Healthy Coping Strategies

• Acknowledge your feelings: Allow yourself to feel your emotions without judgment, but remember they are temporary. Be kind to yourself and avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms.
• Reach out: Make an effort to connect with friends, neighbors, or coworkers. This could be accepting invitations to events or initiating contact yourself. Utilize technology like phone calls, texting, or video chats to include loved ones in your celebrations even from a distance.
• Volunteer: Helping others is a great way to meet people and gain a sense of purpose. It shifts your focus outward and is a proven mood booster. Check with local community organizations to find opportunities.
• Create new traditions: Challenge your expectations of how the holidays should be by planning new activities that you genuinely enjoy. This can include going to the movies, trying a new recipe, or exploring a new place.
• Practice self-care: Maintain healthy habits such as exercising, eating well, and getting enough sleep. Physical activity, in particular, can significantly improve your mood.
• Stay engaged with a hobby: Occupy your mind by diving into a project you’ve been putting off, starting a new hobby, or learning something new.
• Practice gratitude: Intentionally focus on the things you are thankful for to help shift your perspective and remind you of the positives in your life. 

For more information and resources on mental health during the holidays, you can visit the Mental Health First Aid website or Centerstone’s resources. 

The “Russian bear dog” is a common nickname for the 

Caucasian Shepherd Dog (also known as the Caucasian Ovcharka), a powerful livestock guardian breed. The dogs are not used for organized “fighting” as a blood sport, but rather their protective instincts and size were historically used to deter and protect livestock from predators like wolves and bears in the Caucasus mountains. 

Role as a Guardian

• Deterrence, not fighting: The dogs primarily act as a deterrent. Their imposing size (100 to 170 pounds and up to 30 inches tall), loud bark, and fierce protective instincts are often enough to scare away predators.
• Pack dynamics: While stories exist of one-on-one combat, dogs typically work in packs to protect their flock. A single dog is often no match for a large, healthy adult bear or a pack of wolves in a fight to the death.
• Natural instincts: They have an innate protective instinct towards their perceived “pack” (family and livestock) and territory, which can manifest as aggression towards strangers or other animals if not properly socialized and trained from an early age. 

Real Bear Encounters

In reality, adult grizzly or brown bears are significantly larger and stronger than any dog breed. A bear has powerful arms and paws with thick claws, a bite force that can exceed 1,200 pounds per square inch, and immense body mass. A dog’s bite force is far less, and it lacks the physical attributes to consistently win a death match with a full-grown bear. 

The goal of a livestock guardian dog is to defend the flock, often using non-lethal methods like barking and posturing to make the area seem like too much trouble for a predator. In fact, other breeds like the Karelian Bear Dog are used by wildlife management as a non-lethal method to locate and haze bears away from human-populated areas, not to engage in combat. 

term “Russian bear dog” is a common nickname for the 

Caucasian Shepherd Dog (also known as the Caucasian Ovcharka), a powerful livestock guardian breed. These dogs were historically used in the Caucasus Mountains region to protect flocks from predators such as wolves and bears, but they are not generally involved in staged “fighting” with bears. 

Key points regarding the breed and bear encounters:

• Historical Role as Guardians: The primary function of the Caucasian Shepherd was to act as a deterrent and guardian, using their imposing size (100 to 170 pounds) and loud bark to ward off predators. They are known for their fierce protective instincts and territoriality.
• Protection vs. Fighting: While some anecdotal stories exist of these dogs engaging bears in defense of their flock, this is a protective measure, not a sport or guaranteed “fight to the death” victory. A single dog is heavily outmatched by a healthy adult bear, which possesses significantly greater strength, bite force, and natural weaponry (claws).
• Modern Bear Deterrence: In some areas, such as Alaska, other breeds like the Karelian Bear Dog are used in a non-lethal capacity to locate and deterbears from human-populated areas, which is a method of human-wildlife conflict management, not fighting.
• Responsible Ownership: The Caucasian Shepherd is a complex breed that requires an experienced handler, early socialization, and consistent training due to its independent and protective nature. 

In summary, the dogs were bred for guarding against predators, but the idea of them consistently “fighting” bears to the death is largely a romanticized notion based on their imposing reputation and historical role, rather than a common practice or a realistic expectation of their capabilities against an adult bear.