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Karelian Bear Dogs are a better way to manage bears. For example the National Park Service uses them and the Wind River Bear Institute has Karelian Bear Dogs on

Karelian Bear Dogs are a better way to manage bears. For example the National Park Service uses them and the Wind River Bear Institute has Karelian Bear Dogs on call. And they are awesome dogs…bread so you can trust your life to one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_Bear_Dog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_Bear_Dog https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/view.htm?id=97DA9C58-7976-4DAA-AA5C-CD0772585763 https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/view.htm?id=97DA9C58-7976-4D... https://beardogs.org/ https://beardogs.org/

rich_sasha 5mo ago
Pros and cons. I believe in Romania, where brown bears are very prevalent, aggressive dog breeds are used to protect sheep... But they are so aggressive that they pose an overall greater risk to humans than the bears themselves: https://romania-mountains.com/shepherd-dogs-in-romania-what-hikers-need-to-know/ https://romania-mountains.com/shepherd-dogs-in-romania-what-...
- brudgers 5mo ago
  KBD’s are a hunting dogs. They hold bears in place with personality and it is common for them to work alone. In North America, they are used to “shepherd” bears away from human habitats. For example in the US Park Service link, you can see a single dog riding with a single park ranger.
- petre 5mo ago
  That's why they're called lifestock guardian dogs. Romanians don't have a proper word for it, they're called "shepherd dogs". Bad description. Shepherd dogs like Border Collies herd sheep. The lifestock guardian kind fend off bears, wolves and hikers alike. They're very territorial and their territory is wherever the livestock happens to be at that point in time. The native breeds are usually manageable, while the Caucasian Shepherd and the Kangal are not, at least not without shouting, stick waving and throwing rocks at them. The Carpathian "Shepherd" Dog is now exported to Italy to fend off wolves.
  - aitchnyu 5mo ago
    Love the breeds where the locals dont have a name for it.
lovich 5mo ago
Plott hounds also will square up with bears[1]. My childhood dog was a plott hound we adopted from the shelter and we quickly realized he could not be allowed near any other non human animal if we wanted that animal to still live. Luckily we were in the sticks and had a decent plot of land so he could be out and exercise without putting anyone else’s pets at risk. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plott_Hound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plott_Hound
- rickydroll 5mo ago
  My first rescue hound was a Plott Hound. She had been pretty badly broken because of previous owners not treating her right. The only reason we knew her history is that she would frequently run away and was known to most of the dog officers within a 10-mile radius of her places of living. We knew that Coonhounds had to be introduced to cats in a very carefully because they frequently confuse them for prey, and we succeeded. She integrated nicely into a household with five cats. It's been decades since she's passed and I still miss her very much. I grew up with Black and Tan Coonhounds and had blues and Black and Tans as an adult. I miss them all.
  - lovich 5mo ago
    We just kinda gave up after he burst out of the door one morning and caught a bird before it could lift off and then went full slavering rage mode when he saw another dog. We could have possibly introduced him to other animals but felt like it would stress him out, add danger to the other animals, and we had the space to let him be a dog without it becoming an issue. Most of his interactions with other animals was the local coyote pack coming to see if he was easy pickings yet. The last 2-3 years of his life I would follow him on his nighttime bathroom breaks with a bat ready to help my old man in his last battle. Luckily it never came to that and he died peacefully in his sleep on my lap.
petre 5mo ago
Whatever happened to Akitas? Weren't they used to fend off bears in Japan? This one looks quite similar but lower mainenance, less aggresive, more independent. Looks like a more versatile lifestock guardian dog, capable to ocasionaly pull a sled, herd some moose or destroy vermin. https://www.dog-learn.com/breed-vs-breed/akita-vs-karelian-bear-dog https://www.dog-learn.com/breed-vs-breed/akita-vs-karelian-b... On a sidenote, I have no idea why people get Akitas as pets in urban environments. They were used to fend of bears, have close to zero friendliness. Even the Karelian Bear Dog is a better pick. Maybe Hachikō is to blame.

rich_sasha 5mo ago

Pros and cons. I believe in Romania, where brown bears are very prevalent, aggressive dog breeds are used to protect sheep... But they are so aggressive that they pose an overall greater risk to humans than the bears themselves: https://romania-mountains.com/shepherd-dogs-in-romania-what-hikers-need-to-know/ https://romania-mountains.com/shepherd-dogs-in-romania-what-...

brudgers 5mo ago
KBD’s are a hunting dogs. They hold bears in place with personality and it is common for them to work alone. In North America, they are used to “shepherd” bears away from human habitats. For example in the US Park Service link, you can see a single dog riding with a single park ranger.
petre 5mo ago
That's why they're called lifestock guardian dogs. Romanians don't have a proper word for it, they're called "shepherd dogs". Bad description. Shepherd dogs like Border Collies herd sheep. The lifestock guardian kind fend off bears, wolves and hikers alike. They're very territorial and their territory is wherever the livestock happens to be at that point in time. The native breeds are usually manageable, while the Caucasian Shepherd and the Kangal are not, at least not without shouting, stick waving and throwing rocks at them. The Carpathian "Shepherd" Dog is now exported to Italy to fend off wolves.
- aitchnyu 5mo ago
  Love the breeds where the locals dont have a name for it.

lovich 5mo ago

Plott hounds also will square up with bears[1]. My childhood dog was a plott hound we adopted from the shelter and we quickly realized he could not be allowed near any other non human animal if we wanted that animal to still live. Luckily we were in the sticks and had a decent plot of land so he could be out and exercise without putting anyone else’s pets at risk. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plott_Hound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plott_Hound

rickydroll 5mo ago
My first rescue hound was a Plott Hound. She had been pretty badly broken because of previous owners not treating her right. The only reason we knew her history is that she would frequently run away and was known to most of the dog officers within a 10-mile radius of her places of living. We knew that Coonhounds had to be introduced to cats in a very carefully because they frequently confuse them for prey, and we succeeded. She integrated nicely into a household with five cats. It's been decades since she's passed and I still miss her very much. I grew up with Black and Tan Coonhounds and had blues and Black and Tans as an adult. I miss them all.
- lovich 5mo ago
  We just kinda gave up after he burst out of the door one morning and caught a bird before it could lift off and then went full slavering rage mode when he saw another dog. We could have possibly introduced him to other animals but felt like it would stress him out, add danger to the other animals, and we had the space to let him be a dog without it becoming an issue. Most of his interactions with other animals was the local coyote pack coming to see if he was easy pickings yet. The last 2-3 years of his life I would follow him on his nighttime bathroom breaks with a bat ready to help my old man in his last battle. Luckily it never came to that and he died peacefully in his sleep on my lap.

petre 5mo ago

Whatever happened to Akitas? Weren't they used to fend off bears in Japan? This one looks quite similar but lower mainenance, less aggresive, more independent. Looks like a more versatile lifestock guardian dog, capable to ocasionaly pull a sled, herd some moose or destroy vermin. https://www.dog-learn.com/breed-vs-breed/akita-vs-karelian-bear-dog https://www.dog-learn.com/breed-vs-breed/akita-vs-karelian-b... On a sidenote, I have no idea why people get Akitas as pets in urban environments. They were used to fend of bears, have close to zero friendliness. Even the Karelian Bear Dog is a better pick. Maybe Hachikō is to blame.