LET US PRESERVE HUNTING TRADITION WITH LAIKA

What recent authors are involved in breeding of Laikas or other hunting dogs? Let us consider the book “Hunting with Laika” by V. G. Gusev, 1978. I will not discuss entire book which was written by a noted specialist on terriers and dachshunds. The book does not contain one new word about the Laika. Obviously, it is a compilation of other material. However, the author contributed one personal idea: Among West Siberian Laikas, there are some relatively short-muzzled with broad skull dogs. This characteristic was inherited from Laikas of the Central Urals, and also long-muzzled with narrow skull and racy built dogs, which are descendants of “Vogul’s Laika”. He should have known that the ancestors of the West Siberian Laika are breed groups of Laikas from aboriginal people of the north, such as Voguls, Ostyaks and in part Zyryans. They all had ethnic names and have been Laikas of Central Ural, which is a home country of Voguls, where they live until now. Including the Ivdel District. A well known specialist on Terriers and Dachshunds should not write about such a specialized topic of Laikas. The Sverdlovsk center of breeding of West Siberian Laikas and their school of judging Laikas have a long a history. Until the present they bred Laikas with an elongated head, which they are often criticized by experts of other schools. Publications of V. G. Gusev can be found in “Newsletter of Hunting Dogs” (Vestnik okhotnichyego sobakovodstva, in Russian), No. 2, 1993, Moscow. The author is misusing names of nationalities, Evenks with Evens.

Evenks are Tungus people and Evens are Lamut people. There are divided by vast distances, they have different cultures, natural environment, way of life and are ethnically different peoples. Perhaps, to cynologists living near the city of Moscow, all small populations living east of the Urals are just “sort of Chukchi”. These experts do not distinguish between Voguls from Votyaks and think of Ostyaks and Hants like different people. This is an example of crude disrespect to our aboriginal minorities, who gave us their remarkable Laika breeds.

These names should be never forgotten, because of their efforts, Laika breeds have been saved and gotten a new life being transformed into purebreds.

We can forgive this sin of the official, who did not honor our outstanding predecessors. Perhaps, this happened, because some Moscow clerk put together this list of names for him, because he included so many Moscow experts, who worked only at dog shows and field trials. Let us take a look at some publications of modern specialists about the hunting style of Laikas. I am reluctant to stirrup a beehive and make enemies, but as an ancient said: “Plato is my friend, but the truth is more important”.

I read an article written by an expert of the All Russian Category, L. V Krechetova, “Hunting Dogs of Russia”. “About Uniqueness of Laikas”. She wrote, “I heard from my colleague experts that there were dogs capable of stopping and holding a moose by hard biting. I will not argue, but I strongly doubt if this would be possible, and I have never seen such dogs. I can agree that with such dogs the hunting can be successful if one has a good knowledge of habitats and skillful positioning the shooters, but the dog biting moose hard does not give the expert a reason to award him a Diploma of I-II degree for moose hunting”.

Here, I would like to add this: 1) A Moose never stops in presence of the dog for any other reason, except its own choice. Not because of will of the dog. 2) Certificates can be given to any Laika, providing he remains alive, and if he showed an outstanding searching range far away from the hunter, stopping the moose at a safe distance so the moose, with its acute sense of hearing, could not hear the hunter. The dog should demonstrate sufficient tenacity necessary for successful hunting.

In roundup hunting, Laika can not do any of these. Moose hunting with a Laika is done very quietly and it requires the participation of only one hunter. Hunters in the Urals and Siberia, in order to walk closer the moose, often wear stockings specially sewn out of skins, which they carry ready for the occasion in their backpacks or stowed behind the belt. I should comment on this that, usually such stockings are made out of skins of dogs, which probably did not hunt well or attempted to stop moose by biting it hard.

I would not recommend using the word “bite” often. Laika have a very strong instinct of self preservation, which is part of his valuable breed qualities. Usually Laika attacks an animal and bites hard after it is shot because the dog is sure that the animal is wounded Sometimes, they cannot understand that some shots do not mortally injure the animal. Speaking of behavior of moose in presence of the dog, experienced hunters conclude that moose is not really afraid of dog, unless the moose detects that the dog is in the company of a human hunter.

Therefore, professional hunters, prior to moose hunting, tie their dogs away from the home and during the hunt they try not to touch their dogs so they would not have human scent.

Let us discuss one publication in the journal “Hunting Dogs”, No. 1, 2003; the story title is “Pity of Wild Boar”. It is assumed that a Laika was turned loose for tracking a wild boar. The boar was driven by “beaters” towards the shooters line and they subsequently shot it. The Laika did not have a chance to show even a slight working ability with the wild boar. However, he was awarded Certificate of the 1st degree for boar hunting. It would be interesting to hear the explanation of experts that participated in this round up hunting. Why they gave such a high rating to the dog. The story is titled “Pity of Wild Boar”, but it seems rather like a “pity of the breed”, too.

Here is a catalogue of All Russian Dog Show of Laikas, 2001, Kirov. On the inside of the second page, there is a picture of the now deceased R. R. Potoker. It is clear in the picture that it was taken in spring, because the expert holds a hazelnut grouse in one of his hands (a monogamous bird). It is absolutely unethical to shoot a hazelnut grouse in spring. He holds a gray goose in another hand and a Laika is by his side. The question is what and how R. R. Potoker hunted with his Laika?

Who is to blame that such a picture got into the publication in the first place? Freedom of the press is surely a positive part of our life, but because of lack of control, scenes of poaching and unethical hunting with dogs are published and create a distorted picture of correct hunting.

There is a picture circulating among Laika lovers showing the well respected Mrs. L. V. Ushakova. In the picture, she is shown in a spruce forest with a gun and a Laika. Because the grass is still green, it is still early fall and leaves have just began falling from the trees; L. V. Ushakova is without a hat, which indicates that weather is still warm. This is the right time for mushroom picking, but the explanation under the picture tells us: “L. V. Ushakova at squirrel hunting in Arkhangelsk Province”. Such absurdities can be listed endlessly. They all are signs of the loss of traditional hunting with Laikas and, subsequently, loosing correct technique of running the breed.

A leader of RFHD failed to honor people who made a significant contribution in the breeding of Laikas. Another high ranking expert tells us that Laika in roundup hunting, can stop a moose by biting it hard. One must simply arrange the shooters correctly.

One more expert from Korolev city gave a high ranking certificate to Laika for chasing a boar in roundup hunting. The question is for what? Anyone striving for a correct classic hunting with Laika would immediately see the symptoms of poaching and unethical hunting in the published pictures. There are countless examples of pictures showing a hunter proudly posing with his powerful rifle with a scope and a shot sable, but one can see a necktie under his hunting sweater. A hunter posing with his leg positioned on the carcass of a wild boar, which, with help of Laika could be shot only after one or two day’s arduous walking. We became accustomed to put up with embellishment of old values. Are we going to loose the qualities of our aboriginal Laikas along with other values? Will our Laikas share the fate of European Sptitzes? Once we loose the quality of our dogs, we would not need to go looking for them abroad, because they do not exist there. Our Laikas are unique. Perhaps, Laika are not damaged too much by degeneration. Yet, at the same time there are no scientific approaches to this problem.

Resuming research on Laikas under the conditions of professional hunting is needed. In the past, this was done by the All Union Institute of Hunting Industry. Thus, the Voilochnikovs, authors of book, “Laikas and Hunting with Them”, were members of VNIIOZ (All Union Institute of Hunting Industry). They received many letters from hunters and local hunting groups containing diligent evaluations of their Laikas. If we want to save the Laika as a cultural heritage of many aboriginal people of the north, we should restore such a feedback link with provincial hunters. Even in the city, there is much research into the psychology and hidden qualities of Laikas.

Some people think that Laika is not intelligent and unruly. This is a profound mistake.

For example, in the 1930’s, the dynasty of Durov’s, who were famous circus animal trainers, used one specific behavior of Laika to be finely tuned to the wishes of their leader. Durov rode in sleds pulled by a pair of Ostyak sled dogs and controlled them by sending them his directions remotely. The Laikas took off, turned and stopped without any manual signals, just by the voice commands of the trainer, who remained at some distance.

In early 1970’s, in Sverdlovsk, a Laika expert, V. S. Zubarev, demonstrated a trained Laika brought from the North Sosva River. He walked on streets of a big city with his dog without a collar or leash. His dog named “Zeya” understood everything and walked with him never lagging behind any further than one step.

Despite the ancestors of our Laikas have lived in the city for dozens of years now, they still remain poorly investigated and many of Laika’s become forgotten because of abandonment of traditional methods of hunting.

How to preserve Laika with its complexity of special qualities? Now, an eternal Russian question emerges, “What to do?” We should raise the standards of the professional requirements for expert judges working at field trials. I do not think every city expert, who chooses the dog judging profession, has the qualifications to evaluate the work of Laika with sable or moose.

There is one thing on which experts of the hunting with Laika agree. The Laika starts working with full capacity in his third hunting season. During the first and second season, he is still developing his experience and special skills. After the third year, he reaches his top performance, and, if the dog is talented, it can be awarded 1st Degree Certificate. Now, it has become very common when a Laika is one to two years old to have been awarded a series of certificates for many kinds of game, including mammals and birds.

In the rules of field trials for rare species in which searching with an excellent Laika may take several days, should be revised and changed. This is especially important in trials for wild boar, moose, sable and marten. In two hours, it is impossible to check the dog’s correctness of search, persistence, skill of hunting and other elements.

There are many problems with publications about Laikas. Bookstores are flooded with “works” of all kinds of writers who would not see Laikas other than at a dog show. How do we save Laika enthusiasts from the works of those who have circus skills and hunt with a Laika, everything what moves, even a bear?

Perhaps, we should disseminate by all means possible, the knowledge about traditional hunting with Laika.

It would be beneficial to outlaw hunting without a dog, as it is done in some other countries. Prohibition of hunting moose, wild boar and capercailye without the participation of a Laika and of hunting with high powered rifles would be important. Because the owners of such weapons, as a rule, are lazy and do not walk when they hunt and they do not like nature. To them, the meaning of hunting is shooting at live targets. The prohibition should include hunting from stands. It should include raising the price of licenses on valuable animals that would traditionally be hunted with Laika and now are hunted without a Laika.

Perhaps, many other measures will be needed for preservation of the hunting qualities of Laikas. My goal is to attract attention to this problem, because we should not allow our Laikas to loose their value as professional hunting dogs. At least not, during this time, while we are still here.