Extremely Fearful Dogs: Drug-Free Capture and Handling Tips

 Fearful animals can be a real challenge to work with. Whether they are unsocialised, undersocialised, previously mis-handled, genetically shy, new to you, of a high wolf percentage, or feral dogs of any breed--they have special needs, and require specialised handling. This is all too obvious when the animal reacts badly to human presence or is an "untouchable", but must be captured in short order for transport, examination, or medical care.

In some of the more extreme cases, it may be ideal to chemically immobilise the animal for immediate capture and handling. However, chemical capture carries substantial risk, and appropriate drugs for this are normally not available to the public. Therefore, helping each other to devise safe and effective capture methods without chemical intervention is of prime importance to people working with fearful dogs.

What you want in the long run is to gradually socialise a dog until he accepts gentle handling, leashing, crating, and other day to day interactions. This can be a long process, though (an unsocial wolfdog "hybrid", for example, can take 6 months to a year of careful rehabilitation to become a reasonably civilised companion) and requires much more than a mere article or two to teach. This essay focuses on some short term techniques that can be used in a pinch.

The problem: you have a dog who runs or slinks off in fear whenever you step into his vicinity-you can't simply walk up and put a leash on him.

If you have even a small amount of time to spare, you might try to acclimate him to a crate. fridlyckans  You will need a very heavy duty metal crate, one that is reinforced at all joints with heavy gauge wire so he cannot bend the bars in a panic and free himself. (Never underestimate the strength of a frightened animal! Even a smallish dog can destroy a sturdy, un-reinforced store-bought crate in seconds.)

Leave the crate in his area 24/7. Prop the door open so he can enter and exit freely, without the door accidentally swinging shut behind him and scaring him. Each day, place some delicious meat (or something else he loves) way in the back of the crate. In the beginning, you don't need to watch him enter the crate. Gradually, you want to work up to where he will enter with you nearby, and then with you in the pen, and eventually with you right beside his crate. (You may need to toss a few treats further away to "prime the pump" and get his appetite engaged--then leave a trail of treats leading up to the crate, to entice him to continue on for the goodies inside it.)

When you are ready to transport him, simply close the door to the crate. BE QUICK about it, of course, and be sure to lean firmly against the door while latching it so that he doesn't slam into it and burst from the crate. (Yes, this is dramatic language; when it happens in real life, it is even more dramatic, and very very fast.) Put clips or zip-ties on the latches to keep him from sliding them open.

You can also try building your relationship with the dog by sitting in there every day, with yummy high-value treats such as lunchmeat, freeze-dried liver, liver pudding, cheese, hot dogs, burgers, or other cooked meats to offer. Don't even try to touch him, at first; just be present and toss him a treat for any positive interaction he initiates. Looks at you? Treat. Comes closer? Treat. Even "acting less scared for a second" or lying down in the corner deserves a treat, in the early stages.

Also, dinner should be served by hand, especially when trying to bring a shy dog around. All good things come from you, and are eaten in your presence. In the first few days, if he is too stressed to eat with anyone around, you can try leaving a recently-worn shirt or sock with him so he gets used to your scent and associates it with his food. (Don't expect to get any clothing back in one piece, though.)

Over time, you will progress to getting him to DO things, in order to drive you to give him treats. A dog can be trained without ever having to be touched! Simply wait for a behaviour to be offered, perhaps a play-bow or a Sit, or eventually a bump of your treat-filled hand with his nose. Then say "YES!" enthusiastically the instant it happens (or use a clicker to mark it) and toss a great treat...or a piece of his dinner. You can then pair a command to the action, and start to ask the dog to perform it in order to get the treat. I've had rescue dogs I couldn't walk up and touch, who would Sit, Gimme Five, or otherwise interact with me in order to solicit a treat. This is *two way communication*, and it's important. Even coming up close to ask for food can be a triumph for a fearful dog.

Another great trick--a variation on a taming protocol for wild mustangs, actually--is the "Treat and Retreat" interaction. Approach the dog, and the instant he shows ANY improvement in behaviour, toss him a treat and back up a few steps (or even leave the pen). Both the treat and your retreat are rewards. "Positive behaviours" on the dog's part can include a change from pacing to not-pacing, wandering closer to you, sitting down, lying down, making eye contact, sniffing the last spot you stood or the last thing you touched (try to offer this opportunity by touching things and moving around occasionally), sniffing you, play bows, or any sort of voluntary interaction.

If the dog is too afraid to eat in your presence, you can approach at a distance that slightly pushes his current comfort zone--not enough to create panic, just enough that he looks at you warily--then "reward" him for any calm or social behaviours by retreating immediately. (In the beginning, even a lack of reaction can be an improvement over a fear response.) It may be helpful to read about 'Constructional Aggression Treatment' for a better understanding of this method. Don't let the name mislead you; it was developed to work with dog-on-dog aggression, but that issue is most often fear-based, and the process works on other fear-based behaviour as well.

Again, if you have time to spend with the animal before he needs to be handled, by all means try these things first.

If the dog won't crate or leash willingly and you're out of time, you will need to corner him. In a small area, this is easily accomplished; just be sure to maintain NON-THREATENING body language the entire time. For example: don't look directly at him, approach sideways, move slowly and calmly. Don't reach over his head, other than to gently drape a blanket or towel over it...if he can't see you, it can have a calming effect, and the towel also makes it much harder for him to deliver a fear bite. It is very important to read up on, and fully understand, canine body language and calming signals before ever attempting to corner a fearful dog (or any dog, really).

Once towelled, the dog can be picked up and put in a crate...or he can be leashed, if he is leashable or a crate is not an option. I strongly recommend TWO collars and TWO leashes for walking fearful dogs. This way, if he "gator rolls", or one set breaks, or a collar isn't on right, or any other malfunction--you still have the dog. The vast majority of dogs are docile enough to be walked out by one person. However, if he is extremely strong, or gets upset and "climbs the leash" to win his escape by attacking the handler (rare, but it happens) then you can have one person hold each leash, so he can't get to either one. This also works for more aggressive dogs-and in most instances beats a catch pole, hands down. A catch pole will almost always trigger a "freaking out" response-the dog lashes out, loses all rational thought, bloodies his mouth or chips his teeth, fights much harder than he would fight leashes, risks biting a person, risks choking himself, and may never like you again. He may not even like anyone who vaguely reminds him of you-or he may generalise his experience to a distrust of all humans. As you might expect, I am not a fan of the catch pole. There are circumstances where it may be necessary, but I would consider it a last resort. One can get MUCH better results with the Y-Pole, which will be discussed later on.

In a large fenced area, you could easily pursue a dog all day and never catch him. If the dog is only slightly afraid, you might have success with sitting calmly on the ground beside a bowl filled with extra special food: wet cat-food, perhaps, or a pile of finely chopped cooked meat. Warming the food offering makes it easier for the dog to smell from a distance. He might eventually come up and let you clip a leash to him while he is eating. If he has no collar, you can try to slowly drape a slip lead over his head--or use a soft leash threaded back through its own handle, which does not need to slide over his head at all but can simply be draped over his neck before threading back through itself. (You'll want to add a second collar & leash before removing him from the fenced area.) Be sure to move very slowly, and not stare directly at him. Also, try to think about something else besides capture-he can feel your "the second he's within range, I'm going to nab him!" energy. I don't know how; they just do. Dogs are sensitive that way. Focusing on him will make him uncomfortable and thwart your chances of this working.

Some dogs can even be "talked into" allowing a leash, by having a quiet, reassuring conversation with them and sending mental pictures of the dog in a more comfortable or enjoyable situation. I remember one shy wolfdog I went to pick up on short notice, while I was on the road with no equipment besides a leash. His owner had fallen into trouble, and he and his companion had been left behind in a large fenced area, without a steady water supply in the summer heat. I knew that I couldn't catch him without his cooperation, so I sat down and quietly explained to him that I wanted to take him somewhere safe, where he could get regular food and water, and sent visualisations of him lying under cool shade trees and playing in a doggie pool. Within minutes, he walked hesitantly up to me...still afraid, but willing to give me a chance.

Alternately, you could bring over several friends, and try to slowly corral the dog into one corner of the yard. Everyone should close in gradually, while maintaining calm energy and not staring at him. The person he seems most comfortable with should do the final approach and leashing.

If you don't have the luxury of a large group, and the pen doesn't have a secure "double entry" or other small area attached to it, then you will need to temporarily subdivide the yard using fencing material. It should be high enough that the dog can't easily jump it--at least 4 to 5 feet. With large yards and limited fencing, your best bet is usually to cut the yard in two sections, trapping the dog on one (hopefully smaller) side, then run an additional strip of fencing diagonally so you have a small "dead end" he can be corralled into.