Have A Safe Outdoor Adventure With Your Dog In Bear Country By Following These Tips

Many dog owners enjoy adventuring outdoors with their furry friends beside them. There are actually a number of benefits to having your dog accompany you on the trail or campsite. One of the benefits is the added comfort of the protection people think a dog affords them. While this may be true in some instances, dogs can also invite some unwanted attention from wild animals, including bears. With that in mind, there are some steps you should take to have a safe outdoor adventure with your dog in bear country, including how you handle your pup, which areas you choose for your adventure, and how you prevent surprising bears along the way.

Many of the steps you should take are much the same any time you are in known bear territory, whether you have a dog with you or not. However, the odds of a bear encounter goes up significantly with a dog. In fact, dogs are involved in more than half of all reported black bear incidents. Therefore, it is even more important to follow proper protocol when accompanied by a dog. Additionally, before taking your dog along, you need to make sure the area, park, or hiking trail allows dogs. However, just because dogs are allowed in an area or on a trail does not mean there aren't risks associated with venturing into bear country with your pet. But, you can have a safe outdoor adventure with your dog in bear country by following these tips.

The most important measure you can take to ensure you have a safe outdoor adventure with your dog in bear country is to keep your dog on a leash at all times. While it may be tempting to let your dog run free on the trail or through the woods, unleashed pets are actually a safety issue for people, bears, and other wild animals, in addition to the dogs. So, it is important to have your dog trained to walk on a leash and follow other basic commands before taking them on an outdoor adventure.

While bears are actually often frightened by the sound of a dog (even a small dog), the problem arises when a dog gives chase or approaches a bear. Cornered bears are dangerous and will fight back even if they were initially scared of the dog. According to BearWise, a non-retractable leash is preferable when walking with your dog in bear country — whether it be on an outdoor adventure or around the block — for this reason. Short, sturdy leashes like the Taglory six-foot rope dog leash allows you to maintain control of your dog and keep it from attempting to pursue a bear.

Although going on an epic adventure through densely wooded or unexplored trails with your dog may sound enticing, in order to stay safe, it is usually best to take a more mundane route. By choosing paths or trails that have less undergrowth and a clearer line of sight, you can drastically reduce the chances of a bear encounter. This is because both you and the bear will be able to see a greater distance, spot each other sooner, and take aversive action in ample time. 

Since bears are typically non-confrontational, they are much more likely to slink back into the cover of the woods if given a chance. If you do see a bear, even at a distance, it is important to secure your dog (either by picking it up or shortening the leash), attempt to keep it quiet by speaking in a calm voice, and quickly move in the other direction while keeping the bear within sight. If you are unable to move away, stand your ground, keep control of your dog, speak calmly to both the bear and your dog, and allow the bear plenty of room to move around you. 

Expanding on the point that bears tend to be skittish and are willing to steer clear of humans whenever possible, one of the best things you can do is make noise to avoid bears when on an outdoor adventure in bear territory. Oftentimes, just talking as you hike or walk is enough. However, if moving through areas that are densely wooded or full of underground and obstructions, it can be more effective to use a safety whistle or a noisemaker like the Sabre Frontiersman bear horn.

In addition, steady conversation or an occasional blast on the air horn will help alert bears that a human is nearby. More often than not, when they know a human is near, they will vanish before they are seen. Again, the premise is to avoid surprising a bear. Startled bears are much more likely to attack. Giving them a heads-up allows them the opportunity to distance themselves without conflict.

When camping, you can also play a radio to keep bears away from your campsite. Leaving the radio playing while you're away from camp allows this trick to work whether you are actually in the camp at that moment or not. Making sure bears don't enter your camp while you're gone means you don't have to worry about surprising a bear when you return.

Other ways to stay safe while adventuring with your dog in bear country are to avoid times when bears are more active, watch for signs of bears as you move along the trail or through the woods, and avoid areas where bears may be feeding or caring for their young. The last two points are important not just while hiking, but also when choosing a location to set up camp.

When moving down the trail or setting up camp, stay away from areas such as berry fields that bears may be using a feeding ground. Additionally, look for signs bears may be nearby or active in the area. These signs include things such as bear tracks, logs or tree limbs that have been clawed, droppings, and tufts of fur. 

You should also be aware of when bears are most active. Obviously, if you are exploring areas in bear territory during periods of high activity, your chance of an encounter goes up significantly. To that end, while sunrises and sunsets are often stunning, they also occur at the times of day when bears are highly active. So, it is a good idea to avoid the low light periods when taking an outdoor adventure in bear country with your dog.

Unfortunately, even if you take every possible precaution, there is still a chance of having a negative encounter with a bear when adventuring with your dog in bear territory. If such an incident should happen and your dog squares off with the bear, you should not attempt to rescue it under any circumstance. However, even in that dire situation, you can still help your dog if you are properly prepared.

With that in mind, unless you happen to be in an area or national park that doesn't allow bear spray, you should always carry a canister with you. It is not only important to carry a product such as the Sabre Frontiersman bear spray, but you should also know how to use bear spray, practice before you go, and be willing to use it.

Given that bear spray has an effective range of 30 feet, you should use it once a bear aggressively charges within that distance. You should also not hesitate to use it even if your dog is confronting or engaged with the bear. Even though the dog will likely be impacted by the discharge of bear spray as well, it is better to inadvertently hit your dog with bear spray than have it mauled by bear.