You’re so worried they’re going to provoke an attack. Why do dogs bark at mountain lions (cougars)? How should you react if you encounter one? What do you do if you see a mountain lion with a dog? And just how worried do you really need to be? Do cougars go after dogs?

Today, we’re going to answer every single question you have about this dangerous problem. And we’ll of course also tell you how to stop your dog from barking at cougars. Soon, you won’t have to worry about this anymore. Keep reading below for our article “How to Stop Dog Barking at Cougar!”

How to Stop Your Dog Barking at Cougars

To stop your dog barking at cougars:

1. Teach your dog the “quiet” command to use anytime they bark at cougars or whenever you need them to be silent.
2. To do this, take your dog somewhere you know they’ll probably bark (the park, etc) with lots of small treats.
3. Once your dog starts to bark, say “quiet” in a calm and positive voice. If they respond and get silent while also giving you their full attention reward them with a treat and praise right away.
4. But if your dog keeps barking or soon resumes, then hide a small treat in your fist.
5. Put your hand right by your dog’s nose. They’ll still be able to smell it even within your fist and will quit barking to investigate it.
6. Once they’ve stopped barking and are giving you their full attention, again say “quiet,” and then open your hand to reward them with a small treat and praise.
7. If they keep being silent and are giving you their complete attention, keep rewarding them with praise and treats.
8. But if they again resume barking or are not paying attention, repeat the steps of placing a treat inside of your fist, placing it by their nose, and pausing until they quit their barking and pay attention.
9. Always be sure to pause until they’ve quit their barking and are giving you all their focus, and then say “quiet” before you reward them with any treats or praise.
10. This forms a positive connection with your dog with the “quiet” command, and with staying quiet and giving you their full attention.
11. With time, practice, and patience, you should be able to get them to behave with just the “quiet” command, and it won’t be necessary anymore to put your fist near their mouth.
12. Once your dog is doing well with just the command, then you can start lengthening the duration of time you pause until you give them any rewards.
13. Begin by waiting for 2 seconds, then as they do well move that up to 5 seconds, and so on.
14. you won’t need to reward your dog with food and praise, and they will be quiet and pay attention to you just by you giving the command.

This should stop your dog from barking at cougars, but you’ll still need to address the underlying issue which was causing all of this in the first place: your dog’s anxiety and dominance. If you ignore that, your dog will continue to suffer, and you’ll find that your dog keeps misbehaving in other related ways.

And to do that, we must first talk about what makes dogs tick deep down. You’ve probably heard before that all dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader.

But when your dog barks at cougars, they are definitively telling you that they have no respect for you in this leadership role.

If they did, they wouldn’t bark at cougars and then ignore your commands to quit. They wouldn’t engage in any other types of anxiety or dominance-related disrespect. And they would obey your commands as soon as they’re given, and they would do so happily.

Show your dog that you are not just their pack leader, but a capable one worthy of respect, and you’ll make all of these great transformations a reality.

You’ll be better off for obvious reasons. But your dog will be too because they’ll no longer have to deal with all of the confusion and worry that their dominance and anxiety issues are currently saddling their little shoulders with every moment of every day.

That sounds wonderful, don’t you agree?

“Yes, definitely, but how am I supposed to do this then?”

You should watch a tremendous free video series by a renowned trainer named Dan which is on this exact subject: how to be your dog’s pack leader. In Dan’s series, he explains everything in ways that are very simple to follow and teach to your own dog, and he gets right to the point so that you can start seeing these critical changes in your dog before things get any worse.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And don’t worry, because no, you’re not going to have to be mean or yell at your dog. Dan never uses those types of methods. Not just because loving teaching techniques are the right thing to do, but also because they’re the fastest way to achieve permanent changes in your dog’s behavior.

Why Do Dogs Bark at Mountain Lions?

Dogs bark at mountain lions because they see them as a dangerous threat, which makes them very stressed and anxious. They likely also feel the need to protect you. Both of these will cause many to react by barking at the mountain lion and getting very agitated.

Dogs alone, particularly smaller breeds, will look like prey to a mountain lion but when accompanied by a human they will normally keep their distance. This reaction from the mountain lion could serve as positive reinforcement for your dog if they feel they successfully scared one away, so you should not let your dog off the leash if mountain lions may be in the area.

On their next encounter with a mountain lion, your dog may feel brazen enough to chase them. When separated from you, the mountain lion will be much less intimidated which could prove dangerous and even fatal to your dog.

If your dog is barking at mountain lions and continuing to do so even after the threat is gone and you’ve told them to stop, you have a serious behavioral problem on your hands. Your dog is not respecting your leadership, your ability to decide how to react to a mountain lion, or when the danger has passed.

Their problem will only grow and escalate, and will become even more dangerous. Your dog will be barking at snakes without listening to you. They’ll bark in the forest potentially putting you and them into dangerous situations. I’m sure you can see why it’s important to address this issue immediately.

To learn how to stop your dog from barking at mountain lions while also teaching them to respect your decision-making, go back to the first section now.

What Do You Do if You See a Mountain Lion With a Dog?

If you see a mountain lion with a dog:

1. Stay calm.
2. Never approach the mountain lion.
3. Always give the mountain lion a way to escape.
4. Don’t run. You will make yourself and your dog look like prey.
5. Back away slowly. Do not turn around.
6. Make yourself as big as possible. Do not crouch.
7. Pick up a large stick in case the mountain lion attempts to attack.

Do Cougars Go After Dogs?

Cougars do go after dogs, particularly smaller breeds. They will normally avoid dogs that are with humans, so it’s important to keep your dog leashed when you are in an area with cougars, even if you haven’t spotted one before. Cougars are dangerous hunters and will easily handle your dog on its own.

I’m sure you’re looking forward to knowing your dog will remain calm and quiet even when a cougar is spotted, so I’ll let you get started now. Best of luck with all of this, and thank you for checking out our article “How to Stop Dog Barking at Cougar.”