its owner, the right conditions of the environment for hunting plus time dedicated to the dog must be met. All West Siberian Laikas are naturally protective against wild animals, especially predators, and some dogs are protective against strangers acting suspicious or violent. A West Siberian Laika will make a good companion dog for a hiking trip. However, its extraordinary interest in wildlife demands special attention because the dog may tree some animals and stay far behind for some time. The West Siberian Laika is a great psycho-therapy dog for able bodied active people, who like to walk a lot and hunt. He needs regular free exercising between hunting seasons. Take him for walking trips in safe places often and stay healthy. If you have bears in the woods near you, this dog would be the best to warn you or your loved ones in time about the bear's presence and may even show you a treed bear. If a Laika sees a bear, they will run toward the bear, not from it, and they will be barking. When a Laika barks at a bear, their voice sounds as if they were barking at a human—very unlike when they are barking at a squirrel. Treeing squirrels and other small game comes naturally. Just take your puppy in woods and turn him loose. He will start finding his own squirrels by age of 4 to 10 months. Mansi, Khanty, Russians and any other ethnic groups of people living in Russia use the same dogs for hunting and as alarm dogs. Some West Siberian Laikas work well herding reindeer herds. During any activity or training, hunting overrules everything else. A Mansi never minds if his Laika abandons his reindeer herd for a while, especially if his Laika finds valuable game. Mansi and Khanty use reindeer and, in some cases, horses as a draft animal, but good hunting dogs are never used to pull sleds. It would be like using a valuable dagger to chop firewood. If a sled dog is needed, they use another kind sturdy built and larger dog called in Russian "Yezdovaya Laika" or sled Laika. This is practiced mainly in polar tundra where reindeer have nothing to eat. See also Dogs portal List of dog breeds References Sources in Russian Language: Dmitrieva-Sulima, M., "Laika and Hunting With It", Sanct-Peterburg, 1911. Republished by Aquarium, Moscow, 2003. Ioannesyan, A. P., "Materials on