Category Archives: Shy Lost Dog Series

Your Trapping Supply List – Part 12 in a series

You’ve rented or bought your trap to catch your shy, lost dog. Now all you have to do is go out and throw it on the ground,  right?  And your dog will jump in, right? Sorry, wrong. Again preparation is the key and we’ll try to walk you through it step by step.

Many people give up trying to trap their dog in frustration and it is generally because they haven’t taken the time to do it properly.

Here is what you will need in your trapping supply kit:

  • Trail camera and feeding station (should already be set up at this location)
  • Gloves
  • Flashlight
  • Flyers
  • Bungee cords and electrical ties
  • Something to entirely cover the trap floor like a cotton door mat, thin quilting or carpeting scraps (if it is too thick it will interfere with the trip plate mechanism
  • A large plastic tarp if you decide to cover the trap
  • A white washcloth to use as an indicator for when the trap is sprung
  • Scissors, packing tape and pliers
  • A padlock and length of heavy chain (from the hardware store)
  • Butter flavored Pam cooking spray
  • Small hatchet and pruning tools

Quietly unload your equipment and trap with only one or two helpers. Remember, your dog has been visiting this location to eat and he might be lying in the woods watching you right now! Keep your voices down, get the trap set up and then get out of there as quickly as possible. You don’t want to frighten him away.

Choose your location based on what you learned in Part 12 of this series.  Clear any debris from the ground. You may have to prune a few trees or remove any small plants that will poke up through the bottom of the trap. Securely lock the trap to a tree or solid object using your padlock and chain.  The number one reason that shelters have stopped lending out traps is because they get stolen and not returned. Prevent that from happening and help the next person who has lost their dog and needs a trap! Make sure that everybody that is helping you has a key to the padlock or knows the combination.

In winter or inclement weather you will want to wrap the entire trap in a plastic tarp. This will provide your dog with shelter and prevent the bedding from getting wet.  Leave both ends open so the dog can see through. Roll the trap in the tarp and use your electrical ties to secure it to the wire of the trap. You will have to punch small holes in the tarp with your scissors to push the electrical ties through. Get it really nice and tight. You don’t want the tarp to flap in the wind and scare your dog.  Tape one of your dog’s flyers to the top so that anybody that stumbles across the trap knows what you are trying to do.

In summer, you might want to leave the trap unwrapped, for better air flow. It can also depend on the nature of the dog also. Some dogs enjoy the feeling of a “den”. Some will feel claustrophobic and prefer to feel like they have an escape route.

ALWAYS cover the entire floor of a trap. Lost dogs often have raw, sore, sensitive feet from travelling. They won’t want to walk on the wire floor. Make it easy and nice for them.  Spread your hands and push down on the floor covering. If you can still feel the wire through the covering, so can your dog. You need to make it thicker.  Make sure the floor covering fits well and doesn’t interfere with either the trip plate or the door. You might need to cut it with your scissors to fit. It shouldn’t hang out the front of the door.

If your dog has been lost a really long time and is in a very feral mode, you may want to use dried leaves or straw instead of something that smells too “domestic”.

Attach a  white washcloth in the middle of the door of the trap using electrical ties. This will enable you to see from a distance if the trap has been tripped.

Next, bungee the trap open. In the next installment of this series, you will see why.

Sprinkle a few bits of hotdog around the front of the trap. Check your trail camera position to make sure that it will capture pictures of your feeding station and your trap. Ideally the two should be about twenty to thirty feet apart.

Give the trap and the ground surrounding it a light coating of Pam butter flavored cooking spray. This acts as a scent blocker and is very important if you have people helping you that your dog does not know. You can also buy scent blockers at hunting supply stores but Pam works just as well, is less expensive and readily available. Spray the area that you have walked on and back out of the area – lightly spraying it also.

Then get out of there! Your dog needs time to get accustomed to the look and smell of the trap. Don’t disturb him.

Notice, we didn’t discuss baiting the trap? That’s because we’re not ready to do that yet. In the next article, you will see why.  Part 13


Our tips, ideas and articles are based on information gathered from over thousands of  lost dog recoveries. Any advice or suggestions made by Lost Dogs of Wisconsin/Lost Dogs Illinois is not paid-for professional advice and should be taken at owner’s discretion.

Successful Trapping: Go Slow to Go Fast Part 13 of a Series

We can see that this dog, Shabby, is very comfortable with the trap. Time to move the food inside! When we can see her going in and out comfortably, THEN we will set the trap. Note that the date/time stamp on this camera is set wrong. Take the time to set it correctly before you begin. This is invaluable information.

You’re all ready to set up your trap and catch your dog. This should be fast and easy, right?   You’ve done all of the careful preparation and set up an inviting little “dog cave”. Your dog should appreciate that and jump right in, right? Sorry – wrong. This is the number one place that people are too impatient and then give up on the trapping process, claiming it “doesn’t work” or “my dog is too smart for the trap”.

Throwing a trap on the ground and hoping that your dog happens to jump in is like an outfielder closing his eyes and holding his ball glove open up in the air. Is there a chance that the ball will fall in it? Yes, I guess so. But there is a lot better chance of him catching the ball if he strategically uses all of his physical and mental powers to position himself to catch the ball.  Remember, you have ONE chance to get this right. Make it count.

This is where “going slow will be faster than going fast”.

You already have your shy, lost dog coming to the feeding station. You are already seeing pictures of him eating on your trail camera. (if not, please go back and read those installments in the series) You have now added the trap to the “landscape” and it may take a few days for your dog to get accustomed to it. He will sense that something is different and strange. Your goal is to make that transition as easy as possible. Keep the feeding station at least 20 – 30 feet away from the trap at first. Use bungee cords or electrical ties to keep the trap open – so the door can’t come crashing down and scare him.

If you have a trap with two doors, you may want to remove the rear door so the dog can go all the way through at first. This helps with very claustrophobic dogs and encourages them to use the trap as a shelter and sleeping spot.

Watch your pictures. When he is eating at the feeding station comfortably, move the bowl closer to the trap. When he is comfortable with that – move it closer again. Within a few days, you should be able to put the food under the door of the trap. (that is the scary part for a lot of dogs). When he appears comfortable, move the bowl into the trap – just inside the entrance. But you still have it bungeed open. It can’t scare him. Finally move it to the back of the trap behind the trip plate. When you see that he is going all the way in the trap, eating and looking relaxed, you can set the trap. You should know what time he is coming to eat and you can set it just for that time period.

The above method called “luring the dog into the trap” will save you a lot of grief and frustration because:

  • you won’t be catching and endangering wildlife, cats and other dogs
  • you won’t be spending all your time cleaning the trap and washing and replacing the bedding after catching other animals (who will usually urinate and defecate in the trap)
  • you won’t be having to check the trap every couple of hours (possibly causing your shy, lost dog to abandon the feeding station)
  • you will encourage your lost dog to use the trap as a shelter, so when he is finally trapped he will be comfortable and not panic
  • you will be able to continue during extreme hot or cold weather because you won’t be worried that you will endanger the life of an animal that is caught

Okay, we’re almost done. The last section will talk about baiting the trap, what works and what doesn’t work. Stay tuned, you’re almost done!  Part 14

Our tips, ideas and articles are based on information gathered from over thousands of successful lost dog recoveries. Any advice or suggestions made by Lost Dogs of Wisconsin/Lost Dogs Illinois is not paid-for professional advice and should be taken at owner’s discretion.

Baiting the Humane Trap – Part 14 in a Series

Finally! You have your humane trap for your shy lost dog set up. You have been feeding him at a feeding station and know his routine. He is comfortable with the trap being there because you have made it “part of the landscape”.  You have been moving the bowl closer and closer to the trap and finally under the door of the trap. You are monitoring the progress from the pictures on your trail camera.

Still, for some dogs, taking the risk to go into the trap is a big step. It is scary. The longer they have been lost, the more distrustful they have usually become.

So baiting the trap with something absolutely scrumptiously delicious is important. There aren’t any hard and fast rules except one. Think SMELLY.  You want the smell of the food to be so wonderful, so delectable, that your dog is willing to take the risk.  This means no dry dog food! Dry dog food is not smelly. For some reason that we have yet to figure out, people want to put dry dog food in a trap. Sorry, it just doesn’t work well. We don’t care if it is the ultra premium dry dog food that costs $60 a bag and your dog gobbles up at home. It doesn’t have the sort of smell required to encourage your dog to take the risk.

So here are some better suggestions that have worked for us.   We are sure you will also come up with some on your own:

  • rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (removed from the bone)
  • Kentucky Fried Chicken (removed from the bone)
  • grilled bratwurst
  • canned tripe (the brand pictured above is available at many specialty pet food stores)
  • fresh green tripe (available from speciality pet food stores)
  • inexpensive canned cat or dog food (generally the cheaper the food, the smellier it is)
  • meatballs in BBQ sauce

The possibilities are endless. Walk through the hot deli section of your grocery store and sniff. What smells delicious? What smells irresistible?  Remember, a dog’s sense of smell is at least 100 times better than a human’s. So you have the ability to draw your dog from a really long distance if you choose something smelly. Change it up. If something isn’t working and your dog doesn’t appear willing to “take the risk” try something else. Always make sure that your dog is getting some food at the feeding station though. You don’t want him to abandon the location out of frustration and move on.

Imagine you are in a restaurant and you haven’t eaten all day and are starving. The service is slow and nobody has come to take your order. The waiter passes by your table with a plate of steaming hot fresh rolls. He is distracted and you think: Maybe, just maybe I can sneak a roll off the plate and he won’t notice.  You are “willing to take the risk”. That’s how you need your dog to feel.

If your dog is getting food from other sources also (very likely); you have to make sure your offering is better. You may have to find the other food sources and cut them off. This can be tricky and we’ll cover this in more detail in another article. But, regardless, you will have the best chance of success if you are offering the most delicious food that your dog has smelled in a long time.

Remember, don’t set the trap until you have seen on your trail camera pictures that your dog is comfortably going in and out and eating. This is your best chance for success and is much better than a hit or miss attempt which can scare your dog, and make him abandon the location. Then you have to start all over again somewhere else.

Toby, that shy Australian Shepherd who bolted from the sound of fireworks will be safely caught soon because you have carefully and patiently followed all of the steps to catch a shy, elusive dog. Good Work!  Part 15

Our tips, ideas and articles are based on information gathered from over thousands of successful lost dog recoveries. Any advice or suggestions made by Lost Dogs of Wisconsin/Lost Dogs Illinois is not paid-for professional advice and should be taken at owner’s discretion.


 

Checking the Trap – Part 15 in a Series

Have enough leather gloves for everyone that is helping you with checking the trap. This protects them AND your dog.

If all goes well and you have prepared carefully by following the steps in the previous articles, you may catch your dog very quickly! Or not.

Regardless, make sure that you are prepared when you head out to check a trap. Always carry these items and if somebody is helping you, make sure they have them also.

  • Leather Gloves
  • Cell phone
  • Bungee cords
  • Fresh bait
  • Fresh scent items
  • Fresh bedding
  • Pam cooking spray to block scent
  • Binoculars
  • Flashlight
  • Key to unlock the trap from the secure object it is affixed to
  • Plywood, large enough to slide under the trap.

Approach the trap quietly with your leather gloves on. If you have used the white washcloth on the door of the trap, you should be able to see from a distance if it has been tripped. Or you can use your binoculars. If you get closer and see your dog inside, speak quietly to him and make what ever phone calls are necessary to get the help you need to lift the entire trap and dog into your vehicle to transport him to a secure location, preferably a vet clinic. You may want to slide a piece of plywood under the trap to make sure the wire floor doesn’t give way or bend when you lift it.  Remember, you will be responsible for any damage to the trap when you return it.

Bungee the doors tightly closed (both front and back if the trap is a two door model). You don’t want a door to pop open when you are lifting the trap into a truck. Remember, this is very scary for your dog and he may struggle in an attempt to escape.

NEVER attempt to take your dog out of the trap. If he slips by you and escapes, you may never trap him again. Remember, your dog has been in survival mode. He may not recognize you or be happy to see you. He may do everything in his power to flee the area, including biting you.

When your help arrives, give them leather gloves to protect their hands and YOUR dog while you lift the trap. If your dog bites someone and they require medical attention, your dog may have to go into quarantine. Don’t put him through this stress – he is already dealing with enough! If the dog is a foster dog, he may lose all chances for adoption if he bites someone; and he may lose his life. Don’t take this chance! You can avoid a bite that breaks skin by wearing gloves.

Take your dog to the veterinarian as soon as possible! Many lost dogs will have internal parasites (worms) and ticks. They may have been exposed to tick-borne diseases such as Lyme Disease or Ehrlichiosis and your vet may recommend putting them on a course of antibiotics as a preventative measure. Also, your dog may be  dehydrated. Your vet will give you good advice on how to rehabilitate him and get him back on a regular schedule of food and water.

If there is an animal other than your dog in the the trap, don’t despair! This is very common and has absolutely no bearing on whether you will trap your dog. Again, with your gloves on, unlatch the door and pull it open. Slip a bungee on it to prop it open and walk away. Go sit in your car and drink your coffee or check your emails. When you come back, whatever was in the trap will be gone. You will have to clean out the trap and refresh everything. Also, give it a light coating of Pam. This will block the scent of the animal and make it more enticing to your dog.

If you have caught your dog, congratulations! You have worked hard to successfully capture a shy, lost dog and we now ask that you pay it forward and share what you have learned with others that are going through this frustrating process. If you have not caught your dog, stay tuned, because in the next set of articles we will cover what can go wrong and recommendations that may help.

Our tips, ideas and articles are based on information gathered from over thousands of successful lost dog recoveries. Any advice or suggestions made by Lost Dogs of Wisconsin/Lost Dogs Illinois is not paid-for professional advice and should be taken at owner’s discretion.