trying to catch a stray puppy

[BK911]

Skinny little puppy running around the hood.
See it on most days coming home from work.
Poor little thing is spooked and won't let me near it.
Throw some food out and it will come closer, but takes off if I move towards it.
The last couple of nights my knuckleheads are barking towards the front woods between my house and road.
The deer and coyotes are usually in the back woods towards the park, so I think the Puppy is out front but too scared of the KHs to come close.
Any ideas how to proceed?
I just want it to know its welcome there to grab some food and water.

[javadog]

Maybe keep the knuckleheads inside, if they are not already there. Put out a food bowl and water bowl, close to where you've seen it approach in the past, maybe on the driveway. If you see that the dog eats from the bowl, keep it filled and move it a little towards the house each day.

JR

[JavaBrewer]

Agreed keep your dogs separate and keep the bowls full while moving closer to home. I would offer a nice treat and sit on the ground in a very non threatening manner. Get to the puppies level. Don't reach out. Let him come to you. Patience.

[Jerome74911S]

Getting to the puppy's level means lying on the ground, rather than sitting. In the dead of winter here (-20 to -30 C = equals super cold), an obviously abandoned young dog hung around for a week and a half. I spread out a line of hot dogs (1 inch pieces) leading to my house. This was a 700 foot line $$. The little guy ate the hot dogs as far as my yard, but was too scared to venture further.

Nobody found out where he was spending the night, but when we finally got him he had numerous spots of frostbite. Never mind my hot dogs and big bowls of dog food, he was ravenous from fighting off the cold.

Finally, a dog shelter woman was able to toss a lasso over him after two days of trying. She was a real pro. The dog now lives with some friends of mine in a super good home. He is now 100 pounds of pure muscle, very friendly and playful.

It sometimes takes work, but this mastiff/boxer cross is a terrific dog today.

[GDNF2ET]

Go to the SPCA and borrow a live animal trap..

[Don Ro]

Keep us posted as to how this works out.
Interested.
Good luck!

[aigel]

+1 on a trap borrowed from animal control or the local shelter. Just make sure you are prepared to free a skunk.

If catching a cat, you can lift the trap off the ground, but that won't work with pups.

I would be very careful not to feed it out of bowls your dogs share. Pup certainly has parasites and could have nasty diseases like parvo etc.

G

[GWN7]

If putting out food use "wet" food (caned), but only in small amounts. It goes bad easy and you don't want the pup gorging himself. Enough to keep his interest by keeping him hungry. It gives off a smell for him/her to recognise. As mentioned a large animal trap works best. If you try to grab him be prepared to be bit. He's just trying to defend him/her self. Wear a denim jacket and padded gloves. Good luck

[Jerome74911S]

In its wisdom, the town where I live decided not to enter into a contract with the SPCA ($), so it is not possible to borrow a live animal trap from the SPCA here.

So, be prepared to be creative. There are other animal rescue groups out there; ask around if necessary.

It's really nice that so many are offering advice on this topic. I hope that by now the puppy the OP is concerned about has been rescued and given a nice home.

[Z-man]

While food is a great motivating factor for a puppy - perhaps tossing him a tennis ball or two will help you gain his trust as well. Actually, don't toss the ball at him - rather near him in a way that the ball is not actually going towards him.

Hope you are able to get him the help he needs...

-Z

[Cajundaddy]

My grandmother was the dog whisperer. She could catch any stray that eluded Animal Control so they had her on speed dial. She would put out water and use hot dog pieces as a lure. Whenever the dog would eat a piece she would whistle softly. Soon the dog would associate the whistle with food and come ever closer until they would allow her to touch them. Every touch was rewarded until she wrapped them in a blanket and brought them home. She rescued hundreds of strays.

Good luck!

[BK911]

No luck yet. Haven't seen it since Friday. Wifey saw it Monday. Food is disappearing so hopefully its eating. Haven't given up yet.