Do NOT Chase
Well intentioned people, including owners, initially chase lost dogs. Chasing just reinforces the dog's perception that people are predators. It may make some of them run even further.
Survival - Food and Water
Dogs are extremely adaptable and will revert to instinctive survival behavior. They constantly search for food, water and shelter. Water is relatively easy to find. Food is a challenge. A dog may hunt for rodents, birds and snakes and will also eat birdseed, manure, grass, insects and carrion. They rummage through garbage bags on trash night. They find food left out in bowls for other animals. Dogs lose weight during their ordeal but can survive for a long time. They are attracted to dumpsters with food, farms, kennels and multiple-animal homes. Some hunt for food primarily at night when it's quiet and save daylight hours for resting or traveling.
Survival - Shelter
Quiet yards, especially on dead end streets, are favorite places to find shelter. They rest on lawns, in fields, cemeteries, open barns and sheds, under shrubs and porch decks. They try to sleep as close to a house as possible, especially at night. It affords them protection from harsh weather and predators. Dogs don't usually go into deep woods unless chased. They can use shallow woods to hide on a temporary basis.
Your Dog May Not Recognize You
A lost dog's survival instinct usually makes it wary of anyone or anything. They may treat their owner like a complete stranger. Some dogs go feral and return to wild behavior quickly. Some dogs readily approach strangers and are rescued quickly while others remain lost for weeks or months. There's no guarantee how a lost dog will behave. A dog responds in three basic ways when an owner attempts to approach it.
- It runs away.
- It will hesitate but stay put.
- It will walk or run to its owner when a scent, voice, or visual is recognized.
Home Range
A dog's search for food, water, shelter and familiar scents keep them primarily in residential areas. Dogs use golf courses, gravel pits, railroad tracks, fields, cemeteries, power line access roads and parks as shortcuts to get to other streets or the next town.
Disruption in the Neighborhood
Dogs or cats in the neighborhood may be agitated for hours when they know a strange dog has settled into their yard or their neighbor's yard. Dogs may bark excessively for quite awhile.
Coyotes
The general public and many lost dog owners are quick to assume that a dog has been a victim of coyotes. Coyotes are a real threat but not an excessive one. Many dogs smell them, sense trouble and go in the opposite direction.