Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Karelian Bear Dogs - looking for information

not even close, but in the same family

Horse people are the worst.

Cat people next.

Then dog people.

That's just the animal subset. Pedal bikers own their own subset of annoying fuggers.

I asked for opinions about a specific breed of dog I had no idea this by default... would create a total and complete schetstorm on 17 random things.

Jim it is 100% OK to STFU.

Thats a good point.

Don't be angry. Roll with it. Gently nudge it back on track when it wanders.

Supposed to be tough little fuggers. They'd be more popular if they weren't so expensive. IMHO that's a good thing, and keeps them from being ruined.

Did you forget where you are?

Jeebus.

I still think a Great Pyrnees is a better fit. They can keep predators away without much guidance. From what I've seen, they kind of lay about, then perk up and off they go. Minutes later they come back. It's obvious they've run.

My brother in law used to manage a chicken and turkey farm. The owner had dropped off a couple of Pyrnees. The BIL says he saw the Prynees chasing coyotes away from the barns.

Oregon is ONLY ONE STATE OF 50... did not realize the entire body of 24 hour campfire had been relocated there...

We're on our third since 1991. As BillyGoatGruff said, the price for them is very high and the breeders for good dogs have become scarce.

KBD's are referred to as a primitive breed, so a little different than standard breeds like labs and goldens. They will have a strong hunt drive which can range from squirrels to bears, deer etc., just depends on the individual dog.
They have a tendency to range far and recall is very important to develop early using positive reinforcement. In fact all training should positive reinforcement, regardless. We use e-collars when on hikes and runs strictly for recall and 99% of time use the buzzer, shock mode (and set low) is only used when we know they are blatantly ignoring us and they need to get back quick and when they do come they get a reward, used maybe once or twice a year if that.

Their reputation like so many dog breeds is a bit exaggerated as to " bravery", " loyalty" etc. They're still dogs and each is an individual. Our first one was raised from a pup and was a cat hunting machine, very driven, and not so great with the neighbors. He did great around people and took to training well after we figured it out. Our second was a pound pup and had no time around people before we got him. He was a good hunter and trained fairly well too but was very aloof and took quite some time to warm up to people. Our third dog we have now was a rescue of sorts that came from a supposed service dog training facility directed at vets with ptsd. Unfortunately the way they were "training" the dogs and the environment in which they were living created ptsd in our dog. It took quite a while to get him straightened out and he will probably never be 100% Karelian. He is a goof ball and more like Ferdinand the bull than a stud KBD baying a grizzly. He does well on the trail and stays close by and follows commands pretty well but if he feels stressed for whatever reason he locks up like a mule and squats. After 4 years he still stresses traveling in a car. He has been great with the kids and is a big lover.

They need a fair amount of exercise everyday. Out in the woods off leash is best but recall is critical, otherwise keep them on a leash until they are trust worthy. They generally do well with other dogs and mine never really started fights but were more than willing to finish them.

Keep in mind the name "Bear Dog" does not equate to Romulus the Conqueror grabbing a grizzly by the neck and dragging it off of you, they don't engage like that and traditionally that was a negative response and frowned on. They circle and harrass and bark, and bark and bark. To own a KBD is to love the bark whether you like it or not cuz you will hear it, a lot. But that is what you have them for, an alarm system to let you know whats around. And don't expect them to be protective against humans like GSD's or Mals. One might be but don't expect it. They'll do a great job of letting you know when people are around but without specific k9 training they ain't "guard' dogs.

We also have a West Siberian Laika which are kissing cousins to KBD's. Very similar in many respects although I think the WSLs may have a tendency to be more aggressive than KBD's.

None of those can match sporting clays shooters. They moon over a $2500 Beretta like it was a Purdey.

Stupid they're not, in fact I've found ours to be much more intelligent than many other breeds, but then that can be a problem. When you give them a command, they don't just say OK they ask "Why?" and you better have a compelling reason "why" . But not force or negative BS, they doesn't work well with that.

Fly Fishermen or pedal bike drivers?



Anyway......a far running, protective, working dog moving to the county.

I dont see what could go wrong. At all.

My communist friend is a dog feind in Denmark.


I bet he has some insight too.


He has had dogs like you describe. Not dogs for "amateurs" he calls them.

My labs got into with my uncle’s Boomer Goldbricker.com new ‘wife’
She lives in a condo in town, my uncle wont move from the farm. Lol

Sh she comes out here to make 75 year old sexy time.

She has a little poopsie puppy shÎtzuu lasso alpo thing.

It ran out all badass and chased me and my labs as we were beaded back to cut firewood.

It charged us, my black lab grabbed it up shook it like a rag doll. Not real bad, it ran off back to their porch ok I guess

Stupid mutt, under.bite jawa micro dog

Yeah, not a dog for first time dog owners, and yet that's exactly what we started with.
But we made it work because we committed ourselves to the fact that the dog was now a family member, not a working tool.

That's the thing, there's the "breed" and then there's the "dog"...like a aa boooxx a chocolates.

Apso thought it was a pitty and the lab thought it was a rat terrier.

Thats what gets me.

These working dogs get bought and the expectations are not met.

Lot of work goes into a proper dog, especially working dogs.

They either end up drawing flies on a neighbors property or at the rescue shelter.

Before I bought our first KBD 29 years ago as a first time dog owner the first thing I did was go to the local pound and look at all the dogs. I read the cards on the kennels for each dog explaining why they were there. The realization set in that most dogs(like 95%) aren't the problem, its the owners. That lesson caused me to pull my head out on what dog ownership is about. Unfortunately not enough people get to that point.

I had a pair Chessies when I was station in SW Georgia.

Minimal training and they would bring home 70# deer... eventually gave up the full butcher job for a basic hide off quarter (I kept part 5 for myself)... they were fine with that exchange rate.

Chessies are plenty tough... and I know the breed.

Aussies are plenty nimble, but lean on kill.

Just figured I would ask on the KBD... we own plenty of mountain land in WV... not worried about "neighbors being too close"... just if the breed is smart and tough enough to deal with vermin.

Thanks for the info guys.

Man i apologize for my unrelated post

I seen this at a glance and thought it was another ‘Karen’ thread.

lol

I thought about getting a pair for my place, but decided free reign of 10 acres wasn't enough. I'll stick with the sarplaninac/anatolian/ovcharka type.