Shalaika: description of the breed, character of dogs and their content

Maybe someone paid attention to the cute little dogs accompanying employees at the airports? Similar at the same time to a fox and a wolf, they are employees of aviation security, although they look completely harmless. This newest breed of dog, which received official recognition only in 2018, is called the Shalaika.

The shalaika has many names - Sulimov's dog, quarteron, jackalayka. It was bred, as you might guess, by Klim Timofeevich Sulimov with the sole purpose of creating an ideal bloodhound. This goal has been fully achieved by the author of the breed. The dogs turned out to be very energetic, possessing an amazing sense of smell, while unpretentious, hardy and hard-working.

Sulimov came up with the idea of ​​breeding such a breed, because he is not by hearsay familiar with the shortcomings of service dog breeds, first of all, their sense of smell, which is not able to catch the subtlest odors.

The task assigned to him was precisely in breeding a breed that would have a heightened sense of smell, while being excellently trained. After much deliberation, Sulimov “laid down” a Nenets husky-reindeer race and a jackal as the basis for the future breed. There are reasons for this. Jackals are omnivorous, unusually intelligent, nimble, small in size. As for the Nenets reindeer herding huskies, these are dogs belonging to the Spitz breed group, but formed in the harsh tundra conditions. These are not sled dogs, but helpers in herding reindeer. With their barking, the reindeer race prevents individual animals from scattering far from the herd, driving them together.They are temperamental, agile, attentive, very attached to the owner. At the same time, they have such properties as independence, love of freedom, since they are used to making decisions without the commands of the owner.

Breeding began with jackals fed by a dog. Suitable puppies were found in the Baku zoo, fed by a Nenets reindeer race under the supervision of Sulimov. The puppies were mated with the same dog. The first cubs - half jackals, half dogs - were obtained only in 1977. Their sense of smell was super strong, but it was impossible to train them, their fear of humans was overwhelming. After 5 years, dogs were obtained that had ¼ of jackal blood, and it was they who completed the task assigned to Sulimov. This is how the name Quarteron appeared. These puppies ceased to be very afraid of people, began to chew the food offered to them more thoroughly, and not swallow it right away, which is typical of jackals, respectively, their digestion process was adjusted, as well as primary socialization.

Thanks to the instinct and omnivorousness of jackal genes, Quarterons are able to recognize even the slightest traces of herbal drugs, as well as synthetic drugs. This makes the representatives of the breed universal bloodhounds, aimed precisely at finding prohibited substances. Currently, more than four dozen shalays are working in the field of aviation security at various airports in the country.

The shalaika is of medium size, its musculature is well developed, and its paws are strong. The ears are pointed at the ends, like the ears of a wolf, always in a standing position. The eyes are small, brown with a shade of amber, the nose is bright black. Sulimov's dogs have a thick, coarse coat that perfectly protects them from frost and winds, with a thick undercoat. The coat can be semi-long or short. The tail is of considerable thickness and very fluffy; it can either curl or hang. Feathers may be present on the hind legs and tail, as well as in the collar area.

The heads of the Quarterons are of medium size and wedge-shaped. All parts of the dog's body are proportional to each other. The muzzle tapers towards the nose lobe. Lips are low-pigmented and tight-fitting. Not wet. Quarterons have excellent teeth, white and strong, with a scissor bite. Paws are dryish, set straight.

Dogs have excellent body balancing - they can land on their paws by jumping from a great height. This is the only breed of dog that, having fallen from the fifth floor, can get off with minor injuries. Dogs are very mobile due to their medium-sized size, they can literally explore every centimeter of the working area.

Shalaiks have a complex character. Since each of them has jackal genes, they are not loyal and not attached to the owner. This is correct, because the shalays were not "conceived" as companions and pets in principle, their task is to serve for the benefit of the state's security, and they do it perfectly.

With people, the rascals are careful, restrained. Sulimov's dog is far from being as friendly and affectionate to its owner as its ancestor, the reindeer herding Nenets Laika, is capricious and independent.

The genetic memory of Quarterons keeps not only the jackal's fear of people, but also the fearfulness of the deer race. They were shot in the tundra for many years, so when they see a person with a gun or a stick, they can “pass”. Such dogs are not hired in the gym, but they work in laboratories.Most shalays prefer to maintain a distance of 40 steps with suspicious people - the distance of a shot.

Sulimov's dog is fearless, brave, active. Their mobility and energy require constant physical activity. Shalaika puppies are unusually nimble, they love to play, but growing up, they lose this quality, acquiring seriousness and severity.

The life expectancy of a shalaika is 14 years; they retire at 12. After leaving the service, the dogs are attached to new owners. It is impossible to buy a puppy, you can only buy a dog of retirement age or one that has not passed the certification procedure. All dogs of this breed are the property of the airlines, they are not sold to other countries or to private owners, with the exception of those listed above.

It is also known from dog handlers who train Quarterons that, due to the unique acuity of the sense of smell of animals, there have been a large number of orders for them from other countries, but there are no plans to sell them anywhere other than Russia. The Shalaiks have traveled outside Russia many times as part of their business trips, where they have proven themselves in the best possible way. They also cooperate not only with Aeroflot, but also with the police. Their scent is really unique - on a trial test, a dog makes mistakes once in two hundred.

Quarteron can have different types of color - from one-color to two- and even tricolor, including zonal.

Mostly there are brown shalays with white spots on the chest. Black and white, piebald color is no less common. Due to the piebald, multicolor nature, the animal remains visible even in twilight and darkness.

Representatives of the breed are highly trainable, understand commands the first time, and are interested in new skills. The main incentive for them is to receive a treat at the end of the class. But the shalaiki are completely indifferent to the approval of the owner or the dog handler. Representatives of the breed have a powerful intellect, comparable to German shepherds. From this fact, one can make an independent conclusion about their learning ability.

Aggression and physical abuse are unacceptable when raising a dog. It is necessary to set a task for the little rogue, to explain it as clearly and accurately as possible. If the dog completes the task, he is entitled to a treat. But flaunting superiority and asserting oneself in front of her is not necessary, in the case of a representative of this breed it is useless. She will not react to either this, or to signs of love, affection and devotion.

The upbringing and training of puppies begins at 8-10 weeks. They are kept separately from adult dogs, after a certain time a leader stands out in the group of puppies. The attention is paid to him first of all, and the rest of the puppies take an example from him. The employees of the Aeroflot nursery do not talk about the intricacies of their work with quarterons.

The diet of Quarterons should be rich in meat (approximately 4/5), twice a week, you can replace it with fish. Be sure to feed your dog with cereals, fruits and vegetables. It is necessary to ensure constant access of dogs to clean drinking water.

The omnivorous nature of the jackal allows shaliks to be unpretentious in food, but modern dogs need a more balanced diet than before. Nenets reindeer horses mainly feed on fish, and the Quarterons also highly respect it. But, when offering fish or meat to your dog, care should be taken to be free of bones.

The necessary care for the representatives of the breed is minimal, the main thing is combing the wool during the shedding period. Activities that are mandatory for all breeds are antihelminthic treatment once a season, antiparasitic treatment and treatment with special compounds during the period of tick activity.

Clipping of claws causes unpleasant sensations in Quarterons, so it is better not to do it. Long claws will not harm this breed in any way, moreover, they tend to grind off on their own. Bathing is necessary in case of heavy pollution, these dogs have no problems with water. If the dog is dirty, it smells specifically. Representatives of the breed can swim on their own, they love water and swim well. Quarterons have excellent immunity, they are not afraid of either frost or heat.

In the nursery, shalaiks live in small open-air cages. But they do not stay there for so long, because they have a rather long working day - 12 hours each. Nurseries have 3 floors.

It should be borne in mind that the selection of the breed continues, the work of dog handlers and Sulimov himself, who has devoted more than 40 years of his life to the shaliks, is moving forward, and perhaps even more unique dogs await us in the future.

In the next video, everything about the shalaika dog breed.