KARELIAN BEAR DOG
(Karjalankarhukoira)
TRANSLATION : Mrs Peggy Davis.

ORIGIN : Finland.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 15.09.1989.

UTILIZATION : Versatile hunting dog for large game (bear, lynx), but also elk, deer and boar.

FCI's CLASSIFICATION : Group 5 Spitz and primitive types
Section 2 Nordic hunting dogs
Without Working Trial.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Medium size dog, robust conformation, solid, a little longer than high, with a dense coat and pricked ears.

BEHAVIOUR/CHARACTER : Balanced nature, slightly reserved, bold, courageous; his keen senses, especially the scent, permit that he can be used in large game hunting.
HEAD : Seen from the front, triangular, the forehead and the cheeks relatively large. The forehead a little convex, the stop marked but not steep, the superciliary ridges slightly developed. The muzzle is deep and the nasal bridge preferably straight, narrowing only slightly towards the extremity. The nose is black and very well developed. The lips are thin and well joined.

TEETH : Scissor bite.

EYES : Relatively small and brown. Alert expression, often fiery.

EARS : Pricked, of medium size with slightly rounded tips.

NECK : Strong, medium length, arched and covered with thick fur.

FOREQUARTERS : Strong, shoulders relatively oblique and muscular. The elbows fit naturally to the chest wall, the forearms straight, the pastern supple and only slightly bent.

BODY : Solid; the back straight and supple. The back muscles well developed. The spacious chest extending down to approximately the height of the elbows. The rump is wide and slightly sloping. The underline slightly drawn up.

HINDQUARTERS : Strong and muscular; seen from behind, they are straight and parallel. The anterior face of the leg is harmoniously rounded. The thigh is broad. The angle of the stifle is moderately marked.

FEET : The front feet are tight, well-arched and quite round. The hind feet, tight, are a little longer and less arched than the front feet.

TAIL : Set high, of medium length, curved over the back, the tip touching the flank either on the side or on the back.

COAT : Top coat is stiff and harsh to the touch, longer on the neck, on the back and the back of the thighs. The undercoat is soft and dense.

COLOUR : Black, or of a colour approaching a mat chestnut deriving from the reflection of the undercoat generally reddish brown (russet); preferably with white spots or markings, clearly delimited at the head, the neck, the chest, the belly and the legs. The whole black colour is also admitted.

SIZE : Ideal height at the withers is : dogs 57 cm
bitches 52 cm
Admitted variability : +/- 3 cm

ADMITTED BUT NOT SOUGHT AFTER CHARACTERISTICS : docked tail. Dewclaws. White coat with black patches and patches of wolf-coloured hair. Black-grey coat caused by mingling grey (wolf-like) hair with the black hair.

FAULTS :
- Light boned.
- Narrow skull.
- Pointed muzzle.
- Bat ears.
- Bulging fore-head.
- Light eyes and with some blue.
- Neck skin loose.
- Chest too deep, barrel shape.
- Straight shoulders.
- Straight stifles and flat feet.
- Wavy coat.
- Straight tail, whip tail, sabre tail.
- Unacceptable colours.
- Aggressiveness dangerous to man.
- Legs too short or too high making the dog look either too long or too short.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : The ratio between the length of the body and the height at the withers is of 10-9, 7 on 9,8, i.e. the dog is about 2 - 3 % longer than high. Because of the long hair on the culottes, the dog often gives the impression of being slightly longer than high.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.