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If you don’t have a trap, you can use a crate as a stand in to catch a dog.

Follow this one-week approach and you’re very likely to get your dog:

Day 1: Get a crate and put the bowl near the open crate.

Day 2: Move bowl to just outside front of crate door.

Day 3: Move bowl to just inside crate door.

Day 4: Move bowl to middle of crate.

Day 5: Move bowl to back of crate.

Day 6: Skip feeding.

Day 7: Attach a string to the crate door and thread it through the crate to the other end. Position bowl at back of crate as on Day 5 and put highly-fragrant, very delicious dog-friendly food in the crate. Make a trail of dog kibble leading up to the crate, continuing with a small amount in crate, ending with a “jackpot” of roasted chicken/other desirable food in the bowl. Watch as dog goes in and when dog is completely in the crate, pull door shut with the string.

You can make the process shorter by cutting out some of the steps. The goal is to get the dog used to the crate and willing to get in it.

NOTE: You may want to “practice” with your own pet or a friend’s pet so you know how hard to pull, where to put the string, and where to be positioned relative to the back of the crate. It will help you gain confidence and know what works when you try the crate capture method with your target dog.