Karelo-Finnish Laika

The Karelo-Finnish Laika is a small red hunting spitz of the Russian north-west — the same dog as the Finnish Spitz, recorded separately under Soviet registries.

History

It hunts by finding game and barking to hold it in place until the hunter arrives, the method that gives the Finnish Spitz its name as a bark-pointer. Russian and Finnish registries treated the population as two breeds for decades before agreeing they were one.

Temperament

The breed is known for being lively, alert and vocal — the barking is the working method, not a fault — and closely attached to its household while independent in the field.

Care and training

It needs substantial exercise and hunting or search work. Barking needs shaping early. The double coat sheds seasonally and needs no trimming.

Health

Generally hardy with few breed-specific defects documented. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.