we have the cutest little stray in our neighborhood. Various neighbors have been feeding him but he has made our house his base for much of the time over the past few months. He is always excited to see us, licks our hands but won't let us touch him. Worried about traffic and his aggression to larger dogs, I coerced him into the house for 4 nights but he has got smart and won't fall for that again. One neighbor netted him in an effort to bathe him and the dog went nuts, even tried to bite him, eventually bit through the leash. I want to take him to the vet, get his shots, have him neutered, take off his collar which looks a bit tight (how did anyone get near him to put THAT on?!!) and then, hopefully, keep him. How on earth do I catch him/get him to vet without gettng bitten?
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help -- need advice for stray dog
- Thread starter lee
- Start Date
it sounds like he is still too nervous to trust anyone............I also think trying to bath him was a bit over confident, stray dogs take ages to trust people and he was probably scared to death being caught and then a bath, no wonder he went mad.
You could try longer to gain his trust, you said he licks you, well when he approaches you, you have to show you are subservient to him, sit down, offer the back of your hand, dont stare at him, lower your voice when you talk to him, move slowly and calmly. If you are all aggitated he will pick up on it and run off.
He obviously trusts you more as he comes to you as a base. Put a blanket or towel out for him, one that you have used, so he can get used to your scent. Over time he will begin to trust you. When you think you can, I would use a lead, a net is too stressful.
Good luck and keep us posted
That may work with feral cats but not feral dogs!! If the dog has any aggressive tendencies at all, being submissive to him can bring out aggression. On the other hand, being dominant to a dog that has been on his own for a while can chase him off.
It sounds like this dog isn't entirely feral, but clearly has been on its own enough to start acting that way. Contact a dog rescue group in your area and ask for help in trapping him. Get him to a vet and have him checked for heartworm, parasites, and get him neutered. Once home, contact a good dog behaviorist for more insights on how to bring him around.
I have a friend that rescues dogs such as these and the only way to work with them is to get them out of their current environment and into one that you can start working on them one on one. She has turned around more than one dog in this situation and it can require a lot of patience.
Also, be very careful with your cats. If this guy has been on his own for a while, there is a chance that he has learned to hunt in order to eat.
That is the way that Opie was. Opie found our home 4 years ago. When I found him, he was in our back yard standing in water up to his knees, it was very cold too because it was Christmas eve morning.Originally Posted by mooficat
aww what a wonderful thing you are doing
it sounds like he is still too nervous to trust anyone............I also think trying to bath him was a bit over confident, stray dogs take ages to trust people and he was probably scared to death being caught and then a bath, no wonder he went mad.
You could try longer to gain his trust, you said he licks you, well when he approaches you, you have to show you are subservient to him, sit down, offer the back of your hand, dont stare at him, lower your voice when you talk to him, move slowly and calmly. If you are all aggitated he will pick up on it and run off.
He obviously trusts you more as he comes to you as a base. Put a blanket or towel out for him, one that you have used, so he can get used to your scent. Over time he will begin to trust you. When you think you can, I would use a lead, a net is too stressful.
Good luck and keep us posted
It took me 1/2 day to get him to come under the carport, he would let me touch him, but he wouldn't let my husband. We think he musta been abused by a man. We just kept being very patient and sweet and kind to him, it took him just a little while and now he trusts us completly.
What breed or size of dog is this? I'd use a have a heart trap with some wet food. I actually think, as long as he does not seem aggressive you should go and sit out in the yard with him, let him sniff you and feed him little treats (pieces of cooked hot dogs). If he is food aggressive and will bite it out of your hand then don't do this and just use the trap. As he gets used to this hold your hand up once he gets comfortable with your hand there slowly move it towards his neck, over time move it closer to him until you can touch him. If he seems nervous end the session you don't want him to bite out of fear. Do this for however long it takes, maybe a few sessions over a couple of days. Once you can touch his neck, do the same as above with a leash in your hand. Get it so you can put the leash on (you said he had a collar right?). Then you can bring him in. He probably does not know how to walk on a leash so do not pull, just entice him with the remaining treats or bring out a crate and work to get him in that (you can do that without going through the whole touching his neck thing). If at any point you feel unsafe or are worried he may bite then stop and use a have a heart trap with a can of wet food. Keep him in one room of your house until he can go to the vet and get his shots, and make sure he has no worms, fleas or ticks and can do a proper intro to your cats. Do not do any scolding (I personally only use positive training using no scolding only taking away good things as a form of punishment) since he is fearful and does not trust you, it could throw him back or cause aggressive behavior. This does not mean you cannot assert yourself. Still make rules(stay off furniture if you want), house break and train him just no scolding. Tell us how things go, Good Luck!
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- #6
He's been hanging around for about 3 months. He is about the size of daschund. He eats out of my hand and I tried getting the leash over his head and he was just too wary, wouldn't let us do it and is now very cautious not to get into a situation where I can grab him. Now I know he bites when panicked, I won't grab though. Will have to investigate the trap.
