Karelian Bear Dog Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

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Karelian Bear Dog Breed Overview

The Karelian Bear Dog is a medium-sized dog.

The adult Karelian Bear Dog stands 19 to 24 inches.

The Karelian Bear Dog belongs to the Working Dogs group.

Dogs in the Working Dogs group, like the Karelian Bear Dog, were developed to assist humans in some capacity – including pulling sleds and carts, guarding flocks, guarding homes, and protecting their families.

Breeds in the Working Group are known for their imposing stature, strength, intelligence, and fearless.

Because of their size and strength, working dogs require a structured home life and firm, fair, consistent training by someone who can provide leadership without resorting to anger or physical force.

The fact that Karelian Bear Dogs belong to the Working Dogs group is one of the reasons why Karelian Bear Dogs have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the Karelian Bear Dog is generally described as:

  • Brave
  • Cautious
  • Independent
  • Loyal
  • Tenacious
  • Territorial

History of the Karelian Bear Dog Breed. Where Karelian Bear Dogs came from

There is a large population of large, big game hunting dogs in Karelia, a region in northern Europe.

Dogs similar to the Karelian Bear Dog are said to have followed the first settlers to Finland thousands of years ago.

The dogs were an important part of the first settlers` survival because they were sustained by what they could hunt.

They were useful to the settlers because they were strong enough to tackle and kill bear, lynx, and wolf.

They were also great guard dogs for the settlers.

The Karelian Bear Dog resembles the Russian Laika in appearance, and some historians believe they are related.

The Russian Laika is from a disputed region of Finland.

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What the Karelian Bear Dog Looks Like

The Karelian Bear Dog has small ears that point slightly outward and is an expressive canine.

Their ears are distinct in that they are lined with a dense fur that protects the ears from frostbite.

The short, weather-resistant coat has a stiff and straight topcoat.

The undercoat is soft and dense.

They are black and white, which is unusual for northern Spitz-type dogs, whose coats usually have a copper tint to them.

For conformation shows, black speckles in the white coat are acceptable; however, this is not preferred.

This powerful dog has powerful jaws, which are required to hold their large prey.

The tail is long and curls over the back of the animal.

They are quite large for their size.

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How Much is the Karelian Bear Dog Puppy?

How Much Karelian Bear Dogs Cost

The average price of a Karelian Bear Dog puppy is $900. The price of a Karelian Bear Dog puppy ranges from $900 to $900.

A lot of factors determine the price of the Karelian Bear Dog. These factors include what health records the Karelian Bear Dog puppy has, the lineage of the Karelian Bear Dog puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.

To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Karelian Bear Dog based on the many factors that determine the price of the Karelian Bear Dog puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Karelian Bear Dog puppy based on what you want in the puppy.

When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Karelian Bear Dog breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.

You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.

Best Karelian Bear Dog Breeders

Karelian Bear Dog Breeders in the United States

We have researched reputable Karelian Bear Dog breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Karelian Bear Dog breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

  1. Annu2019s Karelian Bear Dogs

    Puppy Price: $1790.00

  2. Twisted Elk Karelians

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  3. BearBond Karelian Bear Dogs

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  4. Bearbond Karelian Bear Dogs

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

What Colors do Karelian Bear Dogs Have?

Karelian Bear Dogs come in the following beautiful primary colors:

  • Black
  • Bicolor

Karelian Bear Dogs come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:

  • White / Cream

How Long Karelian Bear Dogs Live

The lifespan of the Karelian Bear Dog is typically from 10 to 13 years.

Karelian Bear Dogs live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.

Karelian Bear Dog Litter Size

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 6 different Karelian Bear Dog birth litters.

From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Karelian Bear Dogs can have is 6 puppies. Also, the Karelian Bear Dog can have as few as 4 puppies per litter and as many as 9 puppies per litter.

The number of puppies that the Karelian Bear Dog will have depends on factors such as the age of the Karelian Bear Dog, the method of pregnancy, etc.

Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Karelian Bear Dog will have and how the litter size of the Karelian Bear Dog compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.

How Fast Karelian Bear Dogs Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 6 different Karelian Bear Dogs, the average speed of the Karelian Bear Dog is 22.9 mph (36.8 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the Karelian Bear Dog ran in a race is 27.64 mph (44.5 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Karelian Bear Dog is 13.31 mph (21.4 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the Karelian Bear Dog compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

How fast Karelian Bear Dog can run compared to other mammals

Good Names for Karelian Bear Dogs

Here are some really good names that are typical for the Karelian Bear Dog ranked by popularity:

  • Marshall
  • Yuki
  • Wreck
  • Loki

Health Problems in Karelian Bear Dogs and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The Karelian Bear Dog is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a Karelian Bear Dog puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Karelian Bear Dog breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Karelian Bear Dogs for:

    You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Karelian Bear Dogs here.

    Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Karelian Bear Dogs

    If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Karelian Bear Dog.

    We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Karelian Bear Dog:

    Other Things to Know About Karelian Bear Dogs

    Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Karelian Bear Dog that you need to know about the Karelian Bear Dog breed:

  1. Karelian Bear Dogs are not the best dogs for new dog owners.
  2. Karelian Bear Dogs do not get along well with other dogs.
  3. Karelian Bear Dogs do not have the tendency to drool.
  4. Karelian Bear Dogs do not adapt well to apartment living.
  5. Karelian Bear Dogs do not like to be left alone.
  6. Karelian Bear Dogs are not very friendly towards strangers.
  7. Karelian Bear Dogs are not prone to gaining weight easily.
  8. Karelian Bear Dogs are not easy to train.
  9. Karelian Bear Dogs are easily disturbed by noise in their environments. They are sensitive to human tone. They will understand the tone of your voice when you try to correct their behaviors with a firm tone.
  10. Karelian Bear Dogs are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.
  11. Karelian Bear Dogs are very easy to groom.
  12. Karelian Bear Dogs are very healthy. They do not suffer from a lot of health problems compared to other dog breeds
  13. Karelian Bear Dogs are highly intelligent.
  14. Karelian Bear Dogs are prone to nip and chew at things.
  15. Karelian Bear Dogs are highly vocal. They have the tendency to bark and howl.
  16. Karelian Bear Dogs have very high energy levels. They need a lot of exercise time to release their high energy.
  17. Karelian Bear Dogs require a lot of exercise. They are good for owners who like to exercise.
  18. Karelian Bear Dogs are very playful.
  19. Karelian Bear Dogs can tolerate cold weather.
  20. Karelian Bear Dogs have a high prey drive. They do not get along well with other pets.
  21. Karelian Bear Dogs have a high tendency to wander. They are easily distracted by other animals or objects.
  22. Karelian Bear Dogs do things with high intensity. They can be very forceful.
  23. Karelian Bear Dogs weigh 44 to 50 pounds when fully grown.
  24. Karelian Bear Dogs are 19 to 24 inches when fully grown.
  25. Karelian Bear Dogs have a lifespan of 10 to 13 years.