Want a permanent home for your foster dog?  It's helpful to do a thorough interview first to determine if your applicant and foster are a good fit! In the left column of this blog is an "INTERVIEW/ADOPTION APPLICATION."  Read through it and select questions that will give you essential information about the integrity and commitment of your applicant.

Feral dogs present special challenges. Here are 2:

ISSUE: They won't potty on leash.

   TRY: Use your long line (10') to give them some privacy. Walk them next to bushes in a fenced yard.

   TRY: Take the pan out of a large wire crate so the floor is grass. Place dog in the crate and wait.    (Keep leash on and supervise while they're in crate.) 

    TRY: Be patient. They'll go when they have to… it can be several days for some dogs.

ISSUE: They won't eat.

TRY: Offer high value foods - (roasted chicken meat, bbq briscuit, hot dogs, vienna sausages, cheese, turkey.) Try to get them to eat from your hand. If they turn their head away, leave bits of food in their crate. They'll associate the food with you and eventually learn to eat from your hand.

DO: Offer full time water. Leave a bowl in their crate.

Recall training

Tools:

• A long line (10' horse bridle; $9 at a feed store)
• High value treats (Billjack liver treats)

How to train recall:

Keep a long line attached to shy dogs at all times. (So they can't practice fleet from you.)

Reserve a couple of daily 5 minute sessions to train.

Put high value treats in your pocket (in the morning) so they're with you all day.

• Attach the long line to your dog's non slip collar. 
• Call her to you.
• On the second command, if she hasn't come to you, pull her to you. Praise every step!
• When she has arrived at your knee, offer a treat and praise. Be enthusiastic!!
• Don't worry if she won't take the treat. The praise is beneficial.
• Do this exercise for 5 minutes.
• The more times you practice, the more improvement you'll see in your dog's behavior.

'Practice and praise' are the secrets to positive training... Good recall will save your dog's life someday!

More tips to safely socialize a shy dog!

What to do with a shy dog once they're trapped?

1. Evaluate their behavior in the trap (Are they aggressive? Will they make eye contact? Will they allow you to touch them in the trap?)
2. If you decide to foster your trapped dog, take them to a vet and have them spayed first.  
3. Let the vet remove them from the trap. Do it inside an enclosed kennel. The dog may need sedation first.
4. While the dog is being fixed, ask the vet to attach a martingale non slip collar and harness and leashes while the dog is being spayed.
5. Once the dog has leashes attached, keep them on the dog at all times.
6. Dedicate a room in your house or a secure outdoor kennel to keep the dog while she's being socialized.
*Never let shy dog into a yard unattended. Keep them on leashes at all times!
7. Hand feed the dog to gain her trust.
8. Pet the dog under the chin to raise her head.
9. Praise the dog for eye contact.
10. Praise dog for stepping towards you. Even the tiniest step is huge!
11. Once you have begun to gain your dog's trust, practice pulling her to you with the leashes. Praise every step!
12. Do not let them practice fleet. Every time they back away from you reinforces shy behavior.
13. Crate your shy dog in a busy room. This helps to desensitize her to noises and activity.
14. Once your dog will walk on leash, tie her to your belt and let her accompany you in your house. Praise her for walking on tile floors, for showing curiosity and give her treats while she accompanies you.
15.  Introduce your dog to strangers. Have them give her treats in her crate or while she's on leash.
16. Don't trust your shy dog off leash until she has absolute recall.
17. If you adopt your shy dog out, be sure the adopter has an escape proof house and yard.
*Often times shy dogs will regress with new people. Don't give them a chance to escape, keep them on full time leash!
18. Have your adopter keep the dog on full time leash until she has absolute recall with the adopter.
19. Keep treats in your pocket to constantly reinforce your shy dog's confident behaviors.
20. Be enthusiastic and positive with your shy dog. Good luck!

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3. Socializing feral dogs

Another important component of socializing feral dogs is isolation from other dogs.

•  I do this for at least 21 days. 
• When I'm working with my shy dog, I crate or put resident dogs in another room. 
• Shy dogs often bond to other dogs, so when they're isolated, it forces them to bond to humans. 
• This is a must do!

2. Socializing feral dogs

Once you've begun to train the shy dog to a leash and she's fairly cooperative, tie her onto your belt. I use a horse lead rope (bought at a feed barn or farm general store) Be sure the dog is securely attached to your lead and belt. Often, I'll use a second lead too, in case she slips the first lead.

Attaching the dog will force her to follow you around the house and overcome her fears. She'll hear noises, see new things and eventually become familiar with the safety and comforts inside a home.

• Praise her when she shows curiosity. 
• Praise her when she follows you.
• Praise her when she makes eye contact.
• In addition to praise, offer high value treats. Make it fun to be with you!
• Continue to pet her under the chin to raise her head (and instill confidence). 
• Once there's trust, pet her all over. Praise her when she relaxes.

1. Socializing feral/shy dogs

 Street dogs can be socialized… read how to do it safely:

• If the dog has been trapped, keep her in the trap and go directly to a vet's office or shelter. Remove the dog inside a contained room or kennel.
• Spay, vaccinate and vet the dog before taking it home. While the dog is anesthetized, have the vet place a harness, leash and martingale collar with ID tags on the dog.
• Transport the dog in a sturdy crate. Load and unload her in a contained area. 
• Keep the harness, collar and lead on her at all times. Never remove the lead from the collar.
• Use an escape proof 10x10' kennel to socialize shy dogs. The kennel must have a dig proof floor, reinforced wire and a tarp on top. 
• Don't leave a shy dog outside in a kennel unattended. 
• If you don't have a kennel, use a room inside a house to contain the dog. Place pee pads on the floor. Offer a full-time water bowl.
• Hand feed the dog. Offer high value food (liver treats, canned food, bacon…) She may not eat for several days. Keep a full time water bowl out for the dog.
• Praise any eye contact the dog makes with you.
• When you pet the dog, stroke her under the chin. This hand movement is less threatening than petting atop the head.
• 
  
• LEASH/RECALL TRAINING: 
• Once you evaluate the dog and find that she isn't aggressive, begin to leash train her. 
• Using the attached leash on the dog, softly call her and reel her in. She'll resist, so you'll need to drag her to you. Praise her as you pull her in. Really praise her when she is right next to you. Offer a high value treat while she's next to you. Pet under the chin.
• Do this leash exercise over and over while calling her to you. 
• As you reel her in by leash, this exercise begins to break her pattern of flight. This is the first huge step in socializing a shy dog!
• More tips to follow…….

This is a Martingale Collar (or Premier)….. it's a no-slip collar! It tightens if the dog tries to slip her head out of the collar while you have her on a lead. I use it for all shy or feral dogs. Often, I use two martingale collars! If I drop one leash, I've got a second one attached to a collar, so the dog doesn't escape. Always have a PLAN A, B and C for the containment of shy dogs!

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CATCHING FERAL DOGS, OPTIONS:

As the economy declines, stray dogs increase. The 'no kill' shelter movement has impacted the stray population too. Shelters make it difficult for owners to surrender pets, so owners abandon their pets in remote areas. What should you do if you notice strays?

• First, set up a feeding station (wet smelly food and kibble in a bucket. Put the bucket inside a cake pan of water to keep ants out). The feeding station trains the dog to STAY in the area. 
• Contact your local animal control and ask them to humanely trap the dog. 
• If animal control isn't effective, borrow or buy your own dog trap (see my trapping tips, Dec 2010).     Listed below are other capture options:

• Move the feeding station into a contained yard or shed, gradually training the dog to enter an area where she can be safely captured. 
• Hand feed the dog and attract her into a car or home.
• Provide a dog house (with hay for warmth). Leave food inside the doghouse to train her to use it. When the dog is sleeping inside the doghouse, quietly sneak up and tip the doghouse up, so the door is above her. Place a piece of plywood over the door to contain her.
• Consult with your vet on a powerful sedative for chemical capture of the dog. Euthasol (used in a half dose) has been most effective in my chemical capture of ferals.
• Once you capture the dog, haul the trap (with dog inside) to a shelter or vet where they can safely remove and sedate her for sterilization and vaccinations. Bring a harness, ID tag and martingale (no slip collar) to attach to the dog while she's sedated. These tools will help you socialize her. 

Are you trying to place a dog in a new home? A thorough adoption application and interview are important screening tools. (use my adoption application in the menu bar)

• I look for someone with a good pet history of neutered pets, flea and heart worm preventatives, indoor homes and a lifetime commitment.
• Vet your dog first (spay/neuter, shots, worm) and ask an appropriate adoption fee that covers your expenses. Free dogs have no value, so the higher adoption fee usually assures a better quality home. 
• Advertise on your Facebook page, on Petfinder.com or in your local newspaper. Go to my rescue page (on this blog) for a good adoption application! 
• Don't be afraid to say "no, it's not a good match," if you don't approve the potential adopter. 
• With a good picture and bio of the dog, the right adopter will come along!

"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing." Anonymous

What's the best way to be a good dog owner? NEVER GIVE YOUR DOG A CHANCE TO BE BAD! This tip has assured my dog's safety and good behavior over the years. For example....

Does your dog escape your yard? TIP: Don't leave him outside unattended. Crate him safely in the house while you're gone!
Your dog doesn't come when he's called? TIP: Always keep him safely attached to a leash. Train him for recall.
Your dogs don't get along? TIP: Keep them apart until a trainer can be consulted.

Remember, good dogs are made, not born...

"Practice kindness toward animals, for he who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals"  ~ Immanuel Kant