Karelian Bear Dog
Encyclopedia
The Karelian Bear Dog is a Finnish
or Karelia
n breed
of dog
. In its home country, it is regarded as a national treasure. KBD will hunt any kind of animal. Its quick reflexes and fearless nature have made it very popular for hunting aggressive game, including bear
, moose, and wild boar. It was the breed's ability to hunt and offer protection against a bear that earned the breed its name.
and the Karelian Bear Dog existed in northeastern Europe and Scandinavia since Neolithic times. The breed standard for KBDs and Laikas today calls for a black-and-white marked dog, but originally the breed included individuals with coats of wolf gray of various shades, red coats like the standard spitz, and black-and-tan specimens as well.
The Karelian Bear Dog was used mainly for hunting small fur-bearing animals, such as squirrels and marten. Like the Norwegian Elkhound, the Karelian Bear Dog was also used in hunting moose, lynx, wolf and, as its name would suggest, hunting the Eurasian Brown Bear
. In hunting bear, at least a pair of Bear Dogs would be used to harry the animal, barking loudly, in order to distract the bear while the human hunter came in for the kill.
Karelian Bear Dogs have been used for bear control at Yosemite
and Glacier National Parks.
; females are shorter, at 49–55 cm (19.3–21.7 ).
The breed has a coat of straight, stiff guard hairs and a fine, soft, thick 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. Preferably the color percentage is around 70% black and 30% white. The bushy tail curls in a circle over the back in a ring and has a white tip. It falls gently onto the dog's back or to one side. Purebred KBD have tails that curve into a circle rather than a sickle
.
They are silent but tenacious hunters and alert only 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 their 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 nip at it on the backside and aggravate it to keep it from running away.
They must always hunt only with their master. They are prone to separation anxiety due to their very social nature. They love to play but should be watched for around small children because of their size and bear-killing abilities. It is very unusual for a KBD to bite a human but they will kill another animal if they feel threatened.
They are very social, outside hunting dogs, and need plenty of space to run free and get lots of exercise. They need a lot of mental and physical stimulation, as these are used to having a job to do. 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.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
or Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
n breed
Dog breed
Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
of dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
. In its home country, it is regarded as a national treasure. KBD will hunt any kind of animal. Its quick reflexes and fearless nature have made it very popular for hunting aggressive game, including bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
, moose, and wild boar. It was the breed's ability to hunt and offer protection against a bear that earned the breed its name.
History
According to archeological records, dogs very similar to the modern Russo-European LaikaLaika (dog breed)
Laika refers to a type of hunting dog of Northern Russia and Russian Siberia, and is a generic name for several breeds.-The Laika breeds in international terminology:Fédération Cynologique Internationale uses the word Laika in the names of...
and the Karelian Bear Dog existed in northeastern Europe and Scandinavia since Neolithic times. The breed standard for KBDs and Laikas today calls for a black-and-white marked dog, but originally the breed included individuals with coats of wolf gray of various shades, red coats like the standard spitz, and black-and-tan specimens as well.
The Karelian Bear Dog was used mainly for hunting small fur-bearing animals, such as squirrels and marten. Like the Norwegian Elkhound, the Karelian Bear Dog was also used in hunting moose, lynx, wolf and, as its name would suggest, hunting the Eurasian Brown Bear
Eurasian Brown Bear
The Eurasian brown bear is a subspecies of brown bear, found across northern Eurasia. The Eurasian brown bear is also known as the common brown bear, European brown bear and colloquially by many other names....
. In hunting bear, at least a pair of Bear Dogs would be used to harry the animal, barking loudly, in order to distract the bear while the human hunter came in for the kill.
Karelian Bear Dogs have been used for bear control at Yosemite
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
and Glacier National Parks.
Appearance
The dog should be in excellent physical condition. Males stand 54–60 cm (21.3–23.6 ) at the withersWithers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
; females are shorter, at 49–55 cm (19.3–21.7 ).
The breed has a coat of straight, stiff guard hairs and a fine, soft, thick 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. Preferably the color percentage is around 70% black and 30% white. The bushy tail curls in a circle over the back in a ring and has a white tip. It falls gently onto the dog's back or to one side. Purebred KBD have tails that curve into a circle rather than a sickle
Sickle
A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crops or cutting succulent forage chiefly for feeding livestock . Sickles have also been used as weapons, either in their original form or in various derivations.The diversity of sickles that...
.
Temperament
The Karelian Bear Dog are often naturally aggressive towards other dogs. Proper socialization and training is necessary due to their disposition.They are silent but tenacious hunters and alert only 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 their 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 nip at it on the backside and aggravate it to keep it from running away.
They must always hunt only with their master. They are prone to separation anxiety due to their very social nature. They love to play but should be watched for around small children because of their size and bear-killing abilities. It is very unusual for a KBD to bite a human but they will kill another animal if they feel threatened.
They are very social, outside hunting dogs, and need plenty of space to run free and get lots of exercise. They need a lot of mental and physical stimulation, as these are used to having a job to do. 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.