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The Karelian Bear Dog is a Finnish or Karelian breed of dog, more often used for hunting Moose than the name-suggested bear since not all individuals have the ability to properly work a bear. Bear and moose tests are conducted in Finland, Sweden and Norway to determine an individuals ability as a beardog and weighs heavily in the dogs breeding potential. This dog will put a bear to flight or attack it with great pugnacity and will sacrifice its own life for its master. Their quick reflexes and fearless nature has also made them very popular for hunting other aggressive game such as the wild boar.
Appearance: The dog should be in excellent physical condition. Males stand 54 to 60 cm (22 to 24 inches) at the withers, while females stand significantly shorter at 49 to 55 cm (19 to 22 inches).
The breed has a striking coat of straight, stiff but soft guard hairs and a fine soft undercoat. There should be no curl in the hair at all. The colour must be black with white markings. Often the jet black hair is slightly tinted with brownish highlights on the ends giving it an iridescent quality. This is caused by the sun's "bleaching out" of the jet black hair color. Preferably the color percentage is around 70% black and 30% white. The bushy tail curls over the back in a ring and has a white tip which falls gently onto the dog's back or to one side.
Temperament: The dog should be brave. Often they
tend to be aggressive towards other dogs, and suspicious of
strangers. They have been bred to be very independent and a
good beardog should be able to actively hunt for hours at a
time without any contact to its master.
Proper socialization and training is necessary as these
dogs demand proper authority and respect to work well with
their master and other animals. These traits tend to prevent
the breed from becoming popular companion dogs.
The dog should be brave. Often they tend to be aggressive towards other dogs but usually it is because they are very territorial or they feel threatened. They are cautious around strangers at first but usually warm up to them eventually. They have been bred to be very independent and a good bear dog should be able to actively hunt for hours at a time without any contact with its master.
Proper socialization and training is necessary as these dogs demand proper authority and respect to work well with their master and other animals. Treating them harshly will cause them to mistrust so one must be firm but careful when working with them. They must have a trusting and obedient master/dog relationship for everyone's safety.
They must always hunt only with their master and it is best not to have more than two Karelians hunting together or they will either go off hunting on their own or fight over the prey. They work better with other Karelians with which they are raised.
They are silent but tenacious hunters and only alert when they have the prey at bay. They will keep it there by barking in a very high, fast bark and running back and forth or around the animal until the master comes and kills it. They have been known to hold an animal at bay a very long time. If a bear tries to leave the dog will bite it on the backside and aggravate it to keep it from running away.
They are extremely loyal to their master and love their people. For this reason, they must be around them. They also love children and love to play. It is very unusual for a KBD to bite a human but they will kill another animal if they feel threatened. If more than one lives together there is a hierarchy in the pack much like wolves. One will be the alpha dog or leader and the others will usually defer to him/her.
This is not a dog that can be tied to a lead outside, kept in an apartment or never worked with. They are very social, outside hunting dogs and they need plenty of space to run free and get lots of exercise. If they get bored they will dig up the yard or try to get out to go hunting. These traits tend to prevent the breed from becoming popular companion dogs. They are very territorial and will alert their master to the presence of any strangers or other animals nearby that they do not know.
History: The official breeding of the Karelian
beardog was started in 1936 in Finland in order to maintain
the attributes of the original Karelian Laika which was a
truly magnificient dog, prized for its stamina, intelligence
and temperament. The origin of the Karelian Laika is
considered to be the Komi dog which originates in the virgin
forests of the Komi region of Russia.
The Karelian Beardog should not be confused with the
Russian-European Laika. This close relative was bred by
Russian hunters who wanted to distinguish their own Karelian
Bear Laika from the Karelian Beardog, and introduced other
strains of native Russian laikas in order to improve its
already fearless and tenacious characteristics.
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