Humans and bears have a long history of conflicts where the norm has been lethal management. Many wildlife managers sought alternative non-lethal approaches and since late 1990’s Karelian bear dogs (KBDs) have been used systematically by managers and biologists to mitigate human bear-conflicts (HBCs) as a management tool. The goal of this master’s thesis was to assess how KBDs are utilized, what their key uses are, challenges and where are they the most effective. After reviewing and talking with bear managers there is a lack of published research that supports the use dogs and especially KBDs. I used a qualitative method with in-depth interviews with 17 KBD handlers with different backgrounds and experiences to get a deeper understanding from the handler perspective. Handlers expressed that the key uses of KBDs are detection work (searching bear attractants, carcasses, find bear signs like hair or scats, ground and air tracking and similar work) and public education and outreach. These two management strategies help handlers locate bears in the field and educating the public on how to avoid HBCs and take precautions to avoid bear visits at their property or in the outback. Challenges with leaders in management are resistance to the use of dogs in management, and agencies that does not provide funding or equipment for the dogs and their handler. Resistance in using dogs as a management tool is perceived as lack of data supporting what the dogs can contribute with. Using dogs with methods like hazing or aversive conditioning with other deterrence methods was stated to be effective in causing short-term wariness of bears around human occupied space. Overall, I found KBDs to be an effective tool to mitigate HBC and a valuable asset to wildlife management as a tool for detection work and as a tool for education of communities and people coexisting with bears.