Shalaika: description of the breed, the nature of the dogs and their contents

Maybe someone paid attention to the cute little dogs accompanying employees at airports? Similar at the same time to the fox and the wolf, they are aviation security personnel, although they look completely harmless. This newest breed of dogs, which was officially recognized only in 2018, is called the salaika.

Shalaika has many names - Sulimov's dog, Quarteron, shakalika. It was derived, as you can guess, by Klim Timofeevich Sulimov for the sole purpose of creating an ideal bloodhound. The purpose of this author of the breed is fully achieved. The dogs were 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 hearsay familiar with the shortcomings of service breeds of dogs, first of all, their sense of smell, unable to catch the subtle smells.

The task set for him was precisely in breeding a breed that would have a heightened sense of smell, while being well trained. The basis of the future breed Sulimov, after much deliberation, "laid" the Nenets husky-reindeer and the jackal. There are reasons for this. Jackals are omnivorous, unusually smart, quick, small in size. As for the Nenets deer leggon, the dogs belonging to the pedigree group of Spitz, but formed in the harsh tundra conditions. These are not riding dogs, but helpers in the reindeer herding. With their barking, the frights do not allow individual animals to disperse far from the herd, driving them together. They are temperamental, agile, attentive, very attached to the owner. At the same time, they possess such properties as independence, freedom-loving, as they are accustomed to make decisions without host commands.

Breeding of the breed began with the jackals fed by the dog. Suitable puppies were found in the Baku zoo, fed them by the Nenets reindeer under the control of Sulimov. Mating grown puppies made with the same dog. The first cubs - half jackals, half dogs - were received only in 1977. Their sense of smell was super-strong, but it was impossible to train them, their fear in relation to a person was insurmountable. After 5 years, dogs were received for ш having a blood of a jackal, and they carried out the task assigned to Sulimov. So the name Quarteron appeared. These puppies ceased to be very afraid of people, they began to more thoroughly chew the food they offered, rather than swallowing it immediately, which is typical of jackals, respectively, the process of their digestion was adjusted, as was the initial socialization.

Thanks to the instincts and omnipotence of the jackals, the Quarones are able to recognize even the slightest traces of herbal drugs, as well as synthetic drugs. This makes the representatives of the breed universal snoops, aimed specifically at the search for prohibited substances. Currently, more than four dozen shalek works in the field of aviation security at various airports in the country.

Shalaika has an average size, its muscles are well developed, strong legs.The ears are pointed at the ends, similar to the ears of a wolf, always in a standing position. The eyes are small in size, brown with a hint of amber, the nose is bright black. Sulimov's dogs have a thick hard coat that perfectly protects them from frost and wind, with a thick undercoat. Wool can be semi-long or short. The tail is of considerable thickness and very fluffy, it can either be twisted in a ring or hang. There may be towing on hind legs and tail, as well as in the collar area.

The heads of quarterns are of medium size and wedge-shaped. All parts of the dog's body are proportional to each other. The muzzle is narrowed to the nasal lobe. Lips slightly pigmented and tight. Not wet. Quarterons have excellent teeth, white and strong, with a scissor bite. Paws dry, straight set.

The dogs have excellent body balancing - they can land on their paws, jumping from a great height. This is the only breed of dogs that, falling from the fifth floor, can get off light injuries. Dogs are very mobile due to their small size, can literally examine every inch of the working area.

Shalaik have a complex character. Since each of them contains the jackal genes, they are not loyal and not attached to the owner. This is right, because shalaikas were not “conceived” as companions and pets, in principle, their task is to serve the good of the security of the state, and they perform it perfectly.

Shalayki people are cautious, restrained. Sulimov's dog is far from being so friendly and affectionate to the owner as its ancestor is the Nenets reindeer-like, it is capricious and independent.

The genetic memory of the Quarteron is preserved not only by the jackal the fear of people, but also by the apprehension of the reindeer. They have been shot in the tundra for many years, so they can “pass” at the sight of a man with a gun or a stick. Such dogs are not taken to work in the hall, but they work in laboratories. Most shalek prefer to withstand with suspicious people a distance of 40 steps - the distance of the shot.

Sulimov's dog is fearless, brave, active. Their mobility and energy requires constant physical activity. Shalaik puppies are unusually quick, they love to play, but when they grow up, they lose this quality, gaining seriousness and severity.

The life span of a shalaika is 14 years, and they retire at 12. After leaving the service, dogs are attached to new owners. It is impossible to buy a puppy, you can only buy a dog of retirement age or who have 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.

Also, it is known from dog trainers involved in the training of Quarterons that due to the unique acuity of animals' smell, a large number of orders for them came from other countries, but there are no plans to sell them except for Russia. Shalaik many times traveled outside of Russia within the framework of business trips, where they have established themselves in the best possible way. They also cooperate not only with Aeroflot, but also with the police. Their scent is really unique - on trial trials the dog makes a mistake once out of two hundred.

Quarterone can have different types of color - from one-color to two- and even three-color, including zonary.

Basically there are shalaik of brown color with white spots on the chest. No less common black and white, piebald color. Thanks to the tickedness, the multicolor animal remains visible even in twilight and darkness.

Representatives of the breed are well trained, they understand the team the first time, they are interested in new skills. The main incentive for them is getting treats at the end of the lesson. But to the approval of the owner or the dog handlers, the shalayki are completely indifferent. Representatives of the breed have a powerful intellect, comparable to the German Shepherd. From this fact, we can make an independent conclusion about their learning.

Aggression and physical abuse are unacceptable when raising a dog. It is necessary to set the task before the shalayka, to explain it as clearly and accurately as possible. If the dog performs the task, it is supposed to treat. But to flaunt the superiority and assert itself before it is not necessary, in the case of a representative of this breed it is useless. She will not respond to this, nor to signs of love, affection and devotion.

Education and training of puppies starts from 8-10 weeks. They are kept separately from adult dogs, after a certain time a leader stands out in the puppy group. The attention is paid to him first of all, and other puppies take an example from him. The employees of the Aeroflot nursery do not apply to the intricacies of their work with the Quarters.

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

The omnivorousness of the jackal allows salaky to be unpretentious in food, however modern dogs need more balanced nutrition than before. The Nenets deerflies mostly feed on fish, and the Quarreons also respect it very much. But, When offering fish or meat to the dog, care should be taken to ensure that there are no bones in them..

Necessary care for the representatives of the breed is minimal, the main - combing wool during the molting period. Measures that are mandatory for all breeds - antihelminthic treatment once a season, antiparasitic treatment and processing by special structures during the period of tick activity.

Unpleasant sensations in the Quarteron pruning claws, so it is better not to produce. Long claws will not harm this breed, and they also have the ability to grind down independently. 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. Immunity from the Quarteron is excellent, they are not afraid of either frost or heat.

In the kennel shalayki live in small enclosures. But they are not there for so long, because they have a rather long working day - for 12 hours. Nurseries have 3 floors.

It should be borne in mind that breed breeding continues, the work of dog handlers and Sulimov himself, who has dedicated shalaik more than 40 years of life, is moving forward, and perhaps even more unique dogs are waiting for us in the future.

The following video is all about the dog breed Shalayka.