Since you got no answer, I'll try, although I'm not an expert on bear/cougars or the Black Elkhound: Yes, you CAN use it for pretty much any animal. There are, how ever, a number of factors that determine if it is a good idea or optimal. The breed was originally considered a bear- and elk-dog and would be used for various on/off-leash hunting and herding. It is now been bred for mostly on leash hunting and is smaller in size than it was. It's rarely, if ever, used for bear anymore (bear hunting is very rare in Norway at this time). If you find any breeders in America, they can tell you what they've bred them for. The Black Elkhound is perfect if you want to get as close as possible to an animal, undiscovered. If you're a nature photographer it is pretty much the perfect dog with its combination of features. It's an airscent dog (which also uses its other senses and intelligence to track) so it can cover wide areas and save you time by going where the animals are, instead of following the trail they've been using. They don't track well if they're upwind and is not as effective for hunting then, either. If you are detected, animals will run further because you're quiet (or a predator might even wait/turn to ambush you). A trailing and barking and/or off-leash tracking dog will be better, then. Having a dog on a leash if an animal turns on you, might be a problem. If a bear locks on to you and charges you, it will not even notice this dog, then you are safer with off-leash dogs that will engage the bear and control it before it ever gets to you. You can possibly still train it to work off-leash, but I don't know if this is done any longer or if this is "bred out" of them. So it depends on the terrain, what kind of animals, how you can/want to hunt. I think if I was gonna hunt brown bear where I live in very dense forests and rocky terrain, I would prefer an off-leash specialist like grey Elkhound (airscent, semi-barking, off-leash, non-prey-sharp), rather than having to sneak up to bears less than 50 meters to get a shot off. In high-plains and expanses, the Black on leash, might be more practical and safe. Bear and Jämthund (Long-legged grey elkhound): kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2WZY4SApst2pqc Bear is hunted more in Sweden, so, Jämthounds might be be better, but might be harder to find in USA. With cougar I don't know much about, but from what I know, almost any dog will do for hunting, as cougars can't run very far. The black will give you chance to catch it unaware, but if discovered, will not prevent it from fleeing somewhere inaccessible (like up a cliff-side) like an off-leash dog might. It might pick out a cougar in a tree from a distance, where a bloodhound might lead you to stand right below the tree. The Blackie will not be the most intimidating protection perhaps, but I assume that's not really needed with cougars, if you are the hunter. Lastly, there can be greater individual differences between dogs than breeds, so if you want guarantees, you need a breeder that's willing to give them.