Karelian Bear Dogs

[Austrian Hunter]

Does anyone have a Karelian Bear Dog? 

I really like the looks of that dog,  if you have any info I would love to hear it. 

The pic is of the internet. 

[WDFW-SUX]

My uncle has one its a great dog...they really really like chasing bears. His dog is sweet with kids and the family.  Id get one in a heartbeat.

[quadrafire]

I have seen 2-3 over the years, all have been aggressive towards people. Not that they all are, but would not be my choice for a pet (unless I was hazing bears)

[bearpaw]

Do they hunt by scent or sight?

[runamuk]

spitz breeds particularly northern breeds or spitz are very independent this means they dont like to take orders   so for those used to trainable breeds like labs these dogs are the other end of the spectrum

Me I love the spitzes I have had chows for years they are great loyal family dogs but they are not typically good listeners or order takers if they think you are wrong they will defy you and it takes some creative training sometimes to work with these breeds

many will disagree with me and thats fine I have had chows for 20 yrs and never had one bite anyone get told every one of my chows was not like other chows   funny every one I have had was like that be it a rescue or a hand picked one.....been around huskies and akitas and elkhounds all are spitzes and all have that aloof nature to one degree or another...

[BIGINNER]

my dad had one back in Russia.  mean little sucker.  my brother-in-law still has i huge scar on his leg from when the dag decided to "taste him"  lol       that dog killed 3 wolves (not all at once though)    but eventually it crossed paths with a wolf that was a little meaner than himself....  so much for that dog  lol

[GoldTip]

The game warden who lived at the end of our back pasture when I was growing up had one of those dogs.  He was known to have trapped and relocated/killed more Grizzlies than anyone else.  Name was Dave Wedum.  His dog was great.  Dave would trap a bear and not have time to relocate it and bring it home.  Then he'd call my Mom and have her send us kids over to stare at the Grizzly in the trap.  That dog stood right between us and that trap, bear would growl and that dog would go nuts.  Never at us kids or at any person I ever saw.  Dave would just send the dog out through the front door when he saw us coming and then he'd sit in the house and read the paper.  He told me that dog had saved his hide more than once.  Seemed like a pretty cool dog to me. 

[carpsniperg2]

yeah heard of them pretty crazy dog from what i have heard, i guess you have to be to take on a wolf

[Austrian Hunter]

Thanks guys! 

I think they are an amazing breed.  I found this on google:

The Karelian Bear Dog is a Finnish or Karelian breed of dog. In its home country it is regarded as a national treasure. In Finland they are more often used for hunting moose and elk although they will hunt any kind of animal. Bear and moose tests are conducted in Finland, Sweden and Norway to determine an individual's 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. Its quick reflexes and fearless nature have also made it very popular for hunting other aggressive game such as the wild boar. It was the breed's ability to hunt and offer protection against a bear that earned the breed its name.

I still would love to hear from other that are familiar with this breed. 

[bearpaw]

Do they hunt by scent or sight?

Does anyone know what kind of hunter they are???

[Ridgeratt]

got 2 of them living behind me right now!!

[yelp]

check this out guys...

http://www.washingtonbeardogs.com/

[yelp]

and this..

http://wdfw.wa.gov/enforcement/kbd/index.html

[yelp]

The best site...


http://www.beardogs.org/

[runamuk]

Do they hunt by scent or sight?

Does anyone know what kind of hunter they are???

most spitzes are not specialists they are more dual so sight and scent......if you watch them they hunt very much like their wild counterparts whom we despise so much

[bearpaw]

The best site...


http://www.beardogs.org/

Thanks Yelp, Now I completely understand why WDFW has Karelians.   

[mulehunter]

Wonder if it would be fun to go for walk with three Karelian dogs thur Wood for fun.   

Mulehunter 

[bearpaw]

my dad had one back in Russia.  mean little sucker.  my brother-in-law still has i huge scar on his leg from when the dag decided to "taste him"  lol       that dog killed 3 wolves (not all at once though)    but eventually it crossed paths with a wolf that was a little meaner than himself....  so much for that dog  lol

Thats pretty interesting, did they go hunting and looking for the wolves or did the wolves come and attack the dogs?