Bear Dog Facts

Karelian Bear Dog is a tenacious and courageous breed. It is also very self-confident and it may be aggressive towards other dogs, but never towards people. Karelian Bear Dog is a tough hard working hunting breed. A Bear Dog has to have a possibility to work or it will become destructive and very hard to handle.

Karelian Bear Dog is an excellent hunter. It is very independent, yet it works co-operatively with his master, marking the game animal by intensive bark. They will bark differently for different game. An experienced hunter will know what animal the dog is barking at by the sound of the bark. Karelian Bear Dog has a keen sense of smell and a very good sense of direction.

The Bear Dog searches the game from a wide area (For many miles and hours). It can work in difficult terrains and under all types of weather conditions. Rain, strong winds, high snow do not restrain them from hunting. With a Karelian Bear Dog you can compete in several types of working trials and even do agility. The most common type of working trials for Bear Dogs are moose hunting trials, bear hunting trials and bear instinct trials that are done regularly in Finland and Sweden.

Bear Dogs can also participate in hunting trail trials, where the trail is laid with fresh blood to mimic a trail of a wounded animal (”blood tracking”). This is done in many countries such as Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, Denmark with wild boars, bears or rabbits.

A bear dog is never aggressive towards people, but is known for its judgment. They are reserved dogs that are not too friendly to strangers, but if you welcome them after some time they will get used to them.

The children in the family and their friends are welcomed by the bear dog. It loves to play and when it gets too much of it, it will leave to find peace which has to be respected.

The bear dog is highly intelligent and teachable. They will learn very fast and in some situations they will even out smart you. Not only they can outsmart you but almost in every case, they can see, hear and smell other animals before you. Their reflexes are absolutely faster than ours so caution must be taken while on the leash.

We strongly advise that you have a garden or a big yard where the bear dog can run. Karelian Bear Dog won’t live in an apartment.  They are vocal dogs that will bark when they are excited or bored. With that in mind, mature dogs are less noisy. Karelia has hot summer and cold winters therefore the dogs coat isolates against warmth and cold. The coat care is minimal. Brushing a few times a year will keep the coat in good condition. It changes coat twice a year, males dependent of the seasons, bitches in their heat. Brush daily when shredding. A bath will speed up the shredding.

Karelian bear dog has a fun character, it has lots of energy to run, jump and play. The owner will have problems if the dog is left alone in the house without being exercised. In a matter of minutes you can find furniture, glasses, remote control in pieces. They need to burn their energy everyday without exception, we advise twice 30 minute daily long and fast walks if possible.  Karelian Bear Dogs are very stubborn and in depended minded dogs. They will want to be the leader in the group. Training a bear dog should start from 3 months old. We suggest taking them to obedience classes. They have to be taught firmly and regularly that you are the master.

If you got a smaller pet in the house, it is very important that they get used to each other when the bear dog is still a puppy. It will take only one fight with a cat in the park or in the house and the battle lines will be drawn, that cat will be remembered forever. Hunting bear dogs will attack small game head on to kill. Take this as a warning please. If there is a small game behind the bushes or around the corner it will smell it before you see it and before you know it, it will be too late to prevent things from happening. Karelian Bear Dogs are extremely fast dogs, they can turn in directions faster than any other dog and accelerate in high speeds. Imagine, they nib the feet of the bears during hunting and when the bear turns to hit it, they would get out of his paws in the exact right time. Karelian Bear Dogs looks like a sweetheart to many due to their appearance, but in reality they are usually far from it. So please know what you are getting yourself into. They are hard dogs to take care of and certainly not for the faint hearted.

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