In bear country, common wisdom holds that dogs serve as early bear alarms, or even deterrents. In bear country, common wisdom holds that dogs serve as early bear alarms, or even deterrents. The results challenge the idea that dogs make people safer in bear country and they have me rethinking my relationship with Camas in the woods. According to Smith, bear spray has the highest likelihood of fending off an aggressive bear for the vast majority of recreationists in bear country. If recreating in bear country is an odds game, they’re not doing you any favors.