How to Reach a Lost Dog

Stray animals are often quite dangerous, and you should always remember that they can scare you. If you accidentally scare the animal, it can become aggressive. To approach a stray animal, you need to follow these steps. The animal will learn to trust you and can be tamed as a pet.

Table of Contents

Get the dog’s attention and approach

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Note that the dog is showing aggression. These animals are showing aggression through body language. Behaviors may include eyes opening wider than usual, lips showing teeth, ears raised and forward, stiff tail wagging slowly, hairs along the spine standing up, and some other behaviors. . ^{[1] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source} Note any signs of aggression and do not approach a dog that is showing aggression.

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Avoid prolonged eye contact. You should look to the side of the dog instead of glaring at them. This is a sign of domination for this animal. They see this as a challenge and think you want to start a war. ^{[2] X Research Source} In general, you should avoid eye contact with dogs for the above reason, plus you may also frighten them.

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Watch out for dogs with symptoms of rabies. This is a disease that can affect all mammals, including dogs. Rabid dogs are often restless, fearful, and violent. They can bite or grab anything they come across, such as people, other animals, even objects. Rabies is transmitted by the bite of an infected animal, and infected dogs may lick or chew the infected bite. Dogs can also have a fever and have very sensitive vision, hearing, and touch. Then you should stay away from this animal and call a professional to take it away. ^{[3] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

Rabies dogs often have paralysis of the jaw and/or mouth, so they often foam at the mouth, a common sign of rabies.
Rabid dogs are also often disoriented and have seizures.

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Attract the animal’s attention. Usually you can get a stray dog’s attention by clicking your tongue to make a sound or talking softly to them. Do not startle or frighten your dog, as they will become wary and likely to attack you. ^{[4] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to the source} Move slowly, maintain a calm demeanor, and use a soft voice so as not to frighten the dog and ensure your own safety. .

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Approach the animal slowly. After getting your dog’s attention, you should approach slowly with a crouching position to lower your body height. This technique makes the animal less afraid of you. As noted above, the less fearful the animal is, the more likely you are to successfully and effectively approach it.

Do not lower yourself in the crawling position, as this may make it difficult for you to run away in the event of an animal attack. It is recommended to approach only within 3-4 m.

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Allow the dog to approach you. After approaching, you should let the dog automatically approach you. You can encourage them to come back by calling you softly ^{[5] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to the source} and offer your hand if the dog shows interest, such as wagging its tail . Gently pat the ground in front of your face, or offer food that smells good like tuna or canned food to lure them closer. ^{[6] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to source}

Reach your hand out, palm down. This behavior is less intimidating to the animal, as well as limiting the risk of the animal biting your finger.
Watch your dog’s body language if they don’t approach. You can walk slowly towards the animal if it is friendly but still shy. Use extreme caution as your dog may get scared when you get too close. They can run away, or interpret your movement differently and attack you, so you should be careful.

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Stay calm and back away slowly if the dog growls or bares its fangs. You must not run away as they will see this as chasing, or worse, inciting violence. ^{[7] X Source of Study} Do not turn your back to the dog, but just walk away slowly.

Do not look the dog in the eye.
Move slowly and gently.

Let the dog get to know you

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Have your dog sniff your hand. This helps them recognize your scent, an action similar to shaking hands in humans. Do not move while the dog sniffs the hand.

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Move your hand to another part of the dog. Allow them to finish sniffing the hand, then slowly move the hand over their shoulder. Do not pat your dog’s head as it may scare or bite him. Remember that animals don’t like being touched in particular, so you should take it slow and let the animal let you know if your actions are acceptable, etc.

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Check card. Wait until the animal is comfortable and secure, or try to put it on a leash or put it on a fenced yard, then check the identification tag. ^{[8] X Research Source} Speak softly and move slowly to avoid scaring or startling the dog. If your dog does not have an identification tag, you should contact your local rescue center, veterinarian, or animal shelter. You can also consider bringing your dog home if they agree to go with you or are friendly.

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Check the implant on the dog’s body. Today, dogs are often implanted with a chip that includes an identification number to find the owner. You can look to a veterinarian or rescue center that has a scanner to detect chips. If the dog has a chip, you can contact their owner. ^{[9] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to the source} If not, you can post a stray dog find, put it on the internet or newspaper, or consider adopting a dog.

Advice

The animal should not be cornered. They will feel pressed to the edge and have no choice but to attack.
Even if the animal determines you are not causing harm, this does not mean that you can make sudden moves without scaring them. Remember to move slowly.
If you can’t get the animal to trust but still care about their life or safety, the best thing you can do is contact your local animal shelter. They will advise you on how to gain the animal’s trust.
Try using basic commands to see if the dog can understand, for example sit, stay, etc. If they follow commands, this means the animal has been with people before.
If your dog’s mouth foams at the mouth, you should stay away because they may have rabies. Call animal control immediately.
Do not approach a dog that is showing aggression. Signs of aggression include tail feathers standing up, lips curled back into a growl, head bowed, tail stiff and slow wagging.
Be very careful when feeding stray dogs.
Strange animals that are scared and may be sick or injured may act unpredictably. Just a sudden movement, even opening the car door, can scare the dog and run away, even on the highway. If the animal seems or acts aggressive, or you feel insecure, you should stay in the vehicle.
Always be patient because dogs need time to understand that you are here to help or love and not harm them! Your dog won’t know what you want at first, so you should take small steps to show what you want and why you’re there.

Warning

Make sure the dog is not sick and fully vaccinated by checking the vaccination card.
Make sure the dog doesn’t bite you, or you could get sick.
Take extreme care when approaching unfamiliar animals. If they get lost, they may not be in contact with humans for a while, and won’t hesitate to attack if they think you’re the one causing harm.
Pay attention to how to build trust in animals because you can get into dangerous situations.
Do not let children near the dog.

Steps

Get the dog’s attention and approach

Let the dog get to know you

Advice

Warning

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