The West Siberian Laika is a medium to large size dog, strong, well built northern breed, with a general wolf-like appearance. The breed is never coarse or massive. Due to the arctic conditions in the country of origin, the coat is very important. It must be double, dense, very hard and not too long.

Intelligent, willing to learn and easily trainable. Affectionate and loyal to his family, and friendly to strangers. The breed has a strongly developed hunting instinct and a keen sense of direction. When he finds game, he alerts the hunter by barking.