers of the d1 halotype, a subclade which northern European wolves belong to, in frequencies ranging from 60% to 100% of the population among the individual breeds. It is estimated the hybridization between dogs and wolves in Nordic countries occurred between 500 to 3000 years ago due to the low diversity. Oddly enough, southern Swedish breeds like vallhunds and buhunds are not carriers of the d1 halotype.^source
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3. “Laika” often referred to any huntitng spitzes who are trained as bark-pointers in Russia, however since it is sometimes interchangeable with the concept of dog, since the word is synonymous with “barker,” so “laika” is also applied to sled-types such as Siberian Huskies and herd-types such as the Lapphunds and Samoyeds.
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4. In Arabic Middle East, inbetween Egypt and Iran, sighthounds used for coursing gazelles are referred to as “saluki.” From Iran eastward, in Central Asia, the same sighthound landrace is referred to as “tazi.”
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5. According to breed standards–

Russian European Laika:

Height at the withers: Males 52 – 58 cms. Females 48 – 54 cms.^source

East Siberian Laika:

Height at the withers: Males 57 – 64 cms. Females 53 – 60 cms.^source

West Siberian Laika:

Height at the withers: Males 54 – 60 cms. Females 52 – 58 cms.^source

According to Vladimir Beregovoy, the Karelo-Finnish Laika:

This is the smallest Laika used for hunting in Russia. Males are 17-19 inches at the shoulder and females are 16-18 inches at the shoulder. Body structure of males is almost square and females are slightly rangy.^source

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6. According to the FCI, the Finnish Spitz’s standards are:

Height at withers
Ideal height for males 47 cm, Ideal height for females 42 cm. With a tolerance of ± 3 cm. Males 12 – 13 kg, Bitches 7 – 10 kg.^source

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7. According to the FCI’s website under Category 5, outside of Sweden, Norway and Finland, the dogs are not required to participate in a trial.^source
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References

Fédération Cynologique Internationale. “Breeds nomenclature.” Last accessed March 10, 2011. http://www.fci.be/nomenclature.aspx.^[7]

^[DOC] Fédération Cynologique Internationale. “Finnish Spitz.” Last accessed March 12, 2011. http://www.fci.be/nomenclature.aspx.^[5]

^[DOC] Fédération Cynologique Internationale. “East Siberian Laika.” Last accessed March 10, 2011. http://www.fci.be/nomenclature.aspx.^[5]

^[DOC] Fédération Cynologique Internationale. “Russian European Laika.” Last accessed March 5, 2011. http://www.fci.be/nomenclature.aspx.^[5]

^[DOC] Fédération Cynologique Internationale. “West Siberian Laika.” Last accessed March 5, 2011. http://www.fci.be/nomenclature.aspx.^[5]

Finnish Spitz org.uk. “Hunting Trials in Finland by Angela Cavill.” Last accessed March 13, 2011. http://www.finnishspitz.org.uk/hunting.html.^[7]

Vladimir Beregovoy. “The Karelo-Finnish Laika.” Last accessed March 16, 2011. http://www.laikabreeds.multiservers.com/_framed/multiservers/laikabreeds/site02.htm.^[5]

^{[PDF] [HTML]} Klütsch, C F C, E H Seppälä, T Fall, M Uhlén, Å Hedhammar, H Lohi,and P Savolainen. “Regional occurrence, high frequency but low diversity of mitochondrial DNA haplogroup d1 suggests a recent dog-wolf hybridization in Scandinavia.” Animal Genetics February 42(1) (2011): 100–103. Last accessed March 14, 2011. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2010.02069.x.^[2]