My dog’s main purpose is to hunt, this is what they have been bred for decades to do. West Siberian Laika hunt using all their senses, they will locate game by sight, smell, and sound. They are a hot nosed breed, meaning they typically only follow fresh tracks. They do not cold trail like a hound and are silent on track. WSL bark when they have located the game and driven it up a tree or hold it at bay.

When hunting small game, a WSL will range out in search of prey. They often check in with the hunter if they are not finding anything and to keep an eye on their location. These dogs quickly learn that unless they manage to catch the animal, they cannot reach an animal that is up in a tree and need the hunter’s assistance to dispatch it. I prefer to keep my dogs within 250 yards and don’t want them going much farther for small game like squirrels. The squirrel has often found a nest or hole or timbered out of the tree by the time I get there. For slightly bigger animals like raccoons, I allow the dog to range out a bit farther.

Big game hunting with WSL often requires big distances. Larger animals can go much farther and faster than a smaller animal can. While on the hunt for game like bear, WSL will not follow an old track for miles, instead they happen upon a fresher track or jump a bear and pursue it until it’s treed. On my bear hunts this has happened within 300-600 yards, but can go much farther. The dogs can be a greater distance away when they locate the bear, which adds yardage to your hike. The terrain can add challenges too, it may take hours to reach a bear that is less than a mile away if it has gone up some crazy stuff.