Because of our economy, rare breeds like the Karelian Bear Dogs are becoming harder to find.
If there is any breeders of Karelians out there we would appreciate if you would contact us. We are
not only interested in the dogs, but also the stories about the Karelian Bear Dog.  There is a lot of
interest in this wonderful breed that will protect the ones he loves. Please, we would love to hear
from you.
golddust2011@yahoo.com

Socialization of Your Puppy

You will want to be able to take your puppy for walks and for rides. You need to get him used to meeting people and other animals. There are many ways to acclimate him to the new surroundings. You must take your time and not push the pup into a situation where he is uncomfortable. Puppies don't come into the world knowing all the right things to do, so be patient and have fun with him.
The first few months of the puppy's life is the best time to introduce him to all the wonders in the world. Expose the pups to everyday chores in the household. The mother will also teach them some social skills.
As soon as you bring the new pup home, introduce him to the family in a quiet setting. This gives him time to get to know the person without the noise of many people in the background. That can cause undue stress on the new puppy.
As soon as the puppy is vaccinated and the vet says it is alright, start taking the puppy on walks and outings so he can begin to get used to his surroundings.
Make sure your puppy meets people of every age. He might become frightened later if you only introduce him to elderly people and he runs into some children. This can also lead to aggressive behaviors in some dogs.
Give the person you are introducing a small treat to give to the puppy. This will help build trust between the two. They can even get down on the dog's level and play on the floor with him after a couple of meetings.
If you don't have time to invest in the adventure of raising a puppy, please don't bring one home. They do need lots of patience and caring their first months with you. They need to follow a schedule to learn what is expected and what is wrong behavior.

Karelian Bear Dog Film on Animal Planet

I watched a film on Animal Planet about Karelian Bear Dogs, but this is my experience with the dogs and in these points I disagree.

Karelian Bear Dogs have always been wonderful with kids and that is why
we had them for our children especially when we were hiking in the mountains of Montana where there is a lot of mountain lions and bears.

One of our dogs (named Twinkles) also was a wonderful search dog in that the kids could never lose her no matter how hard they tried. She just smelled their trail and found them right off, every single time.

Also the film said Karelian Bear Dogs are like slimmer Akitas, not so, as Akitas are 80 to 120 lbs, while KBDs are 40 to 65 lbs.

They said Karelians are hard to train, but I found the exact opposite to be true. KBDs have a strong will power, but they
can learn obedience training so much faster then most all the other breeds.

A trainer friend of mine said he could teach the Karelian Bear Dog in one hour what it took a week to teach most the other breeds. They are very smart and also trainable.

Train Your Dog To Heel Off The Leash

Important - When you take the leash off, remember the following:
Your dog should not run off, with you chasing vainly behind, yelling for Fido to come back.

Yes, if you want Fido to free heal, you must have your dog trained to heal on the leash first.

This is how you need to start;

Take your dog off it's leash

Walk in a straight line. (Angling into your dog will cause her to heel wide.)

Walk briskly! Don't walk at the pace of your dog.

Don't wave your hands about - hold your LEFT hand close to your body!

Make sure you always give the first command in a happy tone of voice.(Your dog needs to know that you are happy – don't try to teach your dog anything if you are in a bad mood.)

Change your voice to a commanding tone or call your dog's name sharply if they don't keep up to your walking pace or if they amble away.

AFTER the second command, gently pat your side and give praise.(Give praise at every opportunity)

If forging (Fido tries to get ahead of you) is your problem, or if your dog attempts to dart off, you must stand still! Signal back with your left hand and repeat the heel command forcefully, then pat your side coaxingly.

Remember, training your dog is not unlike training your child to behave in a way society expects. Give them rules and bounderies. Be firm about what is right and what is not. Praise whenever you have an opportunity, That is, whenever you dog performs as asked.

When your dog is doing a good job of learning, give it the commendation it deserves! Praise it while it is actually learning and performing well.

If the dog you are training is large, make sure you carry the leash folded twice, with the snap end in your RIGHT hand. If the dog fails to pay attention, call her name loudly or reach out and "spank" her playfully on the hindquarters with the end of the leash. You should then coax your dog close by patting your side. (Never hit hard or in such a way that you cause you dog pain. Just the LIGHT spank is all that's needed)

If all attempts to keep your dog at heel position fail, it's time to put the leash back on, give it ONE good jerk to bring the dog in close, and try again. The change in voice, followed by flattery, with the occa­sional use of the leash, should eventually teach your dog to stay at your side at all times. Especially if you make the heeling fun!

BASICS OF DOG TRAINING

Have you recently brought home a little puppy? Then you may be interested in giving your dog some basic training. You can get an obedience instructor for the job, or you yourself can train your pet.

The fees of the obedience instructors can differ, and you would also have to take your dog to the class where the training would take place. But if you are the trainer, you can have the whole thing done almost without any expense, and that too at your own home. So if you have decided to be the trainer, you must have some knowledge on dog training first.

You should teach your dog three basic things first – sit, stay, and come. The first thing you need to teach your dog is to sit. The one thing you would surely need for this is dog treats.

Make sure that you choose a quiet place for this training, so as not to distract your dog’s attention. Ask the dog to sit again and again while you hold the treat over his head. Thus, he will have to turn his head up, and will sit there willingly to get the treat.

If he still doesn’t sit, gently push his back down. When you have made him sit, praise him and give him his treat. If you repeat the word ‘sit’, your dog will realize that the command is related to sitting and will obey you to receive his rewards.

The next thing you need to teach your dog is to stay. This part of the training can be a little difficult. This is a command which your dog would have to learn when you teach him to “come”. Make him sit in a place without any direction.

Repeat the word “stay” as you gradually walk back. Maintain an eye contact with the dog, and if he rises from his position, say “no” and start all over again. This training does take some time and patience. It would be easies if you initially get someone to sit and hold him back if he doesn’t “stay”.

If he has learnt this part, try walking away with your back towards the dog. He will probably rise now to follow you. Tell him “no” and repeat the process asking him to stay in his position as you move away.

When your dog has passed this test, teach him to come. Make him stay and then call him in a cheerful voice and thump your knee as you repeat the word “come”. Reward him, as he will probably respond to your call promptly enough.

The key word of dog training is praise, and not punishment, as dogs respond more to a positive behavior, rather than a negative one. Keep these tips in mind and you would be able to install these three basic commands into your dog.

If you follow this process of training, you would surely be the proud owner of an obedient pet whom everybody praises.

The Karelian Bear Dog

The Karelean Bear Dog is a close cousin of the Russian Laika and there is a very strong similarity between the two. However the Karelean Bear Dog is a native of Finland. The Finnish name for the dog is Karjalank Arhukoira. the earliest settlers of Finland had to survive in a rugged land and hunting rather than agriculture was their main source of food. They needed a dog that was strong and fearless to hunt and bring down the animals of the region, which included deer, elk, moose and bear. The Karelean Bear Dog has always been the hunting dog of Finland and has changed very little from the earliest times. Because it is of a limited genetic pool the lines are quite pure. It became a very popular hunting dog for large game and there was a considerable number of these dogs at the turn of the century in northern Europe and Scandinavia. However the two World Wars decimated the population. It is now a rare dog and today all of the Karelean Bear Dogs can be traced back to only forty dogs which were still in existence after the war.

The dog has exceptional hunting ability although not exceptionally large. The height at the withers is about 22-24 inches. It is always black with white markings . The body is of a Spitz type (short backed and squared off with a tail which curls over the back.) Some Bear Dogs are born with a bob tail. The coat is not profuse or long, but is quite dense and double in nature. He is a dog with good "substance" but not the appearance of massiveness. He needs to be an agile and speedy hunter and is therefore of moderate size and is slightly longer than he is tall. The ears are upright. He has a keen sense of hearing and smell and is considered a scenting dog rather than a sight hound.

The Karelean Bear Dog has today gained a popular following in Canada where it is used as a dog which does hunt and bring down the large game and especially bear, but this of course is only done during "bear hunting season". However there is now another use for the Bear dog. Today there are resort owners who keep two or three of these dogs and use them on a regular basis to patrol their resorts and keep the bears away as a protection for the summer tourists. There happens to be an extremely interesting experimental program in progress at a place called the Wind River Institute in Canada which is utilizing the Bear Dog to "train" bears to stay away from populated areas. It is unknown at this time whether this program is effective but to all appearances it may very well be a new and quite useful application of the Bear Dog. The dogs are trained to bark and chase away ( rather than chase down and kill) the problem bears which raid the garbage dumps and so on...and correspondingly the bears are "trained" to stay away from the populated areas. This breed has a courageous and fierce natural hunting instinct, it will follow its game to the end and is persistent and unyielding. This is a breed which has never deviated from its original purpose and should not be owned by the casual pet owner.

-By: Michael Russell

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Dogs

Karelian Bear Dog Puppies