Picture this: you’re miles deep in the wilderness with your furry best friend, when suddenly you catch sight of a massive shadow moving between the trees. Your heart pounds as you realize you’re face-to-face with a bear – and your dog is right there beside you. That moment of terror isn’t just a nightmare scenario; it’s a reality that thousands of hikers and their canine companions face every year in bear country across North America.
The wilderness beckons dog owners with promises of adventure and bonding time, but venturing into bear territory with your four-legged friend adds layers of complexity that many people never consider. Dogs were involved in more than half of all reported incidents involving people and black bears between 2010 and 2015. Just under half (46%) of those dogs were injured or killed; their human companions did not fare quite as well, with 62% of them being injured. These sobering statistics reveal just how dangerous these encounters can become when proper precautions aren’t taken.
Your Dog Can Be Both Your Best Friend and Biggest Risk
The relationship between dogs and bears is complicated, to say the least. Bears perceive dogs as a potential threat. Dogs can instigate attacks or defensive behaviors from bears that would not have occurred if the dogs had not been present. Think of it like bringing a provocative relative to a tense family dinner – sometimes their presence alone can turn a manageable situation into chaos.
A three-year study of 92 attacks in North America showed fully half of them involved a dog off leash. Your beloved companion might seem harmless enough chasing squirrels in your backyard, but in bear territory, even the most well-trained dog can become unpredictable. However well-trained the dog, or however well he responds to you in a normal situation, it’s not enough in most emergencies involving a bear.
Yet there’s a silver lining to this complex relationship. A dog can smell a bear and alert you well in advance that something’s there, which could in turn divert a potential encounter. And a barking dog can discourage a bear from investigating a campsite.
Never Let Your Dog Run Free in Bear Territory
This might seem obvious, but you’d be shocked how many people think their dog’s recall training is enough to keep everyone safe. Keep your dog on a leash and under physical control at all times. We recommend leaving your dog at home if you plan to camp, hike or go into the backcountry. That leash isn’t just a suggestion from overly cautious park rangers – it’s your lifeline.
A loose dog is a huge risk in bear country. It’s great fun, of course, for them to race through the timber and sniff every pile of scat they find. But if they come upon a bear, there are really only 3 possible outcomes. None of these outcomes are particularly appealing when you’re miles from help.
The most terrifying scenario involves your dog running back to you with a bear in hot pursuit. A dog often infuriates a bear and may come running back to you with the bear in pursuit! New Hampshire department of wildlife agrees that, while small, the primary risk is that your dog agitates a bear then runs to you for protection with the bear in pursuit.
Choose Your Hiking Times Wisely
Bears aren’t exactly early birds, but they’re not night owls either. Use officially marked paths and trails and travel during daylight hours as bears are more active at dawn and dusk. Think of dawn and dusk as bear rush hour – you want to avoid these peak traffic times whenever possible.
Avoid hiking at dawn or dusk. That’s when bears are most active. Hike in a group of four or more and stay close together; groups of that size are less likely to be attacked. There’s safety in numbers, and bears generally prefer to avoid large groups of people making noise.
Planning your hiking schedule around bear activity patterns isn’t just about timing – it’s about giving yourself the best possible odds. Even the most prepared hiker with the best-trained dog can find themselves in trouble during those prime bear activity hours when visibility is limited and everyone’s senses are heightened.
Make Noise Like Your Life Depends on It
Silence might be golden in most situations, but in bear country, it’s potentially deadly. Make noise! Let bears know you are there. Call out, clap hands, sing or talk loudly especially near streams, dense vegetation and berry patches, on windy days, and in areas of low visibility. The goal isn’t to announce your arrival to every animal in a ten-mile radius – it’s to give bears enough warning to get out of your way.
Make noise as you hike in order not to surprise a bear. Try shouting “Hey, bear!” every so often, clapping your hands, clacking your trekking poles together or talking or singing loudly. Your fellow hikers might think you’ve lost your mind, but bears appreciate the heads-up.
Bear bells, while popular, aren’t always effective. Most bells sold as “bear bells” are not loud enough to be useful until the bear is already very close. If you’re going to rely on sound for safety, make it count with your own voice rather than hoping a tiny bell will do the job.
Master the Art of Food Storage
Bears have an incredible sense of smell – we’re talking superhero-level abilities here. A bear’s sense of smell is seven times better than a blood hound’s. If you simply keep it in a Ziploc container or plastic baggy in your pack back, they will still be able to smell it. That innocent bag of dog treats in your backpack might as well be a neon sign advertising “Free Buffet” to every bear in the area.
Use proper food storage techniques: Always use a bear canister, bear bag, tree- or pole-hang bag or provided metal food locker to stow anything with a scent: food, snacks, empty food containers and cookware (even if cleaned); personal hygiene products such as toothpaste, feminine products and sunscreen; every little bit of trash; and even the clothes you wear for cooking. This includes your dog’s food, treats, and even their empty food bowls.
Remember that your dog’s kibble is just as attractive to bears as your trail mix. Practice proper food storage, including for dog chow. Food conditioned bears are the worst offenders at campgrounds and campers need to do their part to ensure future generations of bears don’t discover that campers = easy calories.
Don’t Forget About Dog Waste Management
Here’s something most people don’t think about until it’s too late: your dog’s bathroom habits can attract unwanted attention. Yes, dog poop can attract bears to your camp site. Bears smell everything, including the undigested bits of food in your dog’s poop. It’s gross, but it’s reality, and ignoring this fact could put you in serious danger.
Pick it up and put it in the garbage, flush it down the toilet if your site has such amenities, or put it in the outhouse (but only if you’re using doggy poop bags that are biodegradable). This isn’t just about being a responsible pet owner – it’s about survival in bear country.
The same rules that apply to human waste in the wilderness apply to your dog’s waste, but with the added complication that many dog owners aren’t prepared for this responsibility on long hiking trips.
Train for Crisis Situations Before You Need Them
Keep bear spray handy. It should be worn in a holster or clipped to the shoulder strap of your pack. And wherever it is, you should practice accessing it so muscle memory is in your corner in case of an encounter. Your bear spray won’t do you any good if it’s buried at the bottom of your pack when you need it most.
If you plan to hike or run in bear territory, the surest way to avoiding a bear encounter is to leave your dog safe and sound at home with a sitter. But if he is trail-worthy, keep him leashed and never be without a canister of bear spray. This preparation extends beyond just carrying the right equipment – you need to practice using it.
Think of it like a fire drill. You hope you’ll never need to use these skills, but when seconds count, muscle memory could mean the difference between a scary story to tell later and a tragedy that makes headlines.
Recognize Bear Warning Signs on the Trail
Bears leave calling cards everywhere they go, and learning to read these signs can help you avoid dangerous encounters. Watch for fresh bear signs. Tracks, droppings, diggings, torn-up logs and turned-over rocks are all signs that a bear has been in the area. Leave the area if the signs are fresh. Think of these signs as nature’s warning system – ignore them at your own peril.
A big red flag is a carcass (like this deer carcass). Bears will scavenge and eat off a carcass like this. If you do ever see a carcass on the trail, it’s worth going off trail and giving it a wide berth. Be extra vigilant. A carcass is like a bear’s version of a five-star restaurant, and they don’t appreciate uninvited dinner guests.
Your nose can also be a valuable early warning system. If you are hiking and you smell something like a stinky, wet dog, that’s probably a bear, and it probably means that you crossed paths rather recently.
Know What to Do During an Actual Encounter
Despite all your preparation, encounters can still happen. Keep the leash short. If your dog is small enough and you believe you can do so quickly and safely, pick it up with one arm. Keep your dominant hand free for bear spray. Every second counts in these situations, and your response needs to be immediate and decisive.
Talk calmly to both your dog AND the bear as you stand your ground. The goal is to let the bear know that a) you’re not prey and b) you’re not interested in challenging him. Your dog may not agree, so keeping him in check is going to be your primary objective. This is where all that leash training pays off.
Stay calm and remember that most bears do not want to attack you; they usually just want to be left alone. Bears may bluff their way out of an encounter by charging and then turning away at the last second. The key is not to panic, even though every instinct is telling you to run.
Understand the Long-Term Consequences
Every interaction between humans, dogs, and bears has lasting effects that extend far beyond the immediate encounter. Bears’ habituation to people always centers on food sources. They will tolerate people or other bears at close range if they need access to food, whether it is salmon in a stream or garbage in a dumpster. Habituation puts people, dogs, and bears at risk. When bears lose their natural fear of humans, everyone loses.
Serious human-bear encounters may result in the bear’s destruction and loss from the ecosystem. It becomes habituated: with frequent, repeated exposure to people, a bear loses its natural wary behavior. It is more likely to enter a campground or townsite where food or garbage may be improperly stored. One careless moment with food storage or dog management could sentence a bear to death.
The responsibility doesn’t end when you pack up your gear and head home. Every decision you make in bear country ripples outward, affecting future hikers, their dogs, and the bear population itself.
Conclusion
Hiking with your dog in bear country isn’t about avoiding adventure – it’s about embracing it responsibly. The wilderness offers incredible experiences that can strengthen the bond between you and your four-legged companion, but these rewards come with serious responsibilities that can’t be ignored or downplayed.
The statistics paint a sobering picture of what happens when people venture into bear territory unprepared or overconfident. Yet thousands of people hike safely with their dogs in bear country every year by following these essential guidelines and treating the wildlife with the respect they deserve.
Your dog doesn’t understand the complexities of bear behavior or the consequences of poor decision-making in the wilderness. That burden falls entirely on you as their human guardian and decision-maker. The choices you make – from when you hike to how you store food to whether you keep that leash in your hand – could mean the difference between a memorable adventure and a tragic encounter that changes lives forever.
What would you have guessed was the most dangerous aspect of bringing your dog into bear country?
Born and bred in South Africa, a Capetonian at heart. Amy-Leigh’s love for nature and animals was inherited from her Dad. He loves taking the family on road trips to experience nature at its finest; Amy-Leigh’s favourite being whale watching in Hermanus and spotting Kudu along the West Coast. Amy-Leigh holds a BA in English Literature and Communication Studies.
