Karelo-Finnish husky

History of the Karelo-Finnish Husky breed

The Karelo-Finnish husky is perhaps the most deprived of domestic breeds, whose representatives have not been awarded their own standard and have been absorbed by the more popular dog clan. Karelian huskies appeared in tsarist Russia at the end of the XIX century, and their main concentration was in the north and west of the country. Subsequently, the animals that lived on the border territories began to spontaneously interbreed with Finnish commercial dogs, which led to the birth of a separate breed branch. In fact, these were the first Karelo-Finnish huskies, with which residents of the northern provinces very successfully went to the grouse.

In 1936, the Karelians got to the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, where they pleasantly surprised the dog handlers. And in 1939, they even tried to standardize them, but at first the low number of livestock prevented the case, and then the Great Patriotic War. At the end of the 40s, Soviet breeders set out to turn Karelo-Finnish huskies into universal hunters, starting to knit them with Finnish spitz. As a result, the animals dramatically improved their exterior performance, which was the impetus for the large-scale import of Finnish spitz into the USSR and the subsequent uncontrolled pumping of the breed. It got to the point that by the 80s, most of the individuals from domestic nurseries carried 70% of the blood of the Finnish spitz.

In 1984, the issue of standardization of Karelo-Finnish huskies arose again. This time, members of the Leningrad Society of Hunters and Fishermen undertook to solve the problem, who did not bother too much and ranked the animals among the family of Finnish spitz. However, the final "disbandment" of the breed occurred only in 2006, after the chairman of the Finnish Kennel Club and the president of the RKF signed an official agreement, according to which the Finnish Spitz and the Karelo-Finnish husky were declared a single breeding branch and received a common standard of appearance. This created the illusion of some sort of order, but did not stop the debate about the differences between both dog clans. In particular, modern specialists engaged in testing the hunting talents of "Finns" and "Karelians" assure that the working indicators of dogs are not the same, and the merger of two breeds into one has not brought any practical benefit to either animals or their owners.

Video: Karelo-Finnish husky

Appearance of the Karelo-Finnish husky

The Karelo-Finnish laika is a medium–sized hunting breed with fluffy "honey" fur and brown or black eyes. The dog has a dry strong type of constitution, almost a square format. "Boys" are on average slightly larger and more massive than "girls". The breed standard defines the following parameters: height at the withers – 42-50 cm (for males) and 38-46 cm (for females); body weight – 12-13 kg and 7-10 kg, respectively.

Head

Karelka's skull looks oval from above and slightly convex from the sides. The eyebrows and occipital protuberance are not very pronounced, as is the frontal furrow. The stop of the representatives of this breed is clearly drawn, but not too sharply. The muzzle is narrow, with an even back, dry.

Jaws and teeth

The dog's jaws are massive, closed in a tight scissor bite. The teeth are strong, even, symmetrically set.

Nose

Miniature earlobe, charcoal color.

Eyes

Karelo-Finnish huskies have not very large, almond-shaped eyes, set somewhat obliquely. The iris of the eye is colored dark.

Ears

High-set ears, standing. The ear cloth is small, pointed in shape, the outer side is hidden under a layer of thick short hair.

Neck

The neck of the Karelo-Finnish husky is of normal length, but because of the voluminous woolen "collar" it gives the impression of being short and thick.

Housing

The correct "Karelo-Finn" is distinguished by a strong physique. The body of the dog is square in format with a straight back, a massive, sloping croup and a well-defined withers. The stomach is slightly tightened.

Limbs

The legs of the Karelo-Finnish husky are straight, placed parallel to each other. The front legs are characterized by a developed backbone, movable, slightly inclined shoulder blades and normal pastern length. The hind legs of this breed are strong, with fleshy thighs, muscular shins and low-set hocks. The dog's paws are rounded, almost feline, while the front ones are slightly shorter than the rear ones.

Tail

The length of the tail of the Karelo-Finnish husky is up to the hock joint. The part of the tail bordering the base is steeply turned towards the back, which is why the rest of it rushes down and hangs down to the hip.

Wool

On the head and the frontal part of all four limbs, the hair is relatively short. On the body, tail and thighs, the coat is longer, lush, noticeably lagging behind the body. The guard hair on the shoulder blades of males stands out especially – it is hard and stands almost upright.

Color

The backs of Karelo-Finnish huskies are colored more intensely and come in rich red or reddish-golden tones. The cheekbones, the inside of the ears, legs and tail, as well as the chest and lower abdomen of the dog are noticeably lighter. The presence of white patches on the paws and a light groove on the chest is considered normal.

Shortcomings and vices of the breed

The most typical defects of Karelo-Finnish huskies are a large head, a weighted muzzle, an insufficiently developed lower jaw, an excessively or insufficiently twisted tail. It is not uncommon among karelkas to find such deviations from the standard as sharp transitions between shades of color, ears hanging to the sides, tilted back or pointing towards each other with the tips, as well as soft pasterns. If we are talking about disqualifying breed defects, then these include:

• blue and yellow colors of the iris;
• too soft ear tips;
• any deviations from the standard bite;
• wool with a wave or pronounced curl;
• large white markings on the chest and the same "socks" on the legs of the animal;
• depigmented lobe;
• unjustified aggression directed at a person.

The nature of the Karelo-Finnish husky

The Karelo-Finnish husky is a cheerful, positive creature, but at the same time with a great sense of self–worth, which is not worth hurting even the beloved and adored owner. In general, "Karelo-Finns" are self–sufficient pets, responding with an even, friendly attitude to good treatment and distrust and nervousness to a rude, authoritarian leadership style. By the way, it is easiest to understand that a four-legged friend is offended by the tail, which straightens out in irritated animals.

In childhood and adolescence, the Karelo-Finnish husky gives the impression of being extremely dependent on the owner. She is obedient, dutiful, catches every glance of her mentor. But the older the dog gets, the faster its sense of self-importance grows. So stubbornness and independence are the traits that you will almost certainly find in a four–year-old karelka and almost never in puppies. However, if it seemed to you that the Karelo-Finnish huskies are fixated only on themselves, then it really seemed to you. The Finnish Pomeranian of the Karelian spill is a good telepath and perfectly feels the mood of his own master. He is far from slow-witted, so he quickly figures out what actions are expected of him, and in accordance with this builds his own line of behavior.

Karelo-Finnish huskies openly dislike strangers who suddenly invade private territory, so it's easy to raise a home guard from a representative of this breed. As for the kids, the dogs have friendly relations with her, although not always ideal. That is, Karelka, of course, is not averse to playing catch-up with the kids, but in response to violence or outright infringement of his own rights, he can make a warning "Woof!". In general, Karelo-Finnish huskies are very convenient companions not only for professional hunters, but also for adherents of an active lifestyle. They will never refuse to run around the city parks with their own owner and will gladly go to any picnic, you just have to whistle.

Education and training

The main difficulty in training Karelo-Finnish huskies is the dog's rapid loss of interest in classes. Yes, the Finnish Pomeranian is ready to learn, but not for long and for a treat. In addition, to work out the command to automatism, a representative of this breed will need at least 25-30 repetitions, which is not so little.

Karel's training begins as standard – with the recognition of the pet's own nickname and the habit of settling in the place assigned to him in the apartment. It is necessary to work out the basic commands with the puppy very carefully and in a dosed manner so as not to overwork the baby. In three months, the Karelo-Finnish husky should begin to get acquainted with such commands as "Sit!", "To me!", "You can't!". From the same age, if you have a spring dog, you can teach her swimming lessons. Start with a simple walk through warm puddles, gradually moving on to swimming in streams and other small bodies of water. When the Karelo-Finnish husky starts hunting, this skill will come in handy. Just do not forget to wash the animal with clean water after each such swim to clean the wool from bacteria and microorganisms living in open reservoirs.

At a young age, Karelo-Finnish huskies are extremely destructive creatures, so you have to accept the inevitability of material damage. It is important to understand that the puppy is not naughty out of harmfulness, he just develops in this way and gets acquainted with the surrounding reality. If you plan to visit the countryside with a Finnish pomeranian, train the dog to respond adequately to poultry, for which the good old command "No!" will do. If it was not possible to control the pet, and he has already strangled a chicken or goose, punish the four-legged bully without leaving the crime scene. Put the brakes on the case once, and the Karelo-Finnish husky will entertain itself for life by hunting bird herds.

Hunting with Karelian husky

Despite the versatility of the breed in hunting terms, with Karelo-Finnish huskies it is more expedient to go for small fur-bearing animals (squirrels, marten) and capercaillie. Karelki perfectly find and stop the game, skillfully scare the animal under the shot and finally aport the shot prey. Theoretically, you can pick up a puppy from four months old, but not all huskies at this age have sufficient intelligence. So if at the first lesson the dog does not show interest in the beast, it is worth waiting another month or two. By the way, the Finnish Spitz bear hunt, which has become unexpectedly popular lately, is more of a show than a real hunt. It's one thing to bark at a decoy clubfoot at the pritravochnaya station, and quite another to provoke a wild potapych at his native den. Of course, in the biography of individual Karelians, this kind of hunting also takes place, but this is aerobatics, which the chosen ones manage even after numerous and tedious training sessions.

Sometimes the hunter's instinct can lie dormant in a Finnish spitz for up to a year and a half. You should not be afraid of this, since Karelo-Finnish huskies are excellent at catching up. The main thing is to keep the pet interested in work. For example, you can periodically give animal skins or a broken bird to a puppy for personal use. If you have a second dog that has already taken part in the hunt, take her to the bait. Looking at the behavior of an older friend, the puppy will definitely try to copy it.

When working with a large animal, representatives of this breed are especially careful, they do not lose their mind and never forget about the rules of their own safety. The Karelo-Finnish husky keeps a respectful distance from the enraged boar, while not ceasing to bark at him. By the way, such a cautious approach does not affect the prey in any way: red karelians almost never leave the forest without a trophy.

Maintenance and care

The Karelo-Finnish husky is not an aviary and certainly not a chain dog. Her place is in the house, in the company of a kind, understanding owner and his family members. In addition, despite the fact that this kind of husky enjoys a reputation among hunters as "cold-resistant", Russian frosts are not for it. As a compromise, the pet can be periodically relocated to a booth in the yard, but only in the warm season. And by the way, do not really count on the fact that the furry hunter will be very pleased with such a move.

It is necessary to equip a separate sleeping place for a puppy in the house, as well as to accustom him to it. Otherwise, in your absence, the Finnish Pomeranian will rest on your own bed. So in the first weeks of the dog's habitation in your home, do not be lazy to lay an expensive sofa with newspapers – huskies usually do not encroach on the rustling bed.

From a month and a half Karelo-Finnish huskies begin to walk. The first walks can last 15-20 minutes, but as the dog grows up, they should be increased. It is optimal if the animal is taken outside twice a day for 2-3 hours. This is especially important for Karelians living in a large city, who need to compensate for the lack of hunting opportunities by walking. By the way, because of the developed stalking instincts, the huskies are taken out of the house on a leash, otherwise there is a risk of losing the perky ginger forever.

Hygiene

You will not have to be on duty near the Karelo-Finnish husky with a furminator and lotion to facilitate combing, since the wool of representatives of this breed is trouble-free, almost does not smell like a dog and sheds twice a year. The karel is combed with a metal comb a couple of times a week and daily during the molting period. You can bathe an adult dog no more than 2-3 times a year. Remember that the husky regularly goes hunting and so takes unplanned baths, jumping into the swamps for the shot game.

The eyes of the Karelo-Finnish husky are relatively healthy, not prone to the formation of nitrous oxide, so they do not require special care. The only thing – do not forget in the morning to remove lumps from the eye corners, the formation of which is provoked by the dust that has fallen on the mucous membrane. To do this, moisten a clean cloth in chamomile infusion and gently wipe your eyes. If you notice purulent discharge, redness or increased tearfulness in your pet, visit a specialist – herbal decoctions alone cannot eliminate such problems.

Once a week it is necessary to allocate time for a thorough examination of the dog's ears, and once a month the Karelo-Finnish husky should have its claws trimmed. Brushing teeth for karelka is also mandatory, so every 3-4 days arm yourself with a paste and a cleaning nozzle and treat the oral cavity of the ward. It is more correct to remove plaque in the veterinary office, but preventive measures to combat it can be taken at home. In particular, systematically treat the Finnish Pomeranian with pressed treats from the pet store and fresh tomatoes.

Like all hunting dogs that regularly go to the forest, the Karelo-Finnish husky needs increased protection from ticks, so do not skimp on funds from ectoparasites. In addition, from May to September (the peak of tick activity), inspect the pet's fur after a walk. If you notice that a "free passenger" has clung to karelka, pull him out with a twisting movement of tweezers and wipe the bite area with chlorhexidine. Now it remains only to observe the behavior of the animal. If the Karelo-Finnish husky is playful and eats normally, you can breathe a sigh of relief – you have come across a safe parasite. If the dog refuses to eat, looks apathetic, her temperature has risen, and the urine has acquired a brownish hue – urgently take her to the veterinarian.

Feeding

Finnish spitz against the background of other, larger huskies look like real maloezhki. At the same time, the energy from these red-haired creatures beats like a fountain. Three-week-old puppies are usually already fed by breeders, so by 2-3 months the karelka babies completely switch to an adult table. Approximately 20% of the diet of a teenage dog is lean meat. It is better if it is not a frozen product, but a steam room. The first option is also possible, but only after thorough thawing.

Meat for Karelo-Finnish husky puppies is always given cut into pieces and never in the form of minced meat flying through the digestive tract at an accelerated pace and not bringing saturation. Bone cartilage is also a useful product and a source of natural collagen, so you can like them already at 7 weeks of age. But it's better to wait with the bones until the puppy is at least 3 months old.

It is better to start introducing the animal to cereal products with milk semolina porridge, after a month or two replacing it with oatmeal. Millet, rice, buckwheat in the menu of the Finnish pomeranian also have a place to be, but they will have to be cooked in meat broth, since no dog will voluntarily push into itself the grits cooked on water. Low-fat sour milk, vegetables (especially carrots), boneless sea fish are very useful for Karelo-Finnish huskies. Dried fruits (not candied fruits) and cheese will be an excellent treat for a pet, but they should be given in portions and not enough.

Food in the dog's bowl should be superimposed without a reserve. If the Karelo-Finnish husky has not finished the proposed dish, 15 minutes after the start of feeding, the bowl is removed, and the portion is reduced next time. This approach disciplines the animal, teaching him not to leave food for the next visit. At 8 months old, the puppy begins to eat according to an "adult" schedule, that is, twice a day. 1.5-month-old karelians are fed often – up to 6 times a day, with each subsequent month reducing the number of meals by one.

Important: Karelo-Finnish huskies that eat natural products need vitamin and mineral supplements, as it is extremely difficult to balance the diet of a hunting dog on their own.

Health and diseases of Karelo-Finnish huskies

Karelo-Finnish huskies have a predisposition to joint dysplasia, limb dislocations and, slightly less often, epilepsy. Otherwise, they are quite healthy dogs with strong immunity.

How to choose a puppy

• First look at the puppy's parents and find out their age. It is better not to take Karelo-Finnish huskies from a too young couple (a bitch and a male less than 1.5 years old).
• Don't put too much hope on the working and champion diplomas of the baby's mom and dad. Winners are not born, they become.
• 6-week-old Karelo-Finnish husky puppies should already have ears. However, there is a small percentage of animals whose ear tissue is raised only by 3 months. In this case, it is better to wait an extra couple of weeks to determine exactly who is in front of you – a worthy representative of the Karelok family or a tiny impostor.
• Pay attention to the number of puppies in the litter. It is better if there are less than 6 of them.
• The quality of the baby's coat is also important, but it should be remembered that the most spectacular "fur coats" have Karelo-Finnish huskies born in winter.
• Carefully study the pedigree of a potential pet. If the same nicknames with the same numbers are repeated in it, this indicates that the breeder is fond of inbreeding (closely related crossing), and this is fraught with serious developmental deviations and external defects for litters.
• Rate the gait of a Karelo-Finnish husky puppy. A healthy animal should have straight limbs without signs of rickets and move freely. If the puppy "thinks" before lying down or sitting down, not everything is fine with his musculoskeletal system.
• Unkempt puppies with signs of hernia, dirty ears and festering eyes undoubtedly cause pity, but to take such an animal means to acquire a lot of problems in the kit and forever abandon the dream of walking around the ring with a pet.

Price of Karelo-Finnish huskies

The cost of Karelo-Finnish husky puppies with a pure pedigree and the RKF metric starts from $250 and ends in the district $750 - $800 . In the first case, they will be ordinary working dogs with possible defects in appearance, but developed hunting instincts. In the second – animals with a reference exterior and champion prospects, with which it is not a shame to go to foreign exhibitions.