COUNTRY: USSR
WEIGHT: 25-30 pounds
HEIGHT: 15-19 inches
COAT: Dense, moderately short, stand-off
COLOR: Fawn in various shades, lighter tones on the undersides are allowed
GROUP: Northern Dog
The Karelo-Finnish Laika is very similar to the Finnish Spitz. Nordic hunting breeds developed long before current national boundaries. The red hunting dog fostered in Finland took on the name Finnish Spitz, and the same general type promoted in European Russia was named Kare-lo-Finnish for the area from which it came. The area called Karelia is actually a part of northwestern Russia, just east of Finland and south of the Barents seaport of Murmansk. The Russian term laika means barker or barking dog, similar to the term applied to his Finnish counterpart. All of the Nordic-type dogs from Russia are called laika, describing their distinctive hunting style. The actual Karelo-Finnish Laika is unknown outside of Russia, but at home he is very popular with hunters; in fact he is the most numerous of all the Russian laikas, due to his fine abilities and small size.
Maturing very early, he finds employment for various types of bird hunting—grouse, pheasant and duck—as well as squirrels. Many Soviet fur hunters also find this breed useful for trailing and entering fox, marten or raccoon burrows, and he is even brave enough to dance face to face with a bear. This energetic, small, quick dog is the least likely of the laikas to bog down and suffocate in the deep snow drifts.
In temperament, the Karelo-Finnish is high-strung and excitable. He is willing to please and cannot stand rudeness, punishment or unfair treatment. Russians say "everything about this dog, its eyes, ears, and tail, express joy and cheerfulness." But if ill-treated, the bond between Laika and hunter is broken, and the hunt will lose its joy.