Dogs and Bears

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Crosspost of a post that appeared in another forum that I'm on.

"This isn't a fear-mongering thread, it's just how it is. Two of my dogs told me it was so. That dogs in Natl Parks thread reminded me.

Have any of you read John Steinbeck's book Travels with Charley? In 1960, Steinbeck and his Standard Poodle, Charley left NY in a truck/camper and traveled around America. He described Charley as a "gentleman poodle", I think -- an older dog, well-mannered.

Everything was fine until they got to Yellowstone National Park. When they entered, the ranger warned him that most dogs go crazy at the sight/smell of a bear. Steinbeck said he didn't have to worry about Charley. And Charley was fine... until he saw the bear. This gentleman dog went crazy, jumping and screaming and yelling at the bear what he was going to do to him if he could only get out of the truck. Steinbeck left Yellowstone as fast as he could, with sweat running down his face. He said he stopped long enough at the entry point to apologize to the ranger for not taking him seriously.

I read this book before I started my series of camping vacations with my dog (a 17 lb Sheltie cross). We were alone in a small campground in ID when the bear came into camp (late afternoon) and checked out the garbage can. My dog acted like he had memorized Charley's routine, because he did the same thing.

Thirty-two years later, I was working here in WA for a Pet-Assistance non-profit and was delivering a trap to a couple in Centralia. I had my Belgian Sheepdog, Sara, riding shotgun in the passenger seat. At first, I thought it was a large black Newfoundland dog running across the road in front of us. Two things made me think otherwise: the unearthly scream of fury that Sara let out, and the long, tell-tale sloping forehead of the black bear. Fortunately, Sara's window was only down about 4" or 5", but she was doing her best to get her 45 lbs through it. Even when the bear was out of sight, she was still pitching a fit. She NEVER acted like that, before or after.

So, if you are in bear country, keep in mind that if you travel with a dog (or two or three), that their reaction to a bear nearby might be completely different than anything you've seen before."

I'm sure some of you here have dogs. Anyone else seen this kind of reaction?

 

[Garrett]

I see it all the time. Mostly for cows where I'm at. Frankie loves "hamburgers" and just the scent of them has him whining before we even see them.

 

[Gallowbraid]

We have bears here at the house all the time...my Huskies could care less. Snakes on the other hand they hate and will herd in a circle until they can kill them, or until one of them gets bit...

 

[dorton]

Yes, little pal Otis who's is 50lbs of hound mix went crazy trying to get to a black bear in Colorado a couple years back while taking a pre bedtime potty walk.

 

[Cat Jockey]

It depends upon the dog. I lived at 10,000' in bear country. Last time a bear was there getting food (house mate left a big bag of fruit out he had just bought) and not wanting to leave, the Pyr/Border Collie mix acted like a Pyr and placed himself between the front door and bear and barked at it from 20 feet away, the female Newfoundland/Golden Retriever (who was the 'muscle' of the group when it came to strange dogs) dropped her 'tough girl' act and didn't know what to do and stayed away, and the Siberian Husky mix was actually circling the bear, darting in and biting it. He knew what to do, lol. He was also the most submissive and sweetest dog of the group. Bear left with some grapes in his mouth, but got tired of defending the bag of fruit on the ground between his legs from the Siberian mix, and took off running, dog in tow.

So, to say all dogs will go ballistic and after a bear is not true. Some will, some won't. Some will look for a place to hide, and some will go and drive the bear off, using teeth (nothing that injures the bear, just nips at really tough bear hide). And, in the end, you won't know how your dog reacts until it happens. It is a bit unnerving to watch (telling a Siby mix to "stop circling and biting the bear and come inside so you don't get hurt/killed," doesn't work, lol, so all one can do is watch), as a bear could do a lot of damage to a dog, but some dogs don't understand that, lol ...

Fortunately, bears (black bears) tend to not want trouble, only easy meals, and a barking dog is usually enough to drive them off. So, to answer the OP's question, I have seen both, and would be surprised if most dogs didn't at least bark a bit. But as far as the actual reaction beyond that, some dogs will scare the crap outta ya as they take off to go tangle with/chase off a bear, some dogs won't ...

A bigger point to this thread is being smart about camping in bear country (something I think people get lazy about when not backpacking, but using a vehicle), and avoiding such occasions all together. In black bear country I would be a bit more laid back, but in Grizzly country (like Yellowstone referenced in this thread), I would pay much more attention to the details concerning things like food storage and cooking ...

 

[Malamute]

Ive had a couple different reactions. I rarely ever camp in developed campgrounds. I got out of town pretty late once, it was after dark getting into the mountains. I decided to stay the first night in a regular campground instead of setting up back in some nasty stuff in the dark. As I was starting to set up, a guy comes over and says "did you see the bear?". "Uh, no, what bear?" "It came right through the middle of the campground right down the road.". "When?" "Right when you pulled in, your dogs are following it" Sh1t. Call dogs, start following dogs with flashlight, they are both nose to the ground following the scent trail of whatever the extremely interesting animal was that had just passed through. Managed to get their attention and back to camp and hooked up.

Was up one of my favorite two track rough dirt roads with magnificent views. Some people were already camped there, so turned around and went off in the woods a ways up a wash. While setting up the tent in the dusky dark, the dogs start going ballistic, barking, but not wanting to go investigate. Molly, the alpha, was either right by the front of the truck, or got in the drivers side and was barking out over the open door. Stewart, the ditzy Collie/Mal cross, was out front, apparently fearless, though still smart enough not to go out very far. I looked with a good light, then night vision, couldn't see anything. It was just off in the edge of the trees, maybe 20 yards away, but I had a good idea what it was. It was all good grizzly country. I decided to sleep in the back of the truck instead of the tent. In the morning, doing a walkaround we found a large fresh pile of bear poop. Molly sniffed it, peed on it, and went on unconcerned.

I'm pretty sure some of my dogs have seen bears around the cabin at night. I think I saw one with night vision once when looking to see what the dogs were agitated about. Have found bear poop in the driveway. I think all the dogs Ive had have been somewhat used to at least smelling bears from them coming around after dark and their scent in the mountains. Theres nearly always bear poop, and hair on trees and signs in the mountains.

 

[Abel Villesca]

I've had several bear encounters with my chocolate lab. She will bark and short charge the bear, but stays a safe distance away ... usually 15 to 20 yards.