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Seide at play with her mommy Phyllis |
| Is the KBD a good "watch dog"? The KBD will protect you from predators, and they will announce visitors, (usually enthusiastic barking), but they love people and aren't necessarily good "guard dogs". They are, however, known to have good judgment of the people that they meet. I have never seen any of our KBDs in any way threaten a human, although they haven't been exposed to a threatening human either. I have no doubt that they would protect me if they felt there was a threat. I do remember one time while on vacation and on an early morning walk (it was still dark outside); I was walking our oldest female, Kukka, and we were getting close to a city park. All of a sudden Kukka's hair stood on end and she let out a low growl. I looked ahead to see what she might be warning me about and I could barely see across the park, in the light of a street light, that something was moving. I realized shortly, that it must have been a hobo, as someone was turning over under a piece of cardboard, which was his shelter for the night. Kukka was doing her job! |
| A little bit about barking..... Part of the hunt for the KBD and it’s master is the bark that alerts the hunter to their location. They will hold the game at bay, barking profus- ely until the hunter comes to shoot the game. They won't bark for no reason, but they WILL bark at game including squirrels, etc. If you leave your KBD outdoors when you're gone and he trees a squirrel, he’ll likely bark until he gets it, it gets away, or the hunter shoots it. You will not have happy neighbors! They do best in rural areas, and definitely aren't meant for an apartment or city life. The KBD will also announce visitors with very enthusiastic barking, and they will notice anything out of the ordinary and let you know about it! |
| The Karelian Bear Dog - A Primative Hunting Breed The Karelian Bear Dog, a member of the Spitz family, is a hearty, primitive, working breed, one of the few remaining breeds that have been virtually unchanged for generations. It originates from the Komi dog of the Finnish Russian border area, and was never crossed with any other breed in it's development. They have been bred for generations to be big game hunters, and as such are very persistent, independent and stubborn. They’re also very loyal (if you earn it), intelligent, proud, playful and oh, did I say stubborn? They can be a wonderful companion/protector/hunter, if the whole package is a fit. KBDs do best in a rural environment with lots of room to run. They need a job, a purpose, preferably one that allows them to use their natural abilities. |
| A Family Dog? Of course the KBD does great with hunters, but also can fit in very well with an active family that spends a great deal of time out- doors; hiking, backpacking, camping, horse- backriding, etc. Mostly they love it best to be out in nature and in an area that they can use their senses. They require much more time and attention than the average family pet and they are not for the casual dog owner. Just having a back yard to run around in isn't nearly enough exercise or stimulation. Dep- ending on what you like to do for recreation and exercise, and how much time you have, a KBD may or may not be for you. If they are under-exercised and bored, they will find something to do and you probably won't like it! |
| Exercise While an adult KBD needs at least an hour of exercise every day, your puppy should only get the amount of exercise in the form of running and playing that they naturally will do on their own. Until their joints and bones are fully developed, at about a year and a half old, they should not be over-stressed by too vigorous activity. In the picture to the left, RunningBearDog's Sielu del Oso, call name Oso, as a young puppy on the run during play with his sister Mieli. |
Socialization and Training The socialization and training of your puppy has actually started here with us. During the first two to three weeks, it mainly consists of daily weighing, holding, stroking, messaging of paws and of course lots of loving. By the time they're 10 to 14 days old, their eyes are generally open and they can see the big new world around them. They begin to hear sounds between 18 and 21 days old. Then the real fun begins, watching them attempt their first wobbly steps as they begin to play with their litter mates! Once they're fairly steady on their little legs their world begins to expand. More and more time is spent out of the safe little world they've been in for the last 3 to 4 weeks. Gradually they're exposed to the rest of the house and then the great big outdoors At this age is when we generally welcome new visitors, and have plenty of family and neighbors that stop by for some puppy time. KBD puppies can be strong willed and persistent, and as they grow we usually have plenty of opportunity to begin to teach them appropriate behavior in various situations! Eventually we do some basic obedience with them and they can generally do a "sit" and "down" before they go to their new homes at about 10 weeks old. It's important that your training begin from the moment your puppy comes home with you, establishing you and the other members of your household as the "pack leaders". Once your puppy is fully immunized, we recommend beginning more formal puppy obedience classes. Generally the classes include puppy play time which socializes them with other puppies and dogs, which is very important for this strong, independent breed. Continued contact with dogs and people as they grow will benefit everybody. |
The KBD has a playful side....... Even though KBDs are very independent, they love their human family. Ours do very well around children. They also can be very playful and have a keen sense of humor. Our Ilo is especially so, (hamming it up for the camera in the picture to the right) just a playful baby in disguise with his 67+ pounds of muscle and bone. Ilo knows how to tease and make you laugh, and he knows it! They are very expressive dogs, with a fire and intensity in their eyes. |
Keeping your KBD safe........ You will need a fence for your KBD, either a physical one at least 6 feet high or an underground radio fence. One of our KBDs can even climb a 7 foot fence. Unless you live a very long way from a road or highway, they need to be protected, as in pursuit of game they will likely not see the car that hits them. We have about 5 acres of our property radio fenced that they can run on and do their job freely. Their job for us (they have decided) is to keep critters at bay, both at home and on the trail, and they're very good at it. |
| Grooming and shedding........ Karelians love the snow, and their thick, double coat keeps them warm and relatively dry in the winter. In the picture below of our Ilo as a puppy, notice how the snow covers him and doesn't melt, because their dense coats keep in their body heat. Natural lanolin in their coat also keeps it from absorbing moisture, and helps to keep them clean by repelling both water and dirt. The fewer baths the better, as too many will strip the lanolin out of their coat and actually cause them to get dirtier. A bath twice a year (unless they really get into somthing nasty) is usually adequate. They also shed twice a year, and it takes at least 2 months to lose their heavy coats. During that time daily brushing speeds up the process a little, and it pays to invest in a good vacuum! If you don’t like dogs that shed, the KBD is definitely not for you. |
A little about the "pack" Karelian Bear Dogs can learn to get along with any animals that they're raised with. Several of our pups live with other dogs, cats, mule, horses, sheep, cattle, chickens, etc. as part of their pack. One of our pups, lives with her owner close to Yellowstone at an elevation that the mule deer and elk winter in. I told him that he was likely going to lose his winter visitors when he added a KBD to his family! She arrived there in the winter, at 10 weeks old, and the mule deer were already there. She has grown up with them, and it has been a success story thanks to her owner’s dedication and awesome training. She does her job in alerting them to bear, but has accepted the mule deer and big horn sheep as part of her “pack”. To see a video of Mieli and her mule deer pack, click HERE! |
| Some final thoughts........ Our KBDs live in and out of the house - all year long. They are part of the family, sleep next to our bed, and travel just about everywhere with us. We love that they're independent, intelligent, and even stubborn, which can sometimes make them challenging! They also require a good amount of exercise, which fits our lifestyle. They need to have a human leader, or they definitely will be. There are many nice breeds for those that want an easier breed that is more obedient and easier to train. KBDs are very trainable, they just make you work for it! (visit our training pages, graciously provided by our Mieli's Papa Rick). They need a strong but loving leader, in fact, every human in the family must be at the top of the pack. They're definitely not for everybody, but if the whole package is a fit, like us, most KBD people won't settle for any other breed. |
Another KBD lovers opinion..... This is part of a dialogue that took place between our Mieli's owner Rick and I, and some points he made that I agree 100% with. 1. If I didn't tell you earlier, my thoughts were that I don't even think that KBD's should be allowed to live in a city. 2. If somebody saw Mieli perform, that would probably make them want a KBD even more. But they need to know that most people can't and won't (I will leave the capable up to you) spend the time required to achieve the results that she displays. 3. With a KBD, you will get back what you put in. Do not expect great results without putting in great effort. We haven't discussed it, but we both know of KBD's that fell into the wrong hands and/or the wrong environment, and the KBD's were put down (or ended up in shelters, inserted by me, Gail). Enough said. Just my opinions that can be shared. Missy & Rick |
| Me kicksledding with Ilo....great exercise and fun for both of us! |
| Iso and his pal Cally, relaxin' in front of the fire. KBDs can learn to get along with any animal that they're raised with..... |
| Runningbeardog's Sampo on a hike with his family in North Carolina. KBD's love being on the trail, both fun a great exercise for the whole family! |
| Sampo on a hike with his family in North Carolina. KBD's love being on the trail, both fun and great exercise for the whole family! |
| Sako in Alaska... Livin' the good life! |
| RunningBearDog's Peli on alert... |
| Rick and Mieli in Wyoming with Mieli's pal, JB the mule; and it's Mieli's turn for a ride in the wheel barrow in the picture to the left. KBD's just gotta' have fun! |
| KBD's know how to have fun! Kesa and Ilo love a ride in the wheelbarrow ! |
| In the small pictures to th e left, Seide is playing "grab and run" with her favorite shoe, and below is showing off her graduation certificate for training classes. She has since completed a more advanced level of obedience training. |
| Dave and Oso at traing..... |
| Mieli and her pack on the trail in Wyoming....it's her job to warn and protect them on the trail. |
| Oso on the run! |
| Ilo lovin' the attention from our great nieces, Maggie, Abby, Emily and Molly |
| My niece Rachel and nephew Michael with Kukka's first litter of puppies in 2005 |
| Sydan and Ilo, sparring |
| Mieli protecting her "pack" on the trail near Yellowstone National Park, .. |
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| Is the KBD right for you? |
