Meet the Bear Dogs

Picchio bear management’s most unique asset: the Karelian bear dog

Originally from Finland, this impressive dog breed was traditionally used as a hunting dog, tracking brown bears across the snowy wilds of the Nordic countries.

Now they are used by bear management teams as a non-lethal way of reducing human-bear conflict. Picchio’s team of dogs are the only trained Karelian bear dogs in Japan. They are Picchio’s ambassadors, proving that it is possible to coexist with wildlife peacefully.

They are essential in creating distance between ourselves and the bears. Their strong sense of smell allows them to detect and track bears in conditions we could not and their loud barks are very effective at driving bears away, discouraging them from returning to human areas

Our first dog, Bullet, was brought over from the Wind River Bear Institute (WRBI), USA, by Carrie Hunt in 2004.

Siblings Tama and Nanuq, also brought over from WRBI, succeeded Bullet in 2015 and 3 years later, Tama successfully bred with American dog, Rio, giving birth to Picchio’s second generation of bear dogs. Her 6 puppies all underwent the bear dog exam, testing their nerve against various stimuli and their receptibility to training. Rela and Elf came out on top and now Picchio is home to a team of four amazing dogs!