Obscure Dog Breed of the Month

This month I will highlight a Russian herding dog; the Nenets Herding Laika.

First, "laika" is a Russian term used to describe Russian working dogs in general. The website, http://dogbreeds.bulldoginformation.com/, describes the Nenets Herding Laika as...

The Laika breeds are Russian working dogs of the Northern type. Laika is the Russian word for 'barker' or 'barking dog' and is derived from the verb 'layat', which means 'to bark'. The breed's name thus simply means 'a dog that barks' in Russian, referring to the fact that the hunting laikas are bark pointers, dogs selectively bred for their barking abilities.

Six breeds belong to this group: West Siberian Laika, East Siberian Laika, Russian European Laika and Karelo-Finnish Laika, Northeasterly Hauling Laika and Nenets Herding Laika. The first four are hunting dogs for bear, elk, forest birds, which are also occasionally used for pulling sleds; one is a herding dog (which can also pull sleds) and one, the Hauling Laika, is a pure sled dog.

They all have a tick, weather-resistant coat with woolly undercoat, a very strong and muscular neck and a feathered tail that is carried curled over the back when the dog is working.

The Nenets Herding Laika is a medium-sized working dog that owes its name to the Nentsy tribe, an ancient nomad tribe whose main activity is reindeer herding. The Nenets Laika looks very similar to the Samoyed, a dog developed under similar circumstances by the Samoyed people.

Their main distinctive feature is their coat color, which is solid or bicolored grey, tan, black or white for the Nenets dog, while pure white for the Samoyed.

Exotic Dog Breed of the Month

Did you know there are reindeer herding dogs that come from Scandinavia and Russia? This month, I want to highlight the Lapland Herder, a dog from Finland. Note: this is not the same breed as the somewhat more popular Finnish Lapphund or Swedish Lapphund.

I think this is a pretty good looking dog! More information can also be found here: http://koti.mbnet.fi/tuulen/poro21.htm

Here is the information...

Also called the Lapinporokoira, the Lapland Reindeer Dog, the Lapland Sheepdog, the Lapponian Herder, the Lapponian Shepherd, the Lapponian Vallhund or the Lapsk Vallhund, this breed is known colloquially as the Lappy.

This is an "improved" reindeer-herder, created in southern Finland by deliberate crossings to combine the hardiness of the northern, cold-country spitz breeds with the highly developed herding abilities of European sheepdog breeds. This was achieved by arranging matings between the Finnish Lapphund, the German Shepherd Dog and working Collies, creating a "Nordic herder" capable of working in freezing conditions, but with the advanced manoeuvring skills of the typical sheepdog. It is said to be capable of covering 60 miles in a day, and it is often claimed that 'one of these dogs is worth five men'.

This carefully planned breed has the erect, pricked ears of its spitz ancestor, but the less stocky body, the longer legs and head, and the uncurled tail of its sheepdog ancestor. Its low-hanging tail, in particular, sets it apart from the other northen dogs.

The introduction of the motorized snowmobile in the 20th century resulted in a sudden modernatization of reindeer-herding techniques and rendered the Lapland Herder almost obsolete. Its numbers fell rapidly and there was a serious risk of it becoming extinct, but in the 1960's the chairan of the Finnish Kennel Club began a salvage operation and in 1966 it was given an official breed standard. By the end of the 1960's, the population of these dogs had risen to five times the figure for the start of that decade.

An interesting breeding system was devised for the working dogs. In the north the stockworkers kept only males. In the south, the breeders kept females. Each year the best males would be brought south to mate and the best male puppies would then be taken north again for future reindeer duties. Surplus puppies would be sold off as pets.

Color forms include white with dark shading; black body with tan extremities, and black.

Obscure Sheepdog Breed of the Month

So I have this super cool book of dog breeds that I purchased used from Amazon last year. It is actually a book that was a public library book in the midwest. It's mine now. The book is called Dogs. It is supposedly "the ultimate dictionary of over 1,000 dog breeds." It's written/compiled by Desmond Morris, (C)2001. It doesn't have photos of dogs in it, but for many of the breeds represented, it offers pencil sketch illustrations.

So, I got this book because it actually includes the Smithfield Sheepdog - my personal favorite obscure breed and perhaps the breed of my own dog Mattie. But, it's also a really great book to learn about other breeds from all over the world.

So, each month I'll highlight one obscure breed, starting with the sheep herders. This month, it is the German Sheeppoodle. If you "google" this breed in Google Images, you see just a few pictures - here is one I snagged...


So, the book describes the German Sheeppoodle as such:

The breed is also referred to as the Schafpudel, the Sheeppudel or the Poodle Sheepdog.

This is a rare dog which is little known today. Some authors have even questioned whether it may have become extinct in recent years. It appears to be completely unknown outside its homeland. In appearance this is a shaggy sheepdog, with a wavy, poodle coat and a tendency to become corded. One rather harsh critic commented that it is a dog of "heavy and uncouth" appearance. It has drooped ears, a long tail and a coat that is either white or pied, with various forms of shading. In height it is 24 inches. It has been described by various authors as clever, attentive, vigilant, good-natured, devoted, sociable, gentle, tolerant and affectionate. It is thought that its ancestors included the Barbet and the Poodle. The Puli has also been mentioned as a close relative and it is believed that the movements of flocks of sheep between Germany and Hungary in earlier times may have played a significant role in the development of this breed.