The harsh Siberian landscape and a devoted work ethic endeared the Yakutian Laika to the native Sakha people of the Yakutia region of Northeastern Russia. The medium-sized ancient breed assisted with hunting, herding reindeer, and pulling sleds piled with goods.
As far back as 8,000 years ago, the Yakutian Laika’s work partnership was critical to human survival. The breed was highly valued and treated like a family member rather than a domestic animal.
Speaking Yakutian
From its Russian heritage, the breed is pronounced “Yak-cue-tan Lie-ka.” In Russia and Europe, the breed is called the “Yakut Laika,” “Yakutskaya Laika,” “Sledge Dog,” “Tungusskaya,” “Chuvychanskaya,” “Arkticheskaya,” and “Polarmaya.”
“We also call them ‘Yakut,’ pronounced ‘Ya Cute,’” says Stacy Crivello, president of the Yakutian Laika Club of America. “There are about 200 Yakuts in the U.S. today, although that number is growing, and more live in Europe and Russia.
An intelligent breed, the Yakut’s broad, wedge-shaped head, pointed ears, slanting eyes, athletic body, thick and fluffy double coat, and tail curled over its back give the dog a characteristic wolf-like appearance.
“People on the street ask me if my dogs are some type of Border Collie or an Akita combination,” Crivello says. “When I say the breed’s name, they usually come back with ‘it’s a whata whata whata?’ ”
Although not yet AKC-recognized, this versatile breed was recorded in the Foundation Stock Service (FSS) in August 2017, and on July 1, 2024, eligible to participate in the Miscellaneous Class. Assigned to the Working Group, the Yakutian Laika can earn Canine Good Citizen certifications and compete in agility, AKC Rally, obedience, and Fast CAT. These dogs and their owners participate in Conformation, coursing ability, sledding, and herding.
A Primitive Breed
“Yakuts are referred to as a primitive or aboriginal breed because they originally bred freely without selectively until the 1960s,” Crivello says. As a primitive breed, Yakutians existed in a geographic area from the earliest times.
With little changes since they first appeared, their ancestral traits remain intact. In their Siberian habitat, they were capable of foraging for food, raising their young on their own, and living as wild predators independent of man’s care. In developing a weather-resistant double coat, Yakutian Laikas adapted to their frigid Arctic environment.
“Because they depended upon themselves for survival, Yakutian Laikas notice the slightest changes in their environment as they impact their lives,” Crivello says. “When my ceiling fan stopped moving, ‘Grom,’ my 5-year-old male Yakut, wouldn’t stop staring at it,” Crivello recalls when Grom noticed that she changed the decor in the bathroom. “I put up a new shower curtain and lighter-colored towels, and he was obsessed with them,” she says.
The Yakutian Laika’s Ancient Roots
The first evidence of someone using a dog to transport possessions appeared in the 1990s at a hunting site in Yakutia on the coast of Northeast Asia. Photographs dating back to the 1600s show people skijoring with Yakuts.
The Sakha became the first known people to use dogs to hunt and pull sleds, dating back to 1633. The first description of the Yakutian Laika appears in Ivan Pavlovsky’s book, “Guide to the Geography of the Russian Empire,” in 1843. He describes the dog as a “special breed that is a necessary pet used for sledding and hunting.”
Pavlovsky also writes that the breed thrives and delivers mail, especially in outlying areas, and gives a statistical count of 15,157 dogs used for sledding in the Yakut region.
As a hunting breed, the Yakutian Laika pursued large animals, including arctic foxes.
As an irreplaceable and loyal helper to its people, the Yakutian Laika was well-treated. Their total acceptance explains how the breed developed a gentle, friendly nature that closely bonds with children. Willing to alert its owners of an intruder rather than protect the property, the Yakutian Laika is more concerned with meeting new people.
Residents and public services such as the border force, post service, and scientific expedition relied on their Yakuts. The dogs provided the only form of winter and long-distance travel for the Northern regions of Russia. Statistical data reveal that at the end of the 20th century, only 33,000 dogs existed.
But in the 1950s, snowmobile technology, the decline of fur hunting, and local fishing decreased the need for dogs pulling sleds. Their numbers plummeted, and the Yakutian Laika nearly became extinct.
In 1993, the Russian Federation registered the Yakutian Laika. A group of Russian breeders and the Yakut Republican Association of Dog Breeders were passionate about reviving the breed and increasing the quality and quantity of dogs in the late 1990s. In 2004, the Russian Kynological Federation recognized the Yakutian Laika.
Today’s Yakuts
When Crivello wanted a Nordic breed, she chose a Yakut, and after researching it, she found it was easy to train. Today, she has three male Yakutian Laikas. “Above all, we want to ensure that the breed retains its outgoing temperament,” Crivello says. “I’d hate to see them going shy and aloof, so as breeders, we stress socializing new puppies and getting them involved in activities.”
