Are you worried about a raccoon attacking your dog when you’re on a walk or on your property? In this article, you’ll find out how likely it is that a raccoon will attack your dog, what to do if your dog is being attacked, and how to prevent them from being attacked in the future!
So keep reading to find out everything you need to know!
Do Raccoons Attack Dogs?
Yes, raccoons can and do attack dogs; however, it’s normally when they’ve been provoked. And while it’s not an extremely common occurrence, it’s still frequent enough to warrant making sure you take steps to prevent it from happening in the future!
When Are Raccoons Most Likely To Attack?
Fortunately, there are times when raccoons are more likely to attack than others, so knowing these can give you the opportunity to help your dog avoid these situations in the future!
The main reasons that raccoons are likely to attack are:
When They’re Cornered
Of course, any animal that gets cornered will attack to defend itself. Unfortunately, dogs are so friendly they may not realize that their behavior is threatening to a raccoon and end up cornering them.
The Dog Is In The Raccoons Territory
Another reason that raccoons may end up attacking dogs is when your dog ends up in the raccoons’ territory. This is more likely to happen when you’re on walks. However, it’s possible for a raccoon to have a den on your property which they see as their territory.
They’re Too Familiar With Human And Pets
If a raccoon has become too familiar with humans and pets. This happens a lot more in urban settings. If raccoons have had a lot of exposure to people and pets, they may feel a lot bolder. However, this boldness can result in conflicts later down the line.
Competing For Resources
Sometimes dogs and raccoons may spot the same piece of food and end up competing for it as well. When this happens, physical aggression can ensue, and the raccoon may end up attacking your dog.
The Raccoon Is Sick
And lastly, the raccoon may be sick. If a raccoon is rabid or suffering from other diseases, it’s much more likely they’ll act aggressively.
What To Do If A Raccoon Attacks Your Dog?
If a raccoon attacks your dog, then there are a few things you can do to help separate them and get your dog to safety!
Protect Yourself First
First of all, make sure as much exposed skin as possible is covered to reduce the chance of you getting bitten or scratched. You should pay particular attention to any open wounds that should be covered with clothing as soon as possible.
Use An Object
If possible, find a long object you can use to get the raccoon off of your dog. Just remember that you should be pushing the raccoon, not pulling your dog. This way, you’re weakening the raccoon more and keeping your dog in a strong position.
Hopping Into The Fight
If you can find an object, then it may be necessary to get involved yourself. If this is the case, once again, remember, you should be attacking the raccoon, not pulling your dog away. If possible, try to get the raccoon off, and never pull your dog.
When you pull your dog, not only are you weakening their position, but they may end up thinking they’re being attacked from behind and turning on you.
If you’re going to reach in, make sure you’re well protected as you’ll likely end up getting bitten and scratched by both your dog and the raccoon, so extreme caution should be taken if you’re going to do this.
Keep The Distance
Once you’ve broken them up, keep the raccoon as far away from your dog as possible. If you can pick your dog up, get away from the raccoon ASAP.
Health Checkup
Now that you’re out of the situation, you and your dog will need a health check-up. Even if your dog doesn’t look too injured, one bite or scratch is all it takes for them to suffer from a whole host of diseases.
It’s also important that you get checked up too, to make sure you haven’t missed anything.
How To Prevent A Raccoon Attacking Your Dog?
It’s always much better to prevent a raccoon from attacking your dog. And there are plenty of things you can do to reduce the chances of an attack happening! The best way to prevent an attack is also to make your property as unappealing as possible.
Be Careful After Dark
First of all, it’s much more likely that a raccoon attack will happen after dark, as this is when they’re most active. So avoid taking your dog out at night if possible. It can also be a good idea to install flood lights on your property to scare raccoons away when you want to let your dog go outside.
Train Your Dog Well
If your dog returns when you call them, this can often be enough to prevent a raccoon attack. If you see a situation going awry, being able to call your dog away before it happens is vital for preventing conflict!
Be Aware Of Your Surroundings On Walks
When you’re taking your dog on a walk, make sure you’re keeping an eye out for what’s going on around you. If you can see raccoons before your dog does, then you can get them out of the situation before it even starts!
Keep Your Trash Sealed
At home, make sure your trash is well-sealed. Raccoons enjoy searching through the trash for meals. Making sure they can’t get your trash will therefore make your home far less enticing to them.
Block Off Entry To Your Home
Additionally, you should also make sure that entrances to your property are blocked off too. It’s shocking all the different ways raccoons can enter your home. So you must consider less visible entrances, such as your chimney or cat flap, in addition to addressing any more obvious points of entry.
Remove Pet Food
Make sure that you take away pet food from your pets once they have finished eating. Unfortunately, leaving pet food out all day will also draw raccoons to your house.
Shine Bright Lights At The Raccoon
If you spot raccoons in your backyard or home, when you notice them, shine a bright light on them. This is going to scare them away instantly, and if you do it enough times, they’ll begin to feel like that area is unsafe.
Make Sure Trees And Hedges Are Trimmed
You should also make sure that trees and hedges around your house are trimmed as well. This is especially true when any of these things are touching your house. A lot of the time, trees can give raccoons access to your roof or other areas of the home they can enter.
Try Scare Tactics
Things that make noise can be used to scare raccoons away as well. Wind chimes could make a raccoon jump when the wind blows, or leaving a radio on can make it seem to the raccoon that there are people in the vicinity.
Motion Activation Systems
Motion-activated sprinklers and lights can also scare raccoons, so the next time they enter your property, they might be enough to scare them away!
Improve Your Fence
If you don’t have a fence, then you should first of all install one to make it harder for raccoons to enter your premises. However, if you already have a fence, make sure that it also goes deep underground as well.
Not only are raccoons good at climbing, but they’re also good at digging, so you need to make sure you’re cutting off both ways in.
Predator Urine
And lastly, predator urine can be an effective way to get rid of raccoons as well. Bobcats, cougars, and even domestic dogs are all predators to raccoons, so purchasing some predator urine is a great way to deter them!
FAQ
Here are some more frequently asked questions that people have about raccoons attacking their dog!
What Happens If A Raccoon Bites Your Dog?
If a raccoon bites your dog, then your dog is going to be susceptible to a range of diseases, including rabies. So if they do end up being bitten, take them to a vet immediately to get them treated.
Can A Raccoon Beat A Dog In A Fight?
Of course, this depends entirely on the raccoon and the dog, but it’s definitely possible for a raccoon to beat smaller, less aggressive breeds in a fight.
Are Raccoons Afraid Of Dogs?
Fortunately, raccoons are often afraid of dogs, and just a dog being in the vicinity is enough to scare them away. Even if the raccoon doesn’t see a dog, the scent and smell are enough to repel them, as they’ll feel like they’re in another animal’s territory.
Can Raccoons Drown A Dog?
It’s possible that a raccoon could drown smaller dogs, but not realistic. While there have been reports of this happening, there’s no concrete proof that it’s a tactic raccoons use.
Do Raccoons Eat Dogs?
Although it’s highly unlikely, it is possible for a raccoon to kill and eat small dogs; however, in most cases, they’re probably going to be scared by dogs.
Recap
As you can see, raccoons will definitely attack dogs in certain circumstances, so you should do everything you can to prevent this circumstance from happening. And if your dog does get attacked, try and use an object to pry the raccoon off your pup before getting them to safety.
Lastly, if you liked this article, make sure you check out the rest of the website! Otherwise, have a great day!
