- White and any patching (bicolour or tricolour)
About the Yakutian Laika
- Typical life span
- 10-12 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 18-25 kg
- Female
- 16-25 kg
- Height
- Male
- 53-60 cm
- Female
- 51-58 cm
- FCI status
- Provisional
- Origin
- Yakutia, Siberia, Russia
- Also called
- Laika de Yakutia
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Yakutian Laika?
Medium-sized, strong and compact Spitz-type sled dog from the Arctic region of Siberia with a thick double coat and expressive eyes, known for versatility, resilience, and endurance in extreme cold climates
Yakutian Laika history and origins
Ancient aboriginal breed developed by indigenous peoples of Yakutia for sled pulling, hunting, herding reindeer, and companionship in extreme Arctic conditions. Recognized by the FCI in 2019.
Yakutian Laika appearance and size
Males typically weigh 18-25 kg and stand 53-60 cm at the shoulder; females 16-25 kg and 51-58 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Sledge and hunting dog
- Behaviour and temperament
“Yakutian Laika is a bold, lively, close to man, friendly, sociable and energetic dog”
Quoted from FCI standard n°365. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Sledge and hunting dog” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 4 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Yakutian Laika
What you get with the Yakutian Laika
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Sledge and hunting dog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Yakutian Laika is a bold, lively, close to man, friendly, sociable and energetic dog”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “thick feathers on the back sides of the front and hind legs”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Yakutian Laika
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
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
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°365 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Yakutian Laika down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Severe faults
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
- 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
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- 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;
- Any behavioral or constitutional deviations affecting the health of the dog and its ability to perform the work traditional for this particular breed
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Yakutian Laika in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Yakutian Laika
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Yakutian Laika on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Yakutian Laika owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Yakutian Laika breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.