- The most typical colours are black and tan, black, black and white, white and white with patches – piebald.
- Permissible: Slight specks in shades of the main colour on the legs
About the East Siberian Laika
Origin: Russian Federation
- Typical life span
- 12-15 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 18-23 kg
- Female
- 16-20 kg
- Height
- Male
- 56-64 cm
- Female
- 53-61 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Spitz and primitive types
- Origin
- Russian Federation
- Also called
- Laika de Siberia Oriental
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a East Siberian Laika?
Medium to large rugged spitz-type hunting dog from the Siberian taiga with erect ears, curled tail, and thick double coat. Built for harsh climates with strong working drive and balanced temperament.
East Siberian Laika history and origins
Developed from aboriginal spitz-type dogs by indigenous peoples of the East Siberian taiga region for hunting big game including bear and wild boar. Standardized in mid-20th century for versatile hunting abilities and adaptability to harsh climates.
East Siberian Laika appearance and size
Males typically weigh 18-23 kg and stand 56-64 cm at the shoulder; females 16-20 kg and 53-61 cm.
East Siberian Laika temperament and personality
Generally described as independent, alert, intelligent, courageous, loyal and work-focused.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Hunting dog for all-round purposes
Quoted from FCI standard n°305. 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: “Hunting dog for all-round purposes” 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
- 3 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 East Siberian Laika
What you get with the East Siberian Laika
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Hunting dog for all-round purposes”
- Commonly described as: “Independent, alert, intelligent, courageous”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “The coat on the back of the rear legs forms trousers without feathering.”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; The Dog API. 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 · East Siberian Laika
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.
Coat
Outer coat is harsh and straight.
Undercoat is well developed, soft, rich and woolly.
The coat on the head and ears is dense, short and shining.
The coat on shoulders and the neck is longer than on the body and forms a collar
on the cheekbones it forms side-whiskers.
In males the coat on the withers is longer.
Limbs are covered with short, harsh, dense coat, which is only slightly longer on the back side of the fore limbs.
The coat on the back of the rear legs forms trousers without feathering.
There is a protective growth of brush-like hair between the toes.
The tail is profusely covered with straight and harsh hair that is just slightly longer on the underside but without feathering
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°305 — 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 East Siberian 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.
- Obvious deviation from the sexual characteristics.
- Slight intolerance to people.
- Obese or meagre.
- Coarse in head.
- Short muzzle; snipy nose.
- Deep or hardly visible stop.
- More than 4 missing premolars, including PM1 & PM2.
- Round protruding eyes.
- Ears with rounded tips, overdeveloped ear-lobes.
- Square bodied.
- Overbuilt.
- Light in bone.
- Over-angulated or straight in hindquarters.
- Narrow in hindquarters; knees or hocks turning out.
- Heavy, erratic movement or pacing.
- Wrinkled, loose skin.
- Long coat on the back-side of the forequarters and pronounced feathering on the back of thighs and the tail.
- Wavy, curly, soft or too long coat; coat parting in the middle on the back and the withers during shedding.
- Specks on the body which are not in the nuance of the main colour.
- Deviation from the size by more than +-2 cm
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Incorrect bite.
- Wry mouth.
- 4 or more missing teeth regardless, including PM1-PM2s or M3s, excess incisors.
- Wall eye, flecked eyes.
- Ears dropped; semi-dropped.
- Stumpy tail.
- Too short or too long coat; no undercoat.
- Coat colour that is genetic brown; genetic blue; brindle or albino
Temperament
Independentalertintelligentcourageousloyalwork-focused
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the East Siberian Laika in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a East Siberian Laika
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the East Siberian 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 East Siberian 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 East Siberian 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.