| Topic: | Jasper still lost. New tactics | |
| Posted by: | John Todd | |
| Date/Time: | 24/10/14 13:09:00 |
| We've received from advice that we've acted on this morning. So if you see us with unusual items don't be afraid. This is the helpful advice Mapping Sightings: When dogs run away, very often by the time they stop they realise that they are lost. Sometimes it can take a few days for them to settle and then they will start searching for familiar smells in the area. Usually a dog moves in a shape that is roughly a triangle. The triangle can cover a small area or many miles depending on the dog and very often a dog will follow their own scent and use the same tracks to travel to each point of the triangle. Get a map and plot all sightings, dates and places until you see a pattern forming. This should give you an idea of where your dog is likely to be travelling to next. If there are any wooded or overgrown areas check for nesting places. This might give you an idea of areas you can bait or possibly put up a dog trap. Scenting: Scenting is used to try to keep a dog in a particular area which gives you a better chance of catching them. The strongest scents to lay for your dog are your urine and/or dust from the house e.g. out of your vacuum bag which is full of household smells. If using urine, dilute it in a bottle. If you are using vacuum contents, mix with water and put into a bottle. Sprinkle the scented liquid lightly in the area that you want to try to keep your dog especially on posts, trees etc and wherever a dog would sniff. If you have another dog who will scent mark, take them along too. If you are in an appropriate area you can scent all the perimeter of the triangle to keep them in the area. The easiest way to scent a perimeter with food is to put a strong smelling food such as tripe or sardines in a pair of tights and drag it along the route to leave a scent. However, the perimeter may be too big to do this and you also need to be careful not to encourage them to cross roads, railway lines etc so this cannot be used in some circumstances. If this is the case you may be able to move them triangle slightly to a safer area by making three bases encouraging the dog to visit them by where you scent and leaving food. Once you've established a route for them to follow you can make sure the area is heavily postered and you'll have more chance of getting sightings Also leave part of dog blanket/bed, item of owner's clothing (not clean), smelly food like sardines, pilchards, tripe etc in areas of sightings, this will help keep the dog in the area. If you are going to bait a particular area with food it’s important that the food is taken at the same time each day as this will get your dog into a routine of visiting that particular place at a particular time which will give you the chance to be there. Maybe do a disposable BBQ from B&Q. This has worked in the past, people set their BBQ up, just sit around talking among themselves, the dog smells the food and comes out of hiding. If this happens you must ignore the dog apart from tossing some food in their direction encouraging them each time to come closer for the food. If your have a car, put "scent" on car tyres, sit in car with the engine running and doors open. this has also worked before. It is also a good idea to collect the dog’s own stools from the garden if possible. This can provide even more recognisable scent. One of our owners actually trod in the stools with an old pair of shoes so that they could then trample from where the dog had been sighted on to a route back home. This brought the dog home Dogs living feral will often only come out to search for food at dawn and dusk so this is usually the best time to conduct your search. If you find that your dog is regularly visiting a particular place you may be able to use a collapsible dog cage to make a den for them or a dog trap to actually trap them in. Catching your dog: A lost, frightened dog can be very traumatised and may not even recognise or respond to their owners at first. If you spot your dog your natural instincts will be to call to them or move towards them presuming that they know who you are. It’s sometimes difficult for people to come to terms with the fact that a dog they have lived with for years would not instantly recognise them but for a frightened dog or a dog living feral this is probably the quickest way to get them to run away from you. If this happens, the next time they see you it could make them even more reluctant to approach as it’s likely they will remember that you scared them. Once feral, a dog will start living on their instincts and wits. Their senses become heightened and anything that is familiar to you and your dog as a pet disappears until they’re back home. They will be hunting to eat, and conserving energy. Typically, but not always, they'll be eating when they can find food. If they’re in a rural area they’ll choose dawn and dusk when rodents and rabbits are available. If it's an urban area they'll be raiding bins from houses, shops or restaurants, usually at the same times each day so find out what day refuse is collected and search the area late at night, overnight or early morning. If you sight your dog do not chase them or look at them. If a dog is frightened they may even see eye contact as threatening. Turn your back on them and either sit on the floor, crouch down or turn and walk slowly away from them. Let them see you drop food on the floor as you walk away. No calling them unless its very quiet and friendly like you do in puppy training. With many dogs it’s best not to speak at all as it will make them run. If you do speak to them do it in a relaxed, quiet way saying words that they might recognise. If there is panic in your voice it will panic the dog and they will run. If they start to approach you keep turned away from them, drop more food and walk away again. As you repeat this you may be able to walk a shorter distance so that the dog is coming nearer each time. It’s likely if they get close to you they will them recognise you however it can sometimes take many attempts over days or weeks to build up enough confidence in the dog for them to approach you. With some dogs, to get down on the floor and make whimpering noises seems to relax them and make them approach. Extra tip : Sometimes it’s a good idea to take a play ball or squeaky toy to throw . If the dog is spotted the play item should be thrown in the opposite direction from the dog & the owner . This might just trigger a more relaxed play behaviour. Also other dogs being around can sometimes help. All these things can depend on the character of the running dog is & in what circumstances the dog went off. Sometimes other dogs & squeaky toys can frighten a running dog into bolting off again so it’s best to be subtle to start with. |