Sweden has around 300,000 moose before the autumn hunt thins the population by 50,000–70,000, and according to reporting on road-safety data, moose-related traffic incidents roughly double in September and October compared to other months, driven by the rut, when bull moose range far more widely searching for mates and often cross roads in a confused, erratic way. Dawn and dusk are consistently the riskiest times, both for driving with a dog in the car and for walking one near roads or forest edges.

This matters for dog owners beyond the driving advice usually given to all road users: a moose encountered on foot, especially a cow with a calf in spring or an agitated bull during the rut, can charge if it feels cornered or threatened, and a dog running toward or barking at one is more likely to provoke exactly that reaction. Keeping a dog leashed and well back from any moose sighted at close range is the safest response, consistent with allemansrätten's own leash rule in effect for much of the year anyway.

Wolves are a separate, rarer risk, concentrated in forested regions with an established wolf population and affecting mostly hunting dogs working off-lead rather than a dog on a lead with its owner. Official Scandinavian guidance notes a dog's presence can make a nearby wolf less cautious around people than it would otherwise be, since the wolf's attention narrows onto the dog — one more reason a leash, not just general caution, is the practical safeguard in wolf country.