Welcome to GrawPaw's Bear Dogs

Karelian Bear Dog * Karjalankarhukoira * Carelian Bear Dog

Welcome to our site dedicated to our Karelian Bear Dogs, Suopellon Pepita's Pitsi, her sister Suopellon Pepita's Piki, who we call Anu and their puppies. We are located in a town called Restoule in Northern Ontario, Canada. Purebred Karelian Bear Dogs are a rare sight in North America.

Pitsi and Anu's sire is Canadian Champion Elgbjorns Kaksi Lajki and their mother is Suopellon Pepita originally from Finland, now living in Toronto, Canada. Their ancestors can be traced back to original recordings of Karelian Bear Dogs in the Finnish Kennel Club. They boast of many show champions and hunting champions in their lineage. Pitsi is registered with the Canadian Kennel Club, the United Kennel Club and she is recorded with the American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Service Program. Anu is registered with the Canadian Kennel Club.

To see more pictures of Pitsi Click Here

To see more pictures of Anu Click Here

Karelian Bear Dog Facts

The Karelian Bear Dog is a loyal, affectionate, energetic, intelligent family companion and watch dog. Its beauty often attracts people to the Karelian Bear Dog and sidetracks them of its true character. It remains a true working dog, tough and independent with a strong hunting instinct, not a dog for everybody, and definitely not a dog for the city. They are also not a dog for hot climates. They prefer the cold weather. My dogs’ energy levels are completely different in the summer then they are in the winter and I think it would be cruel to subject them to hot weather on a permanent basis. The life expectancy of the average KBD is about 12 years. They are known to mature slowly and remain active well into their senior years.

KBD Puppies

Basic obedience training must start from the moment you bring your puppy home. The training and socialization of the puppy actually starts with us here and with its dam and siblings. The Finnish Spitz Club recommends that a KBD go to its new home at 7 to 8 weeks. At this age, the Karelian puppy does their best bonding with their new family. I let them go at 8 weeks. With us, the puppies receive significant human contact/handling because when I have a litter of puppies, they are basically my life for 2 months. They are not in a kennel, they are in my home and I am with them their every waking moment. We live in a very small town so when we have puppies, we have lots of visitors, both young and old. The visitors are a very important part of the puppy's socialization. A foundation that includes the proper training and socialization of the puppy and adolescent KBD will result in an adult that will be a wonderful new addition to their new family.

A Karelian Puppy in Their New Home

Even though puppies and adults alike benefit from exercise, the intensity level of puppy activities should not be anywhere near as strenuous as that of an adult Karelian. Puppies exercise themselves so when they are young you should concentrate on socialization and training more then exercise. Take your dog with you anywhere and everywhere that you can, so he gets used to all types of places and situations. He will learn who belongs to his pack, including your other animals, whether they are chickens, cats, other dogs, etc. They do not need specific exercise until they are 8-10 months old and even then only a maximum of about 1.5 km a day. At a year old they can start 3-4 km walks. I would NOT recommend running beside a bicycle, skijoring, kicksledding, etc. until they are at least 18 mos or better yet 24 mos. Strenuous activity could seriously affect the still developing bones of a young puppy, and can cause problems in their adult life. But once they are old enough....do as much as you can with your dog....people who play with their dog, stay with their dog.

Exercise

Daily exercise of at least an hour is a must for an adult KBD or they can be destructive from sheer boredom. Left to its own devices, without proper supervision and exercise they can get into trouble. I have been very lucky with mine, I have never come home to anything chewed or any disasters but I know of others who have not been so lucky. This is not always the case but you should be prepared to exercise so as not to take any chances.

Check our KBD Videos tab to see video of our kicksledding

Training - Are you as Intelligent as a KBD?

GrawPaw's Jalo (2nd from left) at his formal training classes. He is apparently the star pupil.

It is very important that basic obedience lessons begin early and the training must be kept interesting or the KBD will become bored and your training efforts will be counter productive. Karelians need an owner who is as energetic, involved and intelligent as they are or they will soon be running the household and getting into trouble. The most important training, especially if you are getting your Karelian either for hunting or for protection from predatory animals, is that of recall. You must be fully confident that your KBD will listen to the "Come" command in all environments and situations prior to letting him off leash in an uncontrolled environment. They are fearless, even as young pups, before they have the speed and maturity to avoid harm from a bear, for example. This training is best done on a long lead; I find a 30ft. horse lunge line works well. You must practice the "come" command and if the pup ignores you give him a bit of a tug to encourage him. This will not be accomplished in a day or two...it will take lots and lots of practice.

A Fearless Animal

You can take your pup at 3 or 4 months to the bush/forest to get him to build self confidence and to learn to follow your trail. Do not, however, play hide and go seek with him at a young age in the bush as he may get frightened and in turn lose his trust in you, which you do not want at this early stage. The more he goes with you the larger his roaming area will become and he will soon discover the wildlife, the first generally being a squirrel or a chipmunk. He will bark and you will see his whole demeanor change. If you do not want him going after these small animals, ignore his barking and continue walking until he eventually figures out that you don't care about the squirrel and he follows you. As adults, they are very powerful dogs who are willing to take on any game animal. They originate from my homeland of Finland and are used to hunt elk, moose, bear and other wild game.

Are They a Good Family Dog?

I always tell people that Karelians are not like, for instance, Golden Retrievers or Labs. They are not a dog that is clingy or that is happy to just follow you around. They need to have a purpose, ie. hunting, guarding and protecting property from prey, etc. KBDs are extremely loyal to their owner. They will generally choose one member of the family who they are close to, although they will bond with the whole family.

Grawpaws Dakoda Lasse with the youngest members of his new family.....

People always ask what they are like with children. Although, they are wonderful with children, you must remember they are a primitive, hunting breed and so, they are not the type of dog that you get for the sole purpose of being a pet for your child, if that makes sense. I grew up with Karelians and we never, ever had any issues and now, as an adult, with my own dogs we have never had a problem. When I was young, my nieces and nephews (I was an aunt at 9 yrs old) would be at our place every weekend playing with the dogs and I have had several puppies go to homes with young children and they have said how wonderful their KBDs are with their children. Your KBD should have a safe place that is his own in your house, whether it be a piece of carpet, a bed or a crate. KBDs love attention and playing with children but once they have had enough, they will go and find a quiet corner of the house or their 'safe place' to go to. As with any breed of dog, the children should be taught to respect that, and to know that the dog needs his quiet time. Also, if your puppy has done something naughty, you should never, ever discipline him when he is in his 'safe place'. It must be done where it happens to have an impact and he needs to know that the safe place is just that, safe.

Do Karelian Bear Dogs Bark a lot?

I also get asked often, how much do they bark? Well, they are not the type of dog to bark for no reason. Not the type to bark indoors at nothing. When they bark there is something or someone at the root of the barking. Where we live, we have no neighbours, so I like the fact that they alert me when a car pulls in the driveway or when there are deer, bear, moose, etc. on the property. They also have been known to bark at squirrels, chipmunks, etc. hence the fact that these are not meant for city life. When used for hunting , the Karelian uses their bark to alert their master when they have cornered their prey. The Finnish Spitz Club does not recommend trying to hinder their barking as then it may discourage them from doing it in a situation when you really need them to.

A Karelian Will Be The Most Loyal Family Member

Karelian Bear Dogs are very intelligent and can learn quickly. BUT they are also very stubborn so they need a strong and confident pack leader/owner/handler who they respect. If you can be that alpha leader, you will get a very loyal family member with a Karelian who will protect you to their last dieing breath if they have to. You must use a consistent and firm but loving hand and NEVER EVER hit a Karelian for they will lose all respect for you as a leader and may never forget the incident.

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