How to Catch a Lost Dog

It seems like lately there have been a lot of missing pets in my neighborhood. A neighbor found a pet bird in her stove vent. A cute German Shepherd Labrador mix walked in to church last week, and recently a sign went up on the lawn of my condo complex reporting the loss of "Pancho" with a picture to identify him.

Now, I'm not going to help you find a lost bird. The best way to find a lost bird, is to keep it from going outside when it's not trained and its wings aren't clipped. And if your pet is truly lost, Put up signs and adds in the local paper, and look in some favorite areas in your neighborhood. I will tell you how to catch a dog that gets out of your home.

The best way to keep a dog from getting lost is to train the dog and USE a leash. Just recently a neighbor family was crying bitterly outside of their home because they had found one of their small dogs hit by a car. These are the same neighbors who regularly let their dogs run freely on the grass. I like Chihuahuas, but they aren't all that smart. It doesn't surprise me that this one ran in the street. These neighbors haven't yet learned the importance of a leash.

But if your dog gets out, it is possible to catch him if you remember a few things. A friend's dog, Winston, is a runner. He's about twenty-five pounds of running machine when he gets going. He recently got out, and here's how she caught him. She played the game. Winston loves his owner just as much as he likes to run.

So, when Winston started running, my friend followed after him. You should try to keep the dog in sight. Winston ran down the block. First he chased a cat a bit. He then proceeded to bark at some dogs. But once he realized my friend was following him, the game was on. He would look back at her to see if she was following. This was a chasing game. So, she caught his eye one time when he looked back. She said, "Winston, come" and turned and ran the other way.

Winston played the game, he ran after her. As long as she could stay ahead of him, he would follow her. She ran home and he followed her right inside.

Remember, for many dogs, this is a game. If you can't catch them, make them chase you, right back home.

When you do catch them, no matter how angry you are, don't hit or yell at them. That's hard, but important. Do you want to come home when someone's angry at you? Instead, relax, act as if everything is normal. The reason is that while dogs can remember and be trained, you don't want to make this experience too positive because you don't want them to do it again, and you don't want to treat them too badly because you always want them to come back.

So, remember, if your dog gets out, play the chasing game. Get their attention and get them to chase you home.