Nenets Herding Laika

The Nenets Herding Laika is the reindeer dog of the Siberian tundra, and one of the few laikas bred to herd rather than to hunt.

History

The Nenets of the Yamal peninsula and the surrounding tundra have kept it for centuries to work reindeer herds across open country in extreme cold. It is a genuine landrace maintained by herding families rather than by any registry, and its numbers follow the fortunes of Nenets reindeer herding.

Temperament

The breed is known for being lively, alert and vocal — it works reindeer by barking and movement — friendly with its own people and wary of strangers.

Care and training

It needs a great deal of exercise and something to work. The barking is functional and hard to suppress. The long dense coat is built for tundra winters and copes badly with heat.

Health

Generally very hardy from natural and working selection; nothing is widely documented as breed-specific. These are patterns for the landrace rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.