How to get rid of dog

How to Get Rid of a Dog: The Right Way

The dog pound is a lot like puppy prison, except that dogs don’t actually have to have done anything wrong to get sent there — or worse, get killed there. You should absolutely consider other alternatives to taking your dog to the pound.

So, what alternatives can you try? Well, that depends on your situation. The first question to answer is this: “Why do you feel like you have to give up your dog?” Many times, it may feel like saying goodbye is the only option you have, but often it just isn’t true, so below are several potential problems that may make you think about giving up your dog and how you can keep from doing that. If you have to make a difficult decision, here is how to get rid of a dog in the best possible way.

Your Health is Being Compromised

For people who are severely allergic or suffering from a disease that weakens their immune system, owning a dog can give real meaning to the phrase “love is pain.” But it doesn’t have to be that way, and you don’t necessarily have to give up your best friend.

HEPA filters can help a lot, as can keeping your pet out of certain areas of the home. A commitment to cleanliness — both for your living space and by frequently bathing your pet — will also make a big difference. And if you clearly convey to your doctor how important your pet is to you, often they’ll try harder to come up with a treatment that will allow you to coexist in harmony.

The Dog is Misbehaving — Badly

Many dog lovers will say that there’s no behavior that’s so bad it should cause you to get rid of your pet, but that’s not necessarily true. Some people just aren’t able to manage certain dogs, and if you fear that your dog’s behavior is going to cause harm to come to you, another person, or the dog, it’s not unreasonable to think about giving your dog up.

That being said, there are lots of behavior specialists out there who can help you to train your dog out of dangerous behaviors, and oftentimes even extreme misbehaving can occur because the pet is suffering from a medical issue. The first thing to do is to check with your vet.

Dog-friendly Housing isn’t Available to You

If you can’t find affordable housing that allows you to have a dog, that’s a pretty difficult problem to solve. Even the most ardent dog lovers (well, most of them, anyway) wouldn’t suggest that you keep your pet and live on the streets, so if you’ve tried and tried and just can’t find anything, giving up your pooch has to be considered.

Here’s the thing, though. Even if you ultimately do feel like you have to give up your dog, there’s absolutely no reason that the pound ever has to be a consideration. Where should you look for housing?

There are a Few Alternatives to the Pound

Solicit Friends and Family Members

Maybe you can’t keep your dog, but your little cousin would love him. Or you have a dog-loving coworker who can’t say no to a furry face. If you just ask around a little bit, you’d probably be surprised how many people you know would be thrilled to take your dog in and give her a good home. Just be sure that it really is a good home by visiting ahead of time.

Seek Out Rescue Groups

Most areas have several active rescue groups dedicated to “fostering” pets with caring, responsible people until a forever home can be found. The nice thing about rescue groups is that you pretty much know going in that your dog will be entering the home of someone who not only understands how to take care of them (possibly better than you do!) but also how to find a permanent home where the owners will be just as caring and mindful. You have the option of looking for rescue groups nearby or breed-specific rescuers.

Find a “no-kill” Organization or Shelter

You absolutely have to confirm that the organization is “no-kill,” especially if it’s a shelter because sometimes that word is used interchangeably with “pound.” These places will take in animals if they have the room and work hard to find them a good home.

Ask Around

One of these options should work for most people, but if for some reason your dog is still homeless after you’ve tried the alternatives, think outside the box and contact dog trainers and other dog professionals to see if they know of any good homes. For someone who truly cares about their dog, the pound should never even be an option.

By Juliana Weiss-Roessler

Have you successfully rehomed your dog? Tell us how you did it in the comments section below. Maybe other users can learn from your experience. Telling your story could save a dog’s life.

How to get rid of dog

How to Get Rid of Dogs Humanely

Dogs are known as some of the best companions in the world, but to some homeowners, they can be a nuisance. When it comes to dog control, it’s important to be compassionate and use caring control methods in order to keep your yard dog-free. Below, Havahart ® teaches you how to handle a nuisance dog problem and offers expert tips to help you along the way.

1 Reduce Attractants

2 Identify Areas of Damage

In order to determine the best control method(s), it’s important to know the areas they are frequenting and what type of damage they are causing.

Common dog activities include:

3 Choose the Right Control Method

After observing the damage caused by the dogs on your property, use the information below to determine the best control option(s) for you. Keep in mind that some dogs respond to certain stimuli more than others, so the best defense incorporates multiple control methods.

Live Dog Trap

If you feel that the dog in question requires human care, consider a live dog trap. Live traps are humane tools used for safely capturing dogs with the intent to transport or care for them. Common purposes for a live trap include:

For more information, read How to Trap a Dog »

Dog Repellents

Scare tactics are very effective at repelling deer, and after time deer learn to avoid them all together. Electronic repellents can be relocated periodically and/or paired with additional deer control methods for the best deer control.

For more repelling tips, read How to Repel Dogs »

Electronic Repellents

Install an electronic repellent to frighten dogs away with startling bursts of water and condition them to stay out of any area. These motion-activated sprinklers can be used to protect a variety of areas such as:

For more information, read Why Electronics »

Fencing

Physical exclusion is one of the most effective ways to keep dogs off your property. Although fencing can change a landscape dramatically, many homeowners find that fencing is a great solution for keeping dogs out. If installing a fence, keep the following tips in mind:

How to Get Rid of a Botfly in a Dog

This article was co-authored by Ray Spragley, DVM and by wikiHow staff writer, Dan Hickey. Dr. Ray Spragley is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and the Owner/Founder of Zen Dog Veterinary Care PLLC in New York. With experience in multiple institutions and private practices, Dr. Spragley’s specializations and interests include non-surgical management of cranial cruciate ligament tears, Intervertebral Disk Disease(IVDD), and pain management in osteoarthritis. Dr. Spragley holds a BS in Biology from SUNY Albany and has a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree (DVM) from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. He is also a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist (CCRT) through the Canine Rehab Institute as well as a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist (CVA) through Chi University.

There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

This article has been viewed 11,248 times.

You’ve noticed your dog scratching at a bump on their skin and discovered a botfly larva—what should you do next? Although there are several home remedies for these pests floating around, the best course of action is to visit the vet. They can easily and safely remove the parasite and make your pup feel good as new. The earlier you catch the botfly, the better the outcome for your dog. That’s why we’ve put together a thorough guide to identifying and preventing botflies, including how a vet removes them from your dog’s skin. Read on to keep your canine companion safe from these parasitic pests!

How to Get Rid of Dog Smell

If you are a dog owner, you are also a dog smell owner. It’s unavoidable. It just comes along with dog ownership. Actually, if that’s the worst complaint you have about your pooch, it’s a pretty darn good trade-off considering all the ways in which our lives are enriched simply by having them around. Dogs have been an important part of my life since before I can remember. They and their pet odor have always just been there. That being said, since I became old enough to do so, I’ve had to play an active role in helping my parents in getting rid of dog smell. And since there were usually at least three dogs living in the house at any one time, I had no choice but to learn a few tricks to eliminate odor.

There are a number of things that can contribute to dog odor. Oily skin is a big one. For this reason, dogs with naturally oily skin (like Labradors) tend to be the cause of a higher level of pet odors. On the other hand, your dog might have high levels of oil in the skin due to atopy, which is just a fancy way of saying that the dog has allergies that irritate the skin, so the dog’s body produces an overabundance of skin oils to help combat the itchiness and inflammation. These oils don’t just stay on the dog either. They go wherever the dog goes and get left behind on couches, chairs, carpets, etc. Quite often, though, the dog smell is due simply to the fact that your dog is dirty and needs a bath. Maybe the pooch rolled in something, maybe he/she went swimming and now smells like “wet dog”, or maybe it’s something more serious that can’t be fixed with a bath. In this article I’ve compiled some of the most common causes of bad dog smell complete with tips on how to get rid of dog smell. See below for tips on how to get rid of dog smells directly from the dog, and see the left for ideas on how to get rid of dog smell from your home.

Quick Tips for Getting Rid of Dog Smell

Best Ways to Get Rid of Dog Smell at the Source

Wash your dog properly.

Too many people do not wash their dogs properly. This can actually make things worse. First, check the dog over thoroughly for any obvious stink sources such as something they rolled in or poop stuck in the fur. Check the feet, too, and make sure there’s nothing stuck between the toes or pads. Next, stick some cotton in Doggy’s ear and wet the entire animal thoroughly. Once wet, using a gentle dog shampoo, lather the dog up good and proper. Finally, rinse, rinse, rinse. It’s very important to get all of the soap out or it will dry, itch, and cause the dog to produce excess skin oil.

Dry the dog thoroughly.

It’s not just oils and the things the dog rolled in that create dog odor. It’s also bacteria and bacteria waste. These bacteria love wet animal fur and are able to live and reproduce quite happily in it. For this reason, it’s very important that you get your dog as dry as possible. Start by gathering every towel you can find and going to town. Rub back and forth, up and down, and all around. As an extra measure, especially for dogs with thick coats, hit them with a blow dryer. Just make sure you set it on the coolest setting possible.

Treat dog breath.

=If bad enough, dog breath can make a dog and the house reek like hell. There are several things you can do to help reduce this odor. The most important is to start a proper oral hygiene regimen. It is often recommended that you brush your dog’s teeth once a day. At the very least, do it a couple times a week. There are also special dog breath treats you can buy your pooch. I recommend Greenies (which are sold at Amazon). Dogs love them and they work well. Before you do anything, though, take your dog to the vet to make sure there isn’t something more serious going on like gingivitis or periodontal disease.

Get your dog on a good, healthy diet.

It’s simple: your dog’s health is directly correlated with what you feed him/her. If your dog is not getting a healthy diet, there’s a pretty good chance that the pooch isn’t going to be as healthy as he/she should be. If the dog isn’t healthy, it probably won’t smell healthy either. Just imagine how you would smell if you never ate anything but Ramen Noodles and fast food burgers. You’d probably smell like a giant fart. So quit feeding your dog Tuffy’s and talk to your vet about what brand of food you should have your dog on.

Speaking of the vet…

It’s quite possible that the dog smell you are smelling is something you won’t be able to get rid of on your own. Dogs have these neat things called anal glands that build up and secrete an ishy, musty smelling substance with the feces. Sometimes these glands get clogged. This can cause some serious pet odor. A vet or groomer can express (drain) these glands and make Doggy smell pretty again. Another common dog odor is caused by ear infections. So look at your dog’s ears and give them a whiff. If they look nasty or are stinky, take the dog to the vet. The dog might also just have a skin infection that is causing the smell. It could be a yeast infection, a bacterial infection, or an allergy that has caused an increase in the musty-smelling apocrine sweat.

Remove Smell Using a Dog Odor Remover

Because it is so common for people to have pet dogs, there is an abundance of products available on the market that are designed to remove odor caused by dogs. Perhaps the simplest of these is a dog brush. Look for different types of dog brushes and combs made by Four Paws. They have detanglers, undercoat rakes, and brushes specifically for short-haired dogs and for long. By brushing your dog regularly, you remove dead hair and the oils on that dead hair that can cause dog smell.

If you are looking for something beyond a brush, there are plenty of sprays, powders, and cleaners available, too. Just make sure to get something that is actually designed to be a pet odor remover. Don’t waste your money on cheap, crappy air fresheners. You will only succeed in making your house smell like a lilac-coated dog fart. Some of the more effective dog smell removers are: Odokill, Odokleen Cleaner/Deodorizer, Odorcide, OdoBan Ready-to-Use, Zero Odor, and Simple Solution Natural Pet Odor Remover. Find one that works for you, the smell of your house, and your dog.

Best Natural Dog Smell Removers

Fresh Wave. This is a nontoxic, biodegradable natural air freshener made with soy, cedar wood, pine needle, aniseed, clove, and lime. It doesn’t just mask the smell either. Fresh Wave molecules enter the air and attract malodorous particles with an electrostatic charge. Amazon sells Fresh Wave Home Spray here.

Baking soda. This is a great dog smell remover. Baking soda is cheap, so don’t be stingy with it. Spread it liberally over your carpet and let it sit overnight. If you are able to, cover it with a tarp so that the odor absorbing properties are directed exclusively at the carpet. Vacuum it up in the morning.

Apple cider vinegar. Use apple cider vinegar in the wash. Whether you’re washing laundry, your bedding, or your dog’s bedding, throw in about ¼ cup apple cider vinegar with your regular laundry detergent. If you don’t have the apple stuff, plain old white vinegar will work, too; it just doesn’t smell as nice.

How to Get Rid of Prairie Dogs

Updated on January 5, 2021

Certainly one of the cuter species of rodent, prairie dogs are a communal critter consisting of five species. As with most rodents, they’re quite intelligent but inadvertently destructive, making it necessary to get rid of prairie dogs which find their way onto your property.

Table of Contents

Getting to Know Prairie Dogs

As with all critters, the more you know about prairie dogs, the easier it is to deal with them. As prairie dogs are very aware of their surroundings, simply sticking a trap nearby won’t be enough. Instead, you’ll have to learn their weaknesses and exploit them to ensure these critters leave your property and stay away.

Unlike most other common rodent invaders, these critters tend to be vocal. They got their name because a prairie dog sounds like a small dog when warning of predators or doing mating calls. This can often be the first sign you’ll get that a group are eyeing your property as potential real estate.

What do Prairie Dogs Eat?

Prairie dogs live mostly on grasses and roots, but will also eat fruits, seeds, grains, and even insects when they’re available. This makes them an absolute terror when loose in your garden or front lawn. Despite having lost up to 98 percent of their habitat, the efficient breeding habits of prairie dogs means an invasion onto your property can be one tough fight for survival.

Home and Habitat

Once being in the entire midwest, prairie dogs have been in a state of decline, leaving them in about 11 states and one province in Canada. They’re highly social, burrowing deep underground into small communities, the entrances of which can be identified from a tall-ridged crater at the entrance. These entrances are designed to prevent flooding in a heavy rain, but are easy to spot. It also doubles as a sentry post.

Underground, the entrance becomes a complex network of tunnels and rooms. The burrow (if you’re lucky) may consist of one family known as a cotery. Multiple coteries, known as a ward, may cohabitate together. In a worst case scenario, you may be facing a full colony (several wards).

Mating season starts in March, and up to eight pups will be born around late April or May. This makes it extremely important to get any prairie dogs out before spring, as the population can easily grow out of control and devastate your garden or lawn.

Identifying Your Prairie Dog

As mentioned, there are five different species of prairie dog, and knowing which one you’re dealing with can greatly affect the methods for getting rid of them. These rodents have lost the vast majority of their natural habitat, but their social structure and ability to quickly replenish a population means that most species aren’t currently on watch lists.

Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

As the name implies, these critters are easily identified by the black tip on their tail. The marking somewhat makes them look as though they dipped their tails in ink. As of 2009, this species was reviewed and deemed healthy enough to exclude them from endangered lists.

Gunnison’s Prairie Dog

This species has yellowish buff fur mixed with black and a white-tipped tail. While denied endangered status in 2014, it should be noted that this is an extremely important keystone species in their native habitat and should thus still be treated with some level of care. You can find Gunnison’s prairie dogs in the four-corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

Mexican Prairie Dog

With reddish-brown fur and a lighter underbelly, Mexican prairie dogs can be easier to identify than other species. They have a black tail tip which covers nearly half the tail, unlike the black-tipped species. This species is currently on the endangered list and should be treated with care.

Utah Prairie Dog

The most striking feature of these cinnamon to clay colored critters are the dark eyebrows which give them an almost comical appearance. They have white tips on their tails and are currently on the endangered species list.

White-Tailed Prairie Dog

These tannish-brown pelted critters have darker brown streaks reaching from above the eyes down the cheeks and a short, white-tipped tail. A survey of the species in 2010 deemed it as non-endangered.

Prairie Dog vs Gopher

While the two rodents may seem alike at first glance, certain behaviors can help you distinguish which you have on your property. For example, prairie dogs are highly social and breed annually, whereas gophers are solitary and breed all year around.

The entrance to a gopher’s burrow will be plugged, but prairie dogs keep the door open. You are also much more likely to see a prairie dog eating in the yard, since gophers pull their food underground to eat in the safety of their burrow.

Prairie Dog vs Groundhog

Groundhogs grow to be up to twice the size of a prairie dog. They also live in much smaller groups, with burrows shared by only three or four individuals that use it primarily for hibernation and avoiding predators. Prairie dogs, meanwhile, will almost always have a sentry posted outside of the burrow.

How to Get Rid of Prairie Dogs

Due to their highly social nature, spotting one prairie dog means you’re likely dealing with a whole colony. They can be a nightmare to get rid of, as they multiple quickly and older prairie dogs will actively avoid traps. Thankfully, there are ways to reduce the population and, ultimately, get them to leave your property.

From a Field

This can be the toughest scenario to solve, as prairie dogs will have plenty of roots and grass to gnaw on. You can uproot any plants that may provide root food and keep the grasses short in combination with traps and repellent, but this can be a slow and frustrating process.

Alternatively, you can rototill the entire field, leveling it out with a tractor blade or performing a controlled burning to eliminate food and discourage burrowing. This can be a lengthy process, with a wait of up to two years before it’s wise to plant crops. However, the remedy can do a good job of evicting even large colonies.

From the Shed

Sheds are one of the few places traps will actually work well against prairie dogs. Once you know how to trap a prairie dog in an enclosed space, they can become desperate enough to enter baited traps for food.

As you’ll be working with a very small population, we suggest a good no-kill trap, such as the Havahart 1089. Ensure there are no easy escape routes from the shed and set your traps. Keep the shed locked so family members won’t accidentally let the critters out and check periodically for successful captures. Be sure to relocate the prairie dogs soon after capture.

From the Yard

Prairie dogs can decimate a well-manicured lawn quickly, leaving an expensive repair job behind. Unfortunately, the only way to really get rid of them is through flooding the den. Most of the prairie dogs will escape, but a few will likely drown. Always be sure to identify the species before attempting this method.

You can also use a prairie dog repellent (such as predator urine) near burrow entrances to help encourage the critters to vacate your lawn, but this works best when you have a very small group of prairie dogs and can locate most of the burrow entrances.

Filling in their burrowing holes may also convince them to move away from your yard and eventually let’s them know they’re not welcome.

From Your Garden

This can be a worst-case scenario, as prairie dogs will devour the roots and many of your fruits and vegetables. A fence is the best option, but you will have to do some digging. Your fence should extend a few feet below ground so the prairie dogs can’t burrow down, as well as a couple feet above ground.

In the event you already have prairie dogs in your garden, you may need to leave a small temporary opening and flood the burrow to evict those trapped within the garden enclosure.

How to Kill Prairie Dogs

While we never condone the killing of beneficial critters, it’s not uncommon to see people killing these critters. Always be sure you’re not dealing with an endangered species before attempting any of these methods.

Kill Traps

Kill traps are a mixed bag. Not only will it require the same effort to place as a no-kill trap, you also run the risk of harming other critters. Worst of all, you’re likely to only kill a few pups, which will be quickly be replaced. Thus, this is an alternative best avoided.

Prairie Dog Poison

Poisons should never be used unless there’s no alternative, as other critters can fall prey to poisoned bait. This can be especially true with prairie dogs, as it can take days of baiting before you can lay out poison.

During that time, other critters may start taking the bait as well. The following is a popular poison method for dealing with these rodents:

Shooting

While ill-advised for urban and rural homes, many country homesteaders actively shoot prairie dogs as a means of population control. This method has limited effect against the population, which can quickly recover from mild to moderate losses.

15 thoughts on “How to Get Rid of Prairie Dogs”

I found your web site very informative and to the point. This in it self is a huge time saver so thank you for that. I will be trying a number if your suggestions and will share what was successful also what wasn’t. Thank you so much for giving me choices that I as comfortable with. I’ll keep in touch. Thanks, Sue

Has anyone tried using exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) to get rid of a small prairie dog colony?

I always thought noises would chase prairie dogs off, but that is not the case. I have a bunch of them living on the shoulder of the road by my house. It is heavily traveled by gravel trucks, cement trucks and semis … they don’t seem to mind. Will planting a thick blanket of creeping thyme help to discourage them? I was going to use mini white Dutch clover, but they like that. I am going to plant that in yard because of grass allergies, but I do not want to lay out the welcome mat. Just looking for something to keep down weeds, low maintenance and that they are not fond of.

I used to like them, now my backyard is under attack and I can’t seem to get rid of them. Sometimes I let my cat go out and scare them

When I clean the cat litter box and put the poo in plastic bags I started dropping one at a time in each prairie dog hole and then covering it with rocks. We had quite a number in a grassy area and now we have none, so I’ll always think the disgusting litter chased them away!

Will coffee grounds help get rid of this rodent?

While coffee grounds may help repel some insects, they probably won’t do anything against prairie dogs.

I have tried peppermint oil & water in a spry unit but it did not seem to hold them back very long. I’ve lost a thousand dollars in plants and had to stop feeding my wild birds because the Prairie Dog population exploded doing so.

I’ve never had prairie dogs till 2 years ago. I spent a lot of time last year covering holes, feeding them bubble gum, and a stinky brew of lemon juice, white vinegar, chopped onion, cayenne pepper, and chili powder. It took about 3 weeks, but it worked they stayed away from my back field. This year, I got a single annoying fur ball that doesn’t seem to like tall grass. So I’m going to let the far end of the field grow this year and see how that works.

our lawn is under attack but there are no holes but mounds of dirt. The city of Calgary will not do anything because it is our yard in the city. So even when you pay property tax it is still our problem. if anyone has any ideas we could use some ideas?

Would mothballs work? To kill or run them off.