Commonly used as a theft deterrent, pepper spray has also been formulated as a repellant for certain species of animals. Two of the most common examples of specially formulated pepper spray are bear repellant and canine repellant. Both are specially treated to be effective for deterring animal attacks while remaining non-lethal to the animal.

Bear pepper sprays are often used in both wildlife science applications and outdoor recreational activities. Most bear pepper sprays hover around two to three million SHUs (the SHU is the unit that measures the "heat" of a substance.) This is comparable to strong civilian-grade pepper sprays.

In most cases, the canister of the repellant for most bear pepper sprays is much more powerful than smaller civilian models. They can often spray the repellant as far as 20 to 30 feet, and some sprays may also be modified to stay in the air longer, lingering to deter even insistent bears. In most cases, the repellant cans use an ozone-friendly spray mechanism as well.

Comparing Bear Repellant and Canine Repellant

Canine repellant is often formulated and packaged to be a little tamer than bear repellant. In many cases, repelling an overzealous dog doesn't require the powerful formula or coverage that bears might necessitate. Most canine repellant spray cans distribute the repellant in bursts, which both conserves fluid and saves the dog from unnecessary irritation.