What to Feed a Wild Dog

Some wild dogs are feral, or not domesticated, and will not make good pets. Other wild dogs are abandoned animals that have been socialized in the past and can be rehabilitated to be adopted. Providing wild dogs with food is one way to gain their respect and get them to trust you enough to capture and domesticate them. Do not feed wild dogs unless you are going to provide for them or find someone who will.

  1. Commercial Dog Food

    • Lure wild dogs to trust you by providing them with a selection of commercial dog food. Buy several cans of commercial dog food from a store, and empty an entire can into a dog food dish. Place the dog food dish far away from your home, where the dog is more likely to take it. Go into your home and shut the door. Provide the dog with the same food the next day or twelve hours later. Place this food one foot closer to your home. Continue to provide the dog with commercial dog food twice a day. Each time you provide him with food, move it closer to your home. As soon a the dog has been inticed to come close to your home, begin to stay outside after providing the food. Watch the dog eat, but do not approach him.

      After several days of watching him eat, begin to speak in soothing tones to the dog as the dog eats. If the dog is domesticated and not feral, he will approach you as you gain his trust. You can put a leash and collar on him to take him to your local vet or rescue shelter.

    Dry Food

    • Provide dry dog food to wild dogs that you care for but do not intend to take to a shelter or vet clinic. Do this only in the countryside, as wild dogs cannot roam in the city and need to be captured. Set out bowls of dry dog food in your barn, your outbuilding, or around the edges of your property to feed wild dogs.

    Considerations

    • Feed a dog if you intend to take care of him. Gain his trust and take him to a vet or rescue facility, so he can be reunited with his owner or so that he can be adopted. Feed wild dogs you do not intend to care for only in a country setting, and be advised that this will cause them to hang out more on your property and to produce more offspring. Most societies look down on feeding wild dogs without any intent to capture them.