“I’m going to try to expand the use of these dogs into new areas that have bear problems like the east coast of the United States.”, Hunt says she’s proud of her legacy. Keep a Bear Out of the Garden & Yard. A number of parks and wildlife teams use Karelians for the very same reason—to discourage bears from wandering into residential and park areas. Bear dogs are especially helpful when a bear gets habituated to a particular spot, such as a garbage dump. Just Watch These Border Collie Puppies Meet Sheep for the First Time, 9 Surprisingly Dangerous Foods for Dogs (Starting with Popcorn), Animal-Saving Volunteer Pilot Flies Shelter Dogs to Safety Each Weekend, Lorkie Breed Profile: Lhasa Apso Yorkie Mix, Revealed in Photos and Fun Facts. Soledad is a huntress.”, Together they’ve released 500-pound black bears in Tahoe and pushed mama grizzlies with cubs out of campgrounds in the Rocky Mountains. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our use of cookies. Karelian bear dogs (pictured, Orca in Nevada) were originally bred in Europe to hunt big game. It is best to spray at night when bees are dormant in order to avoid agitating them. What bear would want to raid a cooler while having to listen to screams and barks and noise-makers? A dog in bear country can be both a deterrent and an attractant. Make sure that whatever electric fence system you use, your fence is at least 3 1/2 feet high, with wire strands no more than 8 inches apart on a permanent fence, and 12 inches apart on a temporary fence. “They were able to prosecute once again based on being able to find the carcass, which we never would’ve found without the bear dog,” Beausoleil says. “Over the past 25 years of work where we do about 800 bear-shepherding actions annually, we’ve never had a bear hurt, never had a dog hurt, and never had a person hurt.”. Keep an eye out for bear scat, something your dog might also alert you of. The Forest Falls, Calif., youngster was home alone one afternoon when a bear tried to climb in through an open kitchen window. “Over the years, Soledad and I have grown together in ways that can only be described as true partnership,” Pedersen says. keep the dog on leash … and think very hard about bringing a dog if its heavy bear country . Often, humans help join in the ruckus. It’s complicated. What is the best way to keep them and you safe and separate? He is on guard as long as he’s plugged in, barking when the bear is too near and … “Officers searched hundreds of hours looking for it, and someone said, ‘You know what, geez, I wonder if the Karelian bear dog guys could find this?’” Beausoleil says. Your best bet is to leave the bears alone, take away their food source, and watch from a distance. Furthermore, training bear dogs is a lot of work, and not everyone’s up to the challenge. Beausoleil, who handles dogs Indy and Cash, says while their main duties relate to bears and cougars, they’ve also been tasked with helping investigate poaching. Bear kegs are another method of keeping bears away from your campsite. Poly tape and wire are other options for electric fences to keep out bears. “It can work, it’s not a panacea….You really got to research it, be dedicated at it. In another case, officers were tipped off that an elk had been poached, and they went to the suspect’s house to investigate, finding an elk head. “I had this dream, and it became a reality because I never gave up,” she says. This is why it is important to be aware of your surroundings while hiking through bear country. “They’ll bark at this animal and scare the heck out of it [to] let them know it’s not where it’s supposed to be and it should never come back to this location,” Myers says. Similarly, black bears’ ranges are expanding and oil and gas development is increasingly close to or in bear territory. Bears will generally avoid a busy trail, and the last thing you want to do is surprise a feeding bear. But polar bears are an endangered species in Russia, and the federal government has refused to issue licenses to shoot them. Several national parks, including Banff, Yosemite, and Glacier, have contracted bear dogs too. Kara Jackson has. Double bagging and storing in airtight containers is also helpful for stopping bears. The big dog keeps the bears away. Karelian bear dogs (pictured, Orca in Nevada) were originally bred in Europe to hunt big game. They track it, bark at it, nip at its heels, until the dogs are called back by their handlers. Disney’s Live-Action Lady and the Tramp is Here! ), Typically if a bear shows up at a dump or digging through someone’s garbage, “you’d either show up, corner the animal, and euthanize it,” says Alan Myers from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, "or you would dart the animal, put it in a cage, and take it many miles away. Cleaning up grills after each use and keeping all pet food and bird feeders put away is another good idea. Don’t feed them or follow them trying to get a picture! Photograph by Derek Reich Since then, law enforcement and wildlife agencies in the United States and Canada increasingly have begun turning to dogs as an alternative to keep bears away. Read on to learn more about these brave, skilled dogs and the people who train them. Keep dogs on leashes and under controlsome dogs may act aggressively toward a bear, which would cause the bear to react in defense. When sprayed in an animal's face, the solution causes extreme discomfort in it and gives you time to safely leave the dangerous area. Though bears sometimes return even after such negative experiences, the rate at which they return is far lower than when they are just trapped and then physically removed. Since then, law enforcement and wildlife agencies in the United States and Canada increasingly have begun turning to dogs as an alternative to keep bears away. Other than employing repellent tactics, you should also spray garbage areas with disinfectants regularly to reduce odors that attract bears. Dogs must be kept on a leash while in the park and are not allowed on trails, in the backcountry, or left unattended at any time. Now imagine what a several hundred pound bear can do to a small coop. (Also read about dogs that can sniff out cancer.). Rather than intimidating squirrels and cats, Karelian bear dogs keep bears—yes, as in brown, black, and grizzly—on their toes. A: While I'm actually very distantly related to dogs, we generally don't get along. Dazzle pursues a black bear in Lake Tahoe. “I’m going to just work on breeding and raising the dogs and matching them and placing them in agencies (where) I know them,” she said. But for one breed—the Karelian bear dog—that sort of behavior is pure playground antics. Karelian Bear Dogs: Instead of Sheep, These Dogs Herd…Bears, Meet the Dogs Rescuing Koalas from Wild Fires. Also, block off any crawlspaces below your home by nailing wood panels across them. The wildlife officer will trap the bear at the site, and then bring in the dogs. To see what cookies we serve and set your own preferences, please review our Cookie Policy. Dogs aren’t just great companions. Electric fences must be 4 feet high with a quick pulse. In the past 3 weeks, we’ve had four bears within close proximity to people. So I’ve put together a list of tips that will help keep the bears from showing up at your camp site. Karahan Hostel, Yusufeli Picture: The pension's beehives. Karelian bear dogs are quick on their toes and don’t scare easily; these traits made them useful to hunters of large game, like moose, boars, and of course bears. Bred to protect sheep flocks and homes from predator attack, and of … “Anya and Dmytry were a huge hit at our public lectures and outreaches and were able to help us talk some bears out from under homes,” Bryant said in an email, but “it quickly became evident that allowing them to chase bears through neighborhoods and across busy roadways and through shopping center parking lots was not a good idea.”. Karelian bear dogs (pictured, Orca in Nevada) were originally bred in Europe to hunt big game. When bears feel cornered, they are more likely to initiate an attack. Bears will go right through electric fencing once they are food-conditioned and know that food is available. Our Yard Cover Shakin' Flake lawn dog repellent granules are ideal to keep dogs from digging up your lawn or garden. Now we know they glow, too, Centuries of breeding have reshaped dog brains. Or, maybe you've caught them sitting contentedly, munching on what they've found in your cans. I tell you this to reiterate the point that you just can't keep them out with regular methods! “It’s a huge, full-time job because that dog is there with you all the time,” Bryant says. In some cases, wildlife officers will trap a bear that’s sniffing too close to a human home. If it continues to follow you, it might be eyeing you and your dog as a meal. But they needed more evidence to bring the suspect to court. In the 20 years he’s been working with bear dogs, Beausoleil says he hasn’t seen any dogs injured because of their work. The investigators went out to search for the rest of the elk’s body, but they came up empty-handed. The results have been promising. You've likely risen many mornings to find your trash strewn about your yard or street. They’re not large dogs (compared to a mastiff, say), but they’re stocky, powerful, and stay low to the ground. “It's also easier for a lot of agencies to just kill the bear,” Reich said in an email. In this post, we’ll share some tips on how to keep bears away when hiking and camping in the wild. Bear dogs have also been helpful in solving wildlife crimes. The study revealed 49 of 92 reported black bear attacks in Canada and the United States from 2010-2015 involved dogs, many of which were off-leash. Derek Reich, a volunteer who assists the Nevada Department of Wildlife with its bear dog team, says that the time and resources required to train bear dogs has limited the growth of their program. Spotting a wild animal in its natural habitat is always an exhilarating experience. At the same time, bears were becoming more comfortable venturing into human space, putting themselves (and humans!) This “invasion,” as it’s been called, has sparked conversations about how prepared wildlife managers in North America are for an influx of polar bears as they lose critical habitat from melting sea ice and take to land in search of food. When dozens of polar bears descended upon the northern Russian archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, no one was sure what to do. The idea was to teach the bears that the predators are better off doing their own thing and letting humans do theirs. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, land managers at oil and gas fields and other work sites are required to establish mile-wide buffer zones around polar bear dens, preventing activity until their hibernation is over. He was aggressive towards people and vehicles as well. You might want to look into other breeds that are considered good sheep guardians (like the … Since the smell of food attracts bears, these are materials you can buy and are designed to prevent bears from identifying the food. Dogs can sometimes keep bears away from a camp, but very often, a dog initially chases a bear and then the bear chases the dog right back to the camp. https://www.rover.com/blog/karelian-bear-dogs-instead-sheep-dogs-herd-bears Bears are intelligent creatures. Keeping predators away can be simple and nonlethal with a few tricks that will help prevent predators from coming into your yard, killing your livestock or pets, and becoming comfortable around people. They can also be amazing self-defense sidekicks, alerting us to danger or scaring off unwanted visitors. Should polar bear hunting be legal? Finnish breeders originally intended the animal to be a big game hunting dog, but Hunt realized they could be trained to manage wildlife, too. “I think that our personalities were complimentary to begin with...but the joy that this dog brings me cannot be adequately put into words. It’s an increasingly important role as polar bears move closer to human activity because of melting sea ice. Hunt emphasizes that safety is her chief concern when sending dogs after bears, and she says they’ve had no injuries in the field either. The tubes and kegs are available in different sizes and work very well. “We’re taking that innate ability that they have and applying it for conservation, using them both for detection but also for conflict scenarios with large and potentially dangerous wildlife.”, Nils Pedersen, Director, Wind River Bear Institute. This video from Animal Planet shows one bear’s harrowing release: Cecily Sailer runs creative writing programs for the Austin Public Library Friends Foundation. If you live in an wildlife-populated area, you know how much bears love to root around in your garbage. Will having a dog in the tent attract you, or will dogs keep you away?. BH Black Mountain, NC. Keeping a guard dog such as a Great Pyrenees or Shepherd will prevent predators from coming too close to livestock. After more than twenty years at the helm of the institute, Hunt says she’ll be stepping back soon from the program, and Pedersen will be taking over as executive director. The bears entered homes and public buildings, and people were afraid to go outside. While few of us ever worry about surprise bear encounters, for folks living near the Rocky Mountains, where human populations are expanding into wildlife territory, bears are a more menacing problem. Certainly, for some humans living near bear populations, Karelians are truly man’s best friend. Karelian bear dogs were bred to find and chase bears away from populated areas. Studies have found there is a very good non-return rate,” according to Myers. These natural dog deterrents are also very effective to stop horses and even wolves! Other times it might now chose to follow you. “This dog is an ambassador for teaching the public about how to get along better with bears and also teaching bears that they have to move away from humans.”, Carrie Hunt, Founder, Wind River Bear Institute. When trying to frighten away bears, give them an easy way to get away from you. Now it’s time to get nasty. For those with compost piles, be … Safety-Sport Dog … Cali the Golden Retriever helps me demonstrate the benefits of my bear-proof food bag for backcountry camping. The Rex Plus Barking Dog Alarm scares off bears or other intruders. This black-and-white breed is native to Finland, where the breed is considered a national treasure. The dogs are more than 20 inches tall and weigh between 45 and 50 pounds. Fourteen years ago, the organization got two Karelian bear dogs, Anya and Dmytry, from a breeder and trained them up. It sounds cruel, but the point is to keep the bears away from high risk areas without resorting to killing them. How Do Dogs Choose Their Favorite Person? Bears: I purchased a Spark-Away unit mid-summer at the height of black bear activity. When the wildlife department was tipped off that a grey wolf had been poached—the first in recent memory—it was critical to find the body. Rex is a barking dog that resides in a small box kept on your counter when you’re not home. You should also be aware of your surroundings at all times. These dogs have inhabited northeastern Europe and Scandinavia since Neolithic times. These Big Dog Owners Accepted the Challenge. The best thing you can do to avoid bears when hiking with your dog is to stay on the trail. Halt! Saturate them well. Maybe the best way to deal with a bear encounter is to try to prevent one altogether. evitaochel / Pixabay. Many state wildlife agencies in bear territory have some form of bear response plan, including the deployment of agency staff members trained in aversive conditioning techniques. Soledad can smell polar bears under feet of snow and alert Pedersen when she’s found a den, thus allowing the den and its inhabitants to finish their long sleep undisturbed. For most of us, this means our dogs bark when our neighbors walk down the street or when something goes bump in the apartment upstairs. It took two visits to the porch (with spark-away) by the aggressive bear and it never showed up again on the porch. (Total buzzkill.). Close off the areas below decks and porches in the winter. Most of the tactics for keeping bears from showing up at your camp site have something to do with scents. In some cases, rubber bullets and beanbags are used to further discourage the bear from hanging around, teaching them that areas with humans can be dangerous. They're all yappy little dogs to me. Two rare bear attacks show a rise in conflicts with people, Also read about dogs that can sniff out cancer, Read about sniffer dogs that find cremated human remains in the rubble after wildfires. The Wind River Bear Institute breeds, trains, and sells Karelian bear dogs as well as contracts them out to agencies that don’t have the resources to have their own program. They can be applied as a perimeter treatment around the building or garden to keep dogs away from protected areas. Repeat this daily until the bees vacate the hive. Spray objects and areas around the hive as well as flowers, bushes and plants that attract them. S third bear encounter in a hunt the next week.” as in brown, black and. Know [ and ] to learn more: two rare bear attacks show a rise in conflicts people! 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