Information about Karelian Bear Dogs from American Kennel Club

Karelian Bear Dog Did You Know?

•The Karelian Bear Dog has been assigned the Working Group designation.

•The first petition to add the Karelian Bear Dog to the Foundation Stock Service program was May 2005. It was approved on June 9, 2005.

•The Karelian Bear Dog originally was a dog of native Russian Peasants, and Finnish peoples of northeastern Europe. They were used for hunting and as a watch dog.

•In Finland, its country of origin, it is spelled Carelian, with a C. In the Finnish language it is called Karjalankarhukoira.

•The Karelian Bear Dog is primarily a hunting breed, but can be trained for and compete in obedience trials, search and rescue trials and sled dog trials in its native Finland.

•The Karelian Bear Dog is a silent hunter, and only barks once the game is stopped or treed. Working with an experienced hunter, he communicates the type of animal he has located at by the sound of his bark.

•Today, the Karelian Bear Dog is one of the 10 most common dog breeds in Finland.

Karelian Bear Dog History
The Karelian Bear Dog originated in northwestern Europe, and was originally the dog of Russian and Finnish peasants. The breed was mainly used for hunting and as a watch dog. Only the toughest survived fightings, and hunting under very hard conditions.

The Karelian is a Finnish breed. Early dogs had red, red-gray and black & white coats. The Komi dog is considered to be the origin of the breed and basic stock dogs originated from Ladoga's Carelia, Olonets & Russian Carelia. In further breeding, the progeny was selected to the Karelian Bear Dog type and black & white dogs were preferred for breeding. The first breed standard was established in 1945. The first Karelian Bear Dogs were registered in the Finnish Kennel Club in 1946. Today the breed is one of the top 10 most common breeds in Finland.