The work to write out a breed standard for the Karelian Bear Dog was initiated under Dr. Antti Tanttu’s leadership in 1943. The breed standard was approved at the Finnish Kennel Club's council meeting on 14th December 1945. The Karelian Bear Dog was officially registered as a breed on 12th May 1946.
Hunters in the Russian Karelia region used black hunting spitz to hunt various game, such as land and waterfowl, wild deer, squirrel, elk, marten, and large predators. The need to take in this well-known hunting dog breed was recognized in the early 20th century. The first recorded notes date back to 1917. These were made by Border Officer Lauri Hannikainen while he was wandering in the Karelian wilderness. He stated that a thick-coated dog different from the Finnish Spitz had formed in the area; it was larger, sturdier, and had a longer body. To collect this black-and-white dog, that could be used to hunt all game, into one breed was something Hannikainen deemed to be desirable. Several Russian researchers had also extensively mapped the strong, versatile working dog. The first reports for collection purposes of the black spitz that was found near the Finnish eastern border were however presented by Johan Bruning, K. G. Suvenvuo, and Kalle Airaksinen.
The first appearance of the bear dog took place at a dog show in Helsinki on 2nd–3rd May 1936. At that time, three black spitz males were presented as Karelian Bear Dogs. These dogs were Musti, owner Viljo Kivikko from Ilomantsi,Lelu, owner F.E. Eskelinen from Pielisjärvi, and Mille, owner V. Tshokkinen from Liperi. These dogs were judged by Doctor Antti Tanttu. Musti received a special mention from him as ‘festive’. The next significant event took place three months later on 16th August 1936. A dog show was held in Sortavala where several black spitz were presented. First prize was awarded to Kivikko’s Musti and Temu, a beautiful but slightly lightly built dog owned by Tshokkinen. Raju, owner P. Kuikka, had distinguished himself in bear hunting but received only a second prize due to his small size.
These dogs were mostly black with white markings or blazes. Doctor Antti Tanttu, an authority figure and expert from the early days of the breed, judged bear dogs in Sortavala. The situation of the breed at that time is well described by him in his general review in the prize judge’s report: “This collection of mopey, mostly black spitz, is an invaluable sight. The general appearance was disturbed by the weak condition of most dogs, since dogs that were recently purchased from the wilderness had not been fed enough and had not had time to recover just yet” (Perttola 1989, page 29). The show in Sortavala can be considered as remarkable for the formation of the breed, making the direction of desirable breeding material clearer.
Antti Herrala, a legend within the breed, made a strong impression with his dogs at the Vyborg dog show on 29th May 1938. He was a professional hunter with a natural ‘eye for a dog’. Herrala’s Jeppe (later progenitor Jeppe) had been exchanged to a squirrel dog in Käsnäselkä, and was a bobtailed, sturdy, black-and-white male with prick ears that showed excellent work on elk. Herrala mated his brown hunting spitz to Jeppe, thus changing his dog population black in colour. Jeppe mated its daughter Tovi and from this uneven inbred litter, one true star was born; Töpö was awarded with first prize at dog shows in Sortavala and Vyborg, together with his brother Poku from the same litter. According to oral tradition, Antti Tanttu had written the first breed standard for Karelian Bear Dogs based on Töpö. The breed standard is still relevant to this day.
Collection of the breed interrupted by the Winter War – significant canine material salvaged from the war
The show in Helsinki in 1936 can be considered as a kick-off for the Karelian Bear Dog as a breed, since the new black spitz drew a lot of attention and the collection of the breed started. At that time, it was however impossible to know that there would be only three years available to do the work. In 1939, the Finnish Kennel Club appointed a committee for the breed work of the Karelian Bear Dog. The committee consisted of A. Tanttu, K. Ritala, E. Raappana, Olof Z. Berg, and E. Kivinen. The Winter War however broke out in November 1939. The war interrupted the work right from the start and destroyed a significant amount of the bear dog population. The committee started its actual work only after the wars, with a composition consisting of A. Tanttu, E. Raappana, and W.G. Nohrström. Olof Z. Berg, farm manager for Pitkäranta Oy, deserves a special mention for collection work of the breed that he started right after the Helsinki show. He was not a professional hunter but had a passion to salvage this black spitz breed he found to be spectacular. A lucky coincidence stepped in when Berg got acquainted with Captain Viljo Kivikko, who served at the Finnish Border Guard in northern Karelia. Like Berg, also he was a passionate admirer of the black spitz but also a hunter. From Kivikko, Berg learned more about the black spitz and especially of its use in hunting, after which he started to collect black spitz from the border village areas with a determined mindset.
Success at the Vyborg show in 1938 inspired Antti Herrala to acquire several new dogs and to register the kennel name “Jepen”. Herrala used the inbred model dog Töpö a lot in his breeding. As Antti Herrala was a professional hunter, many dogs with a strong hunting drive were included in the breed. Before the Winter War broke out, Berg and Herrala sent many dogs collected from the Karelian areas to safety to the Finnish side of the border. Puppies were sent to a wide area, for instance to Southern and Western Finland. Berg alone is said to have brought four adult bear dogs and about 40 puppies. However, people were forced to give up good dogs as they had to quickly leave the bordering areas on the Russian side. Musti had changed owners from Kivikko to O.Z. Berg. When fleeing from the war, Musti’s faith for instance was to end up in a grave, alongside with five other adult dogs.
During the Continuation War, significant additions to the Karelian Bear Dog population were obtained from the combat zone, by collecting homeless dogs or by purchasing dogs from people that had stayed in their homes. Significant progenitors for the breed were obtained from northern Olonets, such as Viljo Kivikko’s male Selki (11103/X) from the village of Präkkilä in Selgi and female Saida (11102/X) from Saidoma, as well as Tuusik from the village of Pohjoispää, owner Forest Councillor Kaivola. During the war, Antti Herrala managed to return to Salmi and purchased Ukko, a large, good elkhound he used to continue his breeding work with. From Olonets, O.Z. Berg acquired Mishka, that was already quite old and completely black, for the price of 5000 Finnish marks, leather for boots, and two bottles of spirits. At that time, the price was substantial. However, Mishka was used a lot for breeding.
From four different populations to the Karelian Bear Dog
The post-war population of the breed that was registered in 1946 was divided into dogs from four different areas. There was the domestic population that descended from the Karelian Bear Dogs brought to Finland before the wars, the populations collected from southern and northern Olonets during the wars, and the smaller population from White Karelia.
As the wars were going on, it was lucky for the breed that interest towards the black spitz that made its debut in 1936 had sparked among dog enthusiast in Southern and South-west Finland. South-west Finland in particular served as a Karelian Bear Dog reservoir for the war-torn breed. The breeding work of Mam Impi Markkula in kennel Otso was exceptionally valuable for the breed as she had purchased two female puppies from Antti Herrala before the war. These dogs descended from model dog Töpö. Otson Jahti proved to be an excellent elkhound, so Antti Herrala repurchased the female from Markkula and continued his breeding in kennel Jepen after losing his previous dogs during the Winter War. Otson Jahti was a natural elkhound who passed a strong hunting drive for large game on its offspring.
The domestic material varied, for instance regarding colour and size: from black-and-white to completely black or white or wolf-coloured, from medium-sized to small. There were long-haired, blue-eyed, and bobtailed dogs. Only the males progenitor Jeppe and Töpö, owned by Herrala, Musti, owned by Kivikko, and female Penna, owned by Berg, really corresponded to the breed standard from 1945 when it comes to domestic population dogs. The population in southern Olonets was more coherent to its colouring; black-and-white, black, almost white, multicoloured, or grey. Dogs were large and had tight muscles. Heads were narrow and tails sickle. These dogs did not include any that corresponded to the breed standard. Of the dogs in southern Olonets, the completely black dog Miskha owned by Berg was used for breeding for various reasons, including its colour. Miskha’s meaning is increased by, in addition to its breeding use, its offspring that were imported to Finland as adults.
It should be noted that the first double champion of the breed, Kyttä (11710/X, owner Rikhard Sotamaa), descends from the population in southern Olonets. Kyttä was one of the three bear dogs to compete at the first elkhound trials in Kitee in 1945. All three dogs were awarded at those trials, the two others being Kivikko’s Selki and Saida. Dogs from northern Olonets were mainly black-and-white with grey margins, or black or white with grey markings. Heads were large, wide, and obtuse in a triangle shape in accordance with the breed standard; coats were thick and dogs medium-sized and sturdy. Model dogs from this area that were widely used for breeding include Tuusik, Selki, and Seida.
The population in White Karelia was very much alike typical spitz; small and thick-coated, completely black dogs. General E. Raappana, who was a member of the breed standard committee and who judged the breed at a dog show in Jyväskylä on 17th July 1945, wrote in his prize judge’s report: “The breed traits intended for bear dogs have been recorded based on dogs in Olonets. Having a dog from White Karelia compete against a dog from Olonets is out of the question if we wish to create a standardized Karelian Bear Dog breed.”
The text is a passage from historical texts written by Eila Lautanen, published in the 80th Anniversary History of the Finnish Spitz Association, Suomen Pystykorvajärjestö – Finska Spetsklubben ry. It was published in 2018.
Photographs are from the collections of the Finnish Kennel Foundation and the Hunting Museum of Finland. The online exhibition of the Karelian Bear Dog is curated by Marianna Järvinen.
