# Breed ID? Saw this picture on BBC's "Day in Pictures".  I included the text that they had below the picture.  "A dog barks at a chained bear at a kennel for breeding and training hunting and sled dogs in Belarus." It looks almost like an Akita, but I can't be sure.  Is it some other European hunting breed? ## Thread In General · started by brandon_w · 21 replies - **Category:** [General](https://nihonken.org/community/c/general) - **Forum:** [Nihon Ken Forum](https://nihonken.org/community/) ## brandon_w (admin) · 2007-11-28T12:59:43.000Z Saw this picture on BBC's "Day in Pictures".  I included the text that they had below the picture.  "A dog barks at a chained bear at a kennel for breeding and training hunting and sled dogs in Belarus." It looks almost like an Akita, but I can't be sure.  Is it some other European hunting breed? ## hondru (moderator) · 2007-11-28T14:31:24.000Z Definitely looks like a Karelian Bear Dog. ## brandon_w (admin) · 2007-11-28T15:22:03.000Z I looked up the Karelian Bear Dog, and I think you have it right.  I did some reading on them, they seem like very impressive dogs.  A lot of their traits seem very simliar to Shibas (and other Spitz type dogs).  Doesn't seem like there are a lot of them in North America though.  Found one breeder, that I think is in Utah, www.beardogs.org who seems to have a pretty impressive program for raising their dogs. ## ShikokuSpirit (moderator) · 2007-11-29T03:14:23.000Z Yeah, I was thinking Karelain Bear Dog. I have a customer at work who has one. She was happy that I knew what her breed was -smiles-. ## JessicaRabbit (admin) · 2007-11-29T23:01:13.000Z Brandon, I just checked out the link. What a cool organization. Great dogs. I love finding a breed I haven't heard of. So cool to learn new stuff! ## brada1878 (admin) · 2007-12-05T15:33:44.000Z I don't think that's a Karelian Bear dog - I think it's a Russo-European Laika. They look very similar but most KBs have a white stripe down there face. Also since Belarus borders Russia it makes since. KBs are from Finland. I REALLY like KBs, they are a very cool dog... but we could never have one - they are a one dog type of animal, not good in packs. I have looked at the site Brandon posted often, I think that organization is very cool. Russo-European Laika are VERY intense dogs (from what I have read). Russo-European Laika: ## brada1878 (admin) · 2007-12-05T15:45:25.000Z Here is a better pic: ## brandon_w (admin) · 2007-12-05T15:50:42.000Z Brad you might be onto something here.  The Russo-European Laika is another very impressive looking dog.  I think any dog that is capable of being trained to not fear Bears, must be pretty intense, especially when in training or on the hunt. ## brada1878 (admin) · 2007-12-05T18:28:45.000Z Yea, I agree - face to face with a bear is pretty hectic... but think about RidgeBacks, they where breed hunt freaking lions! I really like most of the Laika breeds, they are great looking dogs - very similar to the Shikoku. I'm not sure I would ever own any of them tho. ## JessicaRabbit (admin) · 2007-12-05T22:50:43.000Z The whole reason I am in love with and yet slightly afraid of Hokkaido. Having a dog that has no hesitation taking on a 600lb bear, is quite a handful. ## brada1878 (admin) · 2007-12-05T23:01:37.000Z I agree, I have always been interested in Hokkaido due to that as well. I have been communicating with a Hokkaido breeder in Sweden that found me on YouTube. Tho there Hokkaido look more like Shiba to me. Akita where breed to hunt Bear as well as guard too. ## brada1878 (admin) · 2007-12-05T23:02:56.000Z Does anyone else feel kinda bad for the bear in that pic? ## MommyofNiko · 2007-12-05T23:09:25.000Z Yeah especially since the bear looks chained up....LMAO! You guys need to quit getting me interested in other dogs! ## hondru (moderator) · 2007-12-15T14:49:08.000Z Tell me about it.  If I owned all the breeds I wanted, I'd need a 50-dog kennel facility. ## Evan · 2007-12-15T16:31:34.000Z That does not look as much like a Karelian Bear Dog, they tend to have funnier looking heads. ## ktrebor · 2007-12-28T12:43:57.000Z brada1878 Could you provide me with info about this Sweden hokkaido inu breeder? I'm trying to do map of european hokkaido inu kennels, and I never heard about kennel in Sweden. ## brada1878 (admin) · 2007-12-30T03:07:51.000Z yes - the kennel website is: http://www.shiba-yukiyama.com/ Hope that helps! ## ktrebor · 2007-12-30T06:12:16.000Z Thanks, I know this kennel (it is from Netherlands :) mrs Jacobine is very nice person. ## brada1878 (admin) · 2007-12-30T13:31:27.000Z oh - oops... I think that was an incorrect link - sorry... let me look in my YouTube account and see if I have it still. ## hondru (moderator) · 2008-01-30T02:45:08.000Z I had to dig up this old thread when I came across this: http://www.simplesite.com/grawpawsbeardogs/2654466   This reminds me of the japanese vs american akita debate. ## okiron · 2008-01-30T03:53:30.000Z The russo-european laika is beautiful. Too bad they're not a pack type dog. ## brada1878 (admin) · 2008-01-30T13:24:08.000Z That is actually kinda a silly article - you are right tho it is like the JA vs. AA thing... basically the KBD and the Russo-Ero Laika are the same exact dog - in the 1947 the Russians decided that only Laika live in Russia, and nowhere else on earth. So they declared that all the KBD/REL living outside Russia where not Laika. The majority of the KBD/REL lived outside Russia anyway, manly in Finland, and where re-named KBD. So the bloodlines all stem from the same place, the Laika version has been breed w/ a limited gene pool, ironically, because most of the dog didn't live in Russia... so the Russian version has less Russian version to breed with. Having said all that, they are 2 different recognized breeds - so I guess breeders should respect that. The part I think is silly is that they split the breed to begin with - based on geography (WTF?). Kinda silly! --- **Navigate:** [Forum home](https://nihonken.org/community/?format=md) · [Sitemap](https://nihonken.org/community/sitemap.xml)