How to Trap Wild Dogs

Wild dogs can pose a problem when they prey on livestock and family pets, attack people or dig up and defecate on your property. You also can contract rabies from a dog bite, which can be fatal. One way to control a wild dog problem is trapping.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Dog trap
• Bait
• Local animal control phone number

1. Check with your State Wildlife or Fish and Game Agency to make sure you are operating within your state's laws. You may have to acquire a license to trap animals.

2. Obtain a professional and humane live animal trap. There are several traps available, anywhere from 30-inches to 50-inches long and 11- inches to 19-inches wide. Obtain one with a spring-loaded trap door and a rear release door for easy release of the animal.

3. Place some type of bait inside the trap. You can use dog food, any beef product, raw chicken or sardines.

4. Place the trap where the animal is frequently seen or wherever you are having a problem. For example, set the trap close to a chicken coup the animal has broken into. Try to place the trap in a shady area.

5. Set the trap door according to the manufacturer's instructions.

6. Check your trap at least once a day, or more, to insure that the animal doesn't suffer from prolonged exposure to heat or that you haven't captured something you didn't intend to.

7. Ask your local animal control to recommend what you should do with the animal once you've trapped it. It is considered inhumane to transport the animal into a desolate or wildlife area, and you must check your laws before committing euthanasia.

Tips & Warnings

• In some counties, animal control will lend you a trap for a dangerous wild dog.

• Don't use leg traps to trap the dog. Even padded traps can cause undue suffering to the animal.

• Be extremely cautious when approaching a wild dog, even if it is in a trap. These animals can be vicious. In most cases, you can't tell if a dog is rabid just by looking at it.

Resources

• Wildlife agencies for each state.