As a dog-trainer, I’ve been able to work with numerous dog-breeds using positive-reinforcement techniques, finalized to a correct dog’s fitting in the family-pack.  In my experience, I can assert that regarding trainability, learning capacity, memorization of an exercise, and tendency to repeat it after verbal or gestual stimulus, much is given by the subject’s character.

Character is a sufficiently indefinite term that summarizes some fundamental components:  first docility, which is also the malleability of a dog; after that attention, how much and how long a dog can concentrate; and temper, dog’s resistance to outdo a determined stress, and then how much the subject is willing to cooperate with the master, a factor quite difficult to quantify.  The character also has a genetic base, which is due to breeding, so that a particular breed is inclined to a determined task (e.g., Retriever-retrieving, Border-Collie, flock shepherding, etc.).

Of course the dog will be able to show his complete potential only if his human “leader” is able, with sensibility and experience, to “read” inside the dog itself, so to work “with” it, and not “against” it.

Of course the dog will be able to show his complete potential only if his human “leader” is able, with sensibility and experience, to “read” inside the dog itself, so to work “with” it, and not “against” it.

After this foreword I would like now to write about my experience with the Russian European Laika, a breed that I consider with an enormous potential not yet sufficiently studied and evaluated here in Europe.

As the main part of the primitive breeds the REL, obviously, has developed for the pragmatic task of practical survival hunting in the harsh conditions of the North of Russia, so REL is primarily a hunting dog.

Talking about survival hunting and not sportive hunting, we are already making an important distinction.  The dog must not only find and bay the animal, barking without stopping, but it also must be alive the next day to help its master in the hunt.  So the bonding between man and dog must be at a very high level, based on a mutual reliance, respect and, I would like to add, almost love. Both must perfectly know each and others limits, to be able to work for success.  And success is not scoring a point, but survival.

The best dog is not only strong, characterized by great endurance, sense of smell, able to value a determined habitat, and understand which type of animal could be found there, courage to face predators, agility to avoid the animal’s blows, but, mainly, had to be “bonded” to the master.  The dog must not hunt for itself, but rather hunt for the master, the head of the pack, and together with his master. 

This is very important to understand the relationship the REL wants and looks for with its human. Furthermore, the great and inborn capacity of body language reading, that enables communication noiselessly, comes from a time when the less noise you made following an animal, or moving in the taiga, the better it was.

In our kennel we have seven Russo-European Lajkas: Devil, 7-year-old male, Taras, 2.5-years-old male (Russian and father/Hungarian mother), his brother Zar and sister Raska, Laikaladies Tsar Buran (Finnish father/Russian import mother), Rahinapesan Kishka (finnish import), and Dana (Devil X Raska).  There are also Taz, Dana’s brother that we have given to the National Avalanche Rescue team as avalanche and reasearch dog and Darken, also Dana’s brother who is with the Ranger service, for big carnivorous research.  Taras and Zar are inserted in a collaboration with the Department of Animal Production of the University of Udine within the Interreg Project IIIa «Italy-Slovenia» for monitoring brown bears in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (North-East of Italy).

The first thing I want to stress is the difference between males and bitches.  I think that regarding this breed; it’s much easier to train a male than a bitch for functions other than hunting.  Bitches are in someway more “wild”, and less willing to be confident with unknown people.  This is the “rule”, but we have also been able to evaluate extremely versatile bitches (e.g., Laikaladies Kiara and Dewojsika who distinguish their selves in agility).

Males are something absolutely incredible.  To enable the puppy to reach all of his potential, it is fundamental to create a correct hierarchic relationship.  The rules that enable the dog to understand his place within the pack must be explained clearly and with constancy.  Having such a “wild” behaviour, communication with them is very easy!  Pack body language characters are preserved to an incredibly high and refined level. 

Observing the mother with the puppies at 30 days of old, we give ourselves an idea of the character of each puppy.  The mother, as will a real wolf, teaches the puppies two most important rules:  1) to measure the bite’s strength; and 2) to regulate activity and rest periods.  This will enable the puppies to relate with other dogs correctly, and not to develop hyperkinetic behaviours.

Mother’s punishments to violent puppies are always very ritualized:  terrifying if you don’t know these dogs, but absolutely innocuous.  The first thing I’ve learned from a Russo-European Laika mother is that punishment must be absolutely painless, but extremely “scenographic” so to impress correctly the mind of the puppy.

The relatively small number of puppies per litter allows the mother to follow each puppy “intelligently”, not as other breeds with 14 puppies per litter, something absolutely absurd and impossible in nature.  The mother indicates when to wean the pups, by starting to regurgitate the food.

The REL is a very precocious dog, and this is why imprinting with manhood and with different situations must be done as soon as possible.

As soon as the puppy has been chosen, I suggest creating immediately a strong relationship with it. The dog will have to respect and trust us totally:  so no violent behaviour.  For example, it will see us eat and it will eat always after us (Alpha always eats first), walk through the door of the house behind us (the door is the entrance of the den), it will have to walk without pulling the leash (Alpha decides where to go).  The first exercise to be done is the eye-to-eye contact.  With a delicacy in your hand, positioned between your eyes and the pup’s eyes, you’ll give the “look at me” command.  When your eyes meet the pup’s eyes you’ll immediately give him the delicacy.  Soon the pup will understand that we want, and will obtain his attention.  And that he will have a nice treat.  I have noticed that with Russo-European Laikas this exercise is really easy.  They are born to have a leader, and violence is not necessary; frankness and authority will make us their leader without great shouting, etc.

There’s controversy about where to have the pup sleep the first night in it’s new home.  In nature, a pup left alone in the dark, without his family, is a dead pup.  Why should our pup undertake such an experience, soon after having left his mother and family?  We can allow it to sleep wit us.  Sleeping peacefully with us, it won’t have other stimulus, and in the morning we’ll be quick taking the pup outside, and it will soon learn the first hygienic rules.  And think about this:  how much sense of security we will be able to give to the pup, sharing with it the “den”?  It is an extraordinary experience, for the man or woman itself.  However, at the age of  5 months we have to divide the pup, as the mother would do, first with the male and then with females.  These are very important passages.  Following these easy rules we will have set the pup up for success for whatever activity we have chosen for it.

Devil, our oldest male, was brought to us at the age of 9 months, we knew nothing about his past, and we only knew that he had a strong aggressiveness towards other animals, but in a short time I taught him different things:  obedience, agility, tracking, to find hidden objects, etc.

The most surprising thing of all is the happiness with which REL are related with work and their human.  They are never subdued to the master.

Russo-European Laikas won’t stand abuse.  They don’t have the capacity to withstand continuous mistakes by the owner.  This could take them to mental closure, but never to aggressiveness towards humans.  Zar, who is used in bear-tracking, helps old people through pet-therapy, especially people with Alzheimer, with total dedication.  I have never seen a Russo-European Laika aggressive towards man.  With kids they’re absolutely reliable.  My son, Nicola, has grown up with Laikas, and above all stereotypical views, I’ve always been confident with them beside him.

Whatever activity we will want our REL to do, we’ll have to use his instinct.  Human search can be an absolutely perfect job for a REL.  The capacity to “search” for the smell in the air, typical of northern hunting breeds, is an excellent characteristic for searching for lost people, and for an avalanche dog.   Taz, even though still very young, is showing this.

The work sessions must always be done with enthusiasm and happiness, the dog must be glad to work for his master.  Some subjects get boring very soon.  If they have understood what their master wants, and don’t like to repeat the exercise in eternity, so the work sessions should be short and interesting.  The most important thing is to show enthusiasm to the dog every time the exercise is done correctly.  And some dogs like applause too!  For example, when kids come to my farm-house to learn how to work with animals, Devil wants a real standing ovation for his agility exercises!

So I think that the REL, is a great dog that keeps us, modern humans, in touch with our hunting past.  And, due to his non specialization, is able to carry out different jobs.
First: great hunting auxiliary.  This is his most natural function, and his most suitable prey is the wild-boar, a species in great expansion here in Italy.  Second:  monitoring and study of different species of mammals. Third:  dispersal research.

We have the duty to preserve this outstanding breed, that has been given to us by the Russian wind from the taiga region, as strong as the survival means it has been forged by.