I'm lucky to experience nature daily with my Karelian Bear Dog Kintla.
Our latest adventure involved Kintla harnessing innate hunting skills to sniff out a clan of chipmunks living in a log. As soon as she caught the scent trail, her nose led her straight to the source: a huge fallen tree housing multiple caverns. She pounced around the stump barking up a storm and stamping on the ground. She jumps up and comes down, bringing her weight to bear using her front legs. Viral online videos show foxes making this exact move while hunting. Since I've raised her from a pup, I know her mother didn't teach her that; maybe she saw it on the Discovery channel since her kennel is in the living room, or maybe this move is hard-wired in her genes?
I think it's in her nature, and I love seeing her exercise these instincts. I take breaks on our walk when she finds a hole to dig or a log to sniff out because I want her to hone in on her hunting sense. Karelians are bred to hunt big game, like moose, bear, and elk, so it's no surprise she's constantly prowling. For this reason, I'd not recommend a Karelian Bear Dog to inactive owners. Don’t even entertain the idea of owning such a breed if you don’t have an active, outdoor lifestyle; doing so would constitute a form of abuse!
Kintla is well cared for. We go on adventures almost daily. She is hardly on the trail with me though because she's always off sniffing in bushes or putting her nose to the ground. One of my favorite sites is seeing Kintla off in the distance with her head stuck in a hole, sniffing out the creature living there. She makes my life exciting!
As I build up my homestead life, I know Kintla will be a great companion. No creature will roam onto our land unnoticed with Kintla on guard.
