A mixed-breed or rescued adult dog can work well as a warning dog because its temperament is already visible, but its unknown history means you should quarantine it, check it for bites, parasites and signs of rabies, and introduce it to children slowly under control. Reject any dog with a history of biting people or with extreme fear or aggression, however good its size or bark.
Part of Guard Dog Training
Mixed breeds and rescues are dogs of mixed or unknown ancestry, including strays and abandoned animals, that a household may take in as an alarm.
An Adult’s Temperament Can Be Seen, Its History Cannot
After a collapse most available dogs will be mixed, abandoned or strayed. The parent article says to work with whatever dogs are available and to evaluate individuals regardless of breed for alertness, confidence, recovery, bonding and sound sensitivity. A mixed adult has an advantage over a puppy: what you see is largely what you will get, and you can test it. What you cannot see is how it has been treated, what it has bitten, what it has eaten and what it carries.
Three risks need handling before the dog becomes part of the household:
- Aggression and fear. A dog that has been abused or left to fend for itself may bite when startled, cornered or fed.
- Disease. Unvaccinated strays may carry rabies and other zoonoses; see Zoonotic Diseases. They commonly have worms, fleas and ticks.
- Hunger. A starving dog is dangerous around food and children.
What You Need
- A separate quarantine space at a distance from other animals and from children
- A sturdy lead and a muzzle or a plan to make one from soft cord or cloth
- Food, water and shelter
- A person to look after it, who washes hands and changes clothes between the dog and others
- Patience — the first weeks decide whether it will settle
Method: Quarantine, Examine, Test, Introduce
Step 1: Quarantine it. Veterinary Medicine says to separate any new animal brought in from outside by at least 50 m, assign one person to look after it, keep its feed and water separate, and observe it for 14 days, 21 days for new animals from outside, before joining it to the others. Apply the same to a new dog, away from children.
Step 2: Approach it safely. Do not corner it, stare at it, reach over its head or approach while it eats. Throw food from a distance, let it come to you, and move slowly.
Step 3: Examine it. Look for wounds, bite marks, ticks, fleas, discharge from eyes or nose, a swollen belly and any sign of illness. Take its temperature and pulse as in Field Medicine for Dogs.
Step 4: Watch for rabies signs and behaviour that does not fit. A normally shy dog that suddenly turns bold, a dog that drools, cannot swallow or staggers, or an animal that attacks without cause is a rabies concern. Keep it confined and handle it as little as possible, and do not touch it with bare hands. If it bites anyone, irrigate the wound at once and see Wound Management for the animal bite rules. The usual practice, which I am recalling and have not read in the corpus, is to observe a biting dog for 10 days.
Step 5: Assess it. After it has settled, run the tests in Temperament Assessment. Reject any dog that has bitten people without clear provocation, guards its food or bones against people, or panics at ordinary sounds.
Step 6: Introduce it to the household. One person at a time, with the dog on a lead. Children meet it last, with an adult holding the lead, and are never left with it alone.
Common Mistakes
- Taking in a dog because it is large and fierce-looking. A frightening dog with a bite history is a danger, not an alarm.
- Skipping quarantine. Parasites, disease and fights cost more than the wait.
- Feeding it from the hand while it is starving. Put food in a bowl and step back.
- Believing it is friendly because it is wagging. A wag can come with fear.
- Letting the children decide it is theirs. The adult must control the introduction.
Safety
Unknown dogs can carry rabies and bite without warning
Any dog of unknown vaccination status carries a rabies risk; there is no field treatment once symptoms show. Wear gloves to handle it, never reach for a dog that is growling, eating or cornered, and keep it away from children until you have judged it. If someone is bitten by a dog that is acting abnormally, wash the wound at once and treat it as a possible rabies exposure. Children are bitten most often by dogs they know, so introduce slowly and supervise always.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Temperament Assessment — a structured test of the individual
- Combine with: Field Medicine for Dogs — checking a new dog’s health