| The Karelean Bear Dog is a close cousin of | | | | speedy hunter and is therefore of moderate |
| the Russian Laika and there is a very strong | | | | size and is slightly longer than he is tall. |
| similarity between the two. However the | | | | The ears are upright. He has a keen sense of |
| Karelean Bear Dog is a native of Finland. | | | | hearing and smell and is considered a |
| The Finnish name for the dog is Karjalank | | | | scenting dog rather than a sight hound.The |
| Arhukoira. the earliest settlers of Finland | | | | Karelean Bear Dog has today gained a popular |
| had to survive in a rugged land and hunting | | | | following in Canada where it is used as a dog |
| rather than agriculture was their main source | | | | which does hunt and bring down the large game |
| of food. They needed a dog that was strong | | | | and especially bear, but this of course is |
| and fearless to hunt and bring down the | | | | only done during "bear hunting season". |
| animals of the region, which included deer, | | | | However there is now another use for the Bear |
| elk, moose and bear. The Karelean Bear Dog | | | | dog. Today there are resort owners who keep |
| has always been the hunting dog of Finland | | | | two or three of these dogs and use them on a |
| and has changed very little from the earliest | | | | regular basis to patrol their resorts and |
| times. Because it is of a limited genetic | | | | keep the bears away as a protection for the |
| pool the lines are quite pure. It became a | | | | summer tourists. There happens to be an |
| very popular hunting dog for large game and | | | | extremely interesting experimental program in |
| there was a considerable number of these dogs | | | | progress at a place called the Wind River |
| at the turn of the century in northern Europe | | | | Institute in Canada which is utilizing the |
| and Scandinavia. However the two World Wars | | | | Bear Dog to "train" bears to stay away from |
| decimated the population. It is now a rare | | | | populated areas. It is unknown at this time |
| dog and today all of the Karelean Bear Dogs | | | | whether this program is effective but to all |
| can be traced back to only forty dogs which | | | | appearances it may very well be a new and |
| were still in existence after the war.The dog | | | | quite useful application of the Bear Dog. |
| has exceptional hunting ability although not | | | | The dogs are trained to bark and chase away ( |
| exceptionally large. The height at the | | | | rather than chase down and kill) the problem |
| withers is about 22-24 inches. It is always | | | | bears which raid the garbage dumps and so |
| black with white markings . The body is of a | | | | on...and correspondingly the bears are |
| Spitz type (short backed and squared off with | | | | "trained" to stay away from the populated |
| a tail which curls over the back.) Some Bear | | | | areas. This breed has a courageous and |
| Dogs are born with a bob tail. The coat is | | | | fierce natural hunting instinct, it will |
| not profuse or long, but is quite dense and | | | | follow its game to the end and is persistent |
| double in nature. He is a dog with good | | | | and unyielding. This is a breed which has |
| "substance" but not the appearance of | | | | never deviated from its original purpose and |
| massiveness. He needs to be an agile and | | | | should not be owned by the casual pet owner. |