Breed # Karelian Bear Dog The Karelian Bear Dog is a foundation stock service breed from Finland, standing 19–23 in at the withers, weighing 44–50 lb. Recorded lifespan is 11–13 yrs. ![A photograph of the Karelian Bear Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/karelian-bear-dog.webp) Breed group Foundation Stock Service Origin Finland Height 19–23 in Weight 44–50 lb Lifespan 11–13 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Karelian Bear Dog is taller than 45% of the measured breeds, heavier than 44%, one of 64 in the Foundation Stock Service group, one of 4 from Finland. Compare the Karelian Bear Dog with another breed ## Living with the Karelian Bear Dog Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Karelian Bear Dog’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 2 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 2 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 2 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 5 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 4 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 3 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 2 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 5 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Karelian Bear Dog on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/karelian-bear-dog/)[Karelian Bear Dog on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/karelian-bear-dog) ## Breeds that look like the Karelian Bear Dog A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Karelian Bear Dog. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/russo-european-laika.webp)Russo-European Laika](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/russo-european-laika/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/smooth-collie.webp)Smooth Collie](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/smooth-collie/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/welsh-sheepdog.webp)Welsh Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/welsh-sheepdog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/koolie.webp)Koolie](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/koolie/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/new-zealand-heading-dog.webp)New Zealand Heading Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/new-zealand-heading-dog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/english-springer-spaniel.webp)English Springer Spaniel](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/english-springer-spaniel/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Karelian Bear Dog19–23 in 2. Russo-European Laika21–24 in 3. Smooth Collie24–26 in 4. Welsh Sheepdog20–22 in 5. Koolie13–23 in 6. New Zealand Heading Dog20–24 in 7. English Springer Spaniel19–21 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Karelian Bear Dog44–50 lb 2. Russo-European Laika45–55 lb 3. Smooth Collie60–70 lb 4. Welsh Sheepdog15–35 lb 5. Koolie33–53 lb 6. New Zealand Heading Dog55–66 lb 7. English Springer Spaniel45–55 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Karelian Bear Dog11–13 yrs 2. Russo-European Laika10–12 yrs 3. Smooth Collie14–16 yrs 4. Welsh Sheepdog12–15 yrs 5. Koolie~18 yrs 6. New Zealand Heading Dog12–14 yrs 7. English Springer Spaniel12–14 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. ## Guides that mention the Karelian Bear Dog Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed. - [Are Bears Related to Dogs?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/are-bears-related-to-dogs/) See the Karelian Bear Dog on the breed map Read about the Karelian Bear Dog on Wikipedia