[Mathias]

Try the stock portfolio route - select the Portfolio menu, then "Import Stock Portfolio", and choose the set of NPCs you want - "Miscellaneous Monsters (S-T)" for a spider, "Miscellaneous Monsters (A-B) for a bear. That will add the monster, configured as listed in the Bestiary (configuration isn't much in the case of an animal, but a Goblin will have the shield, armor, and weapons listed in the Bestiary).

Once you've added that, switch to the Classes tab and add the templates you want.

Races for monsters are added just like the race for a character - switch to the Background tab, and select "Bear" or "Spider, Giant" from the list. Then, you can play with the monster as you wish - adding templates, adjusting the ability scores, etc.