How to Approach an Unfamiliar Dog
Before you approach an unfamiliar dog, make sure its owner isn't around and that it really is stray. If the dog seems aggressive, do not attempt to approach it. Instead, call local animal control, as they will be able to handle the dog safely with proper equipment. If animal control is not available and the dog does not seem aggressive, get the dog to approach you by attracting it with a treat or a piece of food. As it approaches, kneel down to its level to appear less threatening and to build trust between the two of you. Once you've managed to make safe contact with the dog, carefully put it in your car or a crate if you have one, and look on its collar for a phone number you can call to return it to its owner. If it doesn't have a collar, take it to your local shelter to be checked for a microchip, which will tell you how to contact the owner.
Assess the situation. Look around and make sure that the dog is actually unattended and not just running around without its leash while its owner waits to the side. Pay attention to the dog's demeanor: if the animal appears openly aggressive, do not attempt to approach it. You can keep an eye on it from afar while waiting for animal control authorities, but take no further measures. If you're in the car, make sure you can pull over safely. No matter how frightened a stray dog looks, causing a traffic accident won't help them out. Call local animal control authorities. Even if you're confident that you can capture the stray dog, you should try to call local authorities first to see if they can come handle the situation in a timely manner. These officials will have special equipment and training in order to bring the animal in safely, so they're always the better option for this scenario. In a big metropolitan area like Chicago, there are hotlines and special impounds set up for this event, so check online listings for the appropriate numbers to call. If you're in a more rural area, you might need to call the local sheriff or police office to get connected to the proper resource. Find a treat or something to attract the dog. If you can't get a hold of animal control authorities and the dog appears reasonably docile, you can try to make contact with the dog yourself. The best way to do this is to get the dog to approach you and not the other way around, so feel free to use some food to appeal to the animal. If you're in the car, see if you have any food stashed away which you could offer to the stray. Anything with a crinkly bag like potato chips will be particularly useful to get the dog's attention to and encourage them to come over to you. Turn sideways and kneel down. When the stray comes nearer, get down on your knees and turn sideways to appear more welcoming.  By observing this canine etiquette, you can begin building trust between you and the frightened animal. If you found any food to lure the animal, you can drop some on the ground and act like you're picking it up or eating it. Make calming sounds and movements to soothe the animal. You can gain further trust from the stray dog by using body language and sounds that dogs understand. In addition to averting your eyes and kneeling down, you can speak in a low, slow manner, lick your lips, and yawn exaggeratedly. Dogs use this gesture to calm themselves down, and they understand it in others as a sign of friendliness and reassurance. Confine the dog in a crate or small space. Once you've managed to make safe contact with the animal, put it in a crate, your car, or other barricaded area where it can stay until you take the next step in the process. Make sure it has food and water so that you keep building its trust. Don't worry too much if the dog paces anxiously or whines for some time after it is penned up. This is natural behavior and should subside once the dog understands it is safe where it is. Locate identifying information about the dog. Once you've captured the stray, your next step is to find out how to return it to its proper home. Or, if it turns out to be a feral dog, you want to help find it a new home. The easiest way to identify a dog is through an ID pendant on its collar. Call the number on this tag and see if you can meet the owner to return their pet. If the animal does not have a collar or ID tag, you should check to see if the dog has a microchip implanted under their skin around their shoulders. Your local shelter or veterinary clinic should be able to scan for a microchip and give you any identifying information it yields. Ask the owner of the dog for permission to pet it. Not all dogs are friendly: some are skittish around strangers, some are highly protective of their owners, and some are just plain cranky. The dog's owner will know about their dog's habits, so have them let you know what to expect. If the dog isn't accompanied by an owner, stay away. Even if the dog approaches you and looks eager for your attentions, don't extend your hand or lean forward before you get an answer from the owner. Be especially careful if you have any children with you. For many different reasons—for example, their diminutive stature, unpredictable behavior, voice volume, and eagerness—some dogs are particularly hostile to children, so make sure you keep your children close when they spot a dog nearby. Make sure they don't run up to the dog without warning, and always ask the owner how the dog responds to children specifically. Slowly approach the dog. With the owner's permission to pet the dog, walk over at a moderate pace from a slight angle. Canine etiquette perceives head-on approaches as disrespectful or potentially challenging, so keep this in mind when approaching from afar. You also want to keep your pace slow and manner staid in order reassure the dog that it can watch you approach and that you won't make any sudden movements. Pay attention to the dog's response to your approach and stop if it looks unwelcoming or shies away. Let the dog take the last few steps. If a dog is interested in becoming acquainted, it will meet you halfway. You can turn sideways and avert your eyes while it walks up to you in order to give further signs that you're following canine guidelines of politeness. Extend your arm slowly and keep your hand relaxed. Once the dog has come up to you, you can reach out to the dog. This will signal to the animal that you are friendly and not threatening. There are varying theories regarding the appropriate way to hold or position your hand. Some experts claim that one should clench the hand into a fist so that it appears smaller than an extended hand, while others claim that the hand should be extended with the palm facing upward or downward. In the face of conflicting advice, the best rule of thumb is to extend your hand with the palm down and fingers curled under, as it will protect your fingers from getting nipped. Allow the dog to sniff your hand and arm. Holding your hand steadily beneath the dog's nose will let the dog get used to your scent. This is essential for a dog when meeting someone unfamiliar because they rely on their sense of smell in the way that humans relay on their eyesight. Don't stare into the dog’s eyes. Unfamiliar dogs can take prolonged eye contact as a threat or challenge, so you should keep your eyes averted until you become comfortable with one another. Also be sure not to hunch or bend over the dog, as this can make it seem like you're cornering the dog and thus presenting a threat. Stroke the dog’s ears or neck. Use a light touch so that you don't seem overly forward or abrupt. Stay away from touching vulnerable areas like the flanks and legs, as this can cause the dog to instinctively lash out to protect itself from a perceived threat. Once the dog feels more comfortable and shows that it wants further contact, you can scratch under its chin or on its back. Watch for signs that the dog is agitated or wants to leave. There are many ways a dog can signal that it feels uncomfortable or that it simply wants to cease contact, many of which are fairly obvious and easy to detect. Some overt signals of agitation or anxiety include growling, barking, and pacing. A dog can also show their discomfort in more subtle ways, though, so keep an eye out for these signs as well. For example, a dog holding its tail high, looking into your eyes, or yawning can mean that the dog is warning you off or trying to calm its anxiety. If a dog shows signs of aggression or hostility, don't turn your back on the dog, as this will just encourage it to chase and attack. Rather, slowly back away from the dog until it visibly relaxes and you can turn around and walk normally away. Consider what your new dog has been through. Whether you've adopted a dog from a shelter or bought a puppy from a breeder or pet store, chances are your new friend has gone through quite a bit of stress in the relocation process. Take a minute to think about what it's been like for your dog, and it will help you figure out how best to act and get acquainted. It can help to ask a shelter or store employee for any relevant background that may help you in the transition period. For example, you should know if your dog was abused by children in its past home, or if it lived on the streets for awhile before being brought to the shelter. Give your dog plenty of treats. While you're still at the shelter or pet store, you can begin giving your new dog treats. Hand them over when the dog gets close to you and when they get in the car to go to their new home. This will show them that they get rewarded for positive behavior, and that you are a friendly, generous provider. All treats are not created equal, so check out the ingredient list of the treats before you start feeding them to your dog. Look for whole food and organic ingredients, as well as a protein as the top ingredient in the list before any carbohydrate or meal filler. Kneel down to the dog’s level. It will help to earn your dog's trust by getting down to the dog's level during your first interactions, as it lets you and the dog inhabit the same space without being confrontational.  Avert your eye contact and keep your touches respectful and light until you get comfortable roughhousing with each other. Take your new dog for a walk. One of the best ways to get acquainted with a new dog is to take them for a walk, so you should do this before you even enter your new home. This will tire the dog out and make them less energetic when entering your household, as well as help the two of you open lines of communication and begin to build trust. Make sure that your leash and collar fit your dog properly and don't chafe uncomfortably. You also may want to avoid long or retractable leashes until you and your dog are used to one another and know each other's habits. Speak in a low, soothing voice. Your new dog will respond much more positively if you make sure that your tone of voice is friendly and calming. Even if you're stressed or feeling a bit frazzled, be sure not to shout, scream, or bark orders, as this will agitate the dog and make it feel on edge with you. Be particularly careful with sudden noises and shouts which would alarm the dog while it's doing something else. Just one shock while chewing on a toy or entering a crate can make the dog associate that particular action or place with fear, so it's important to keep your volume controlled. Give your dog space. Getting acquainted with you and moving to your home causes a lot of stress for your dog, so you should let them move in at their own pace. Have a comfortable bed or crate set up in a quiet place in your home so that your dog can withdraw whenever they want and have some quiet, alone time. Keep it low-key. In addition to having a quiet, solitary space for them to sleep and rest, you should also maintain a calm atmosphere in the household while the dog gets acclimated. If you usually have a lot of friends over or loud music playing, hold off on these habits for the first few days. As children are generally noisier and rowdier than adults, they should be particularly well supervised if living in the home where you've brought a new dog. Try to keep their interactions with the dog limited until they become well acquainted. Introduce your dog to family and friends. After a day or so, you can start introducing your new family member to other family and friends. It's important to do this early on, so that the dog comes to know their presence as customary and familiar.  Carry out introductions one at a time, though, so that your new housemate doesn't feel overwhelmed by all the new contact and personalities. This is particularly important if your new dog belongs to a breed which is typically territorial. While these dogs are often aggressive later in life when new people are brought into the home, this behavior can be avoided by introducing the dog to these people early in life or soon after adoption. 
Assess the situation. Call local animal control authorities. Find a treat or something to attract the dog. Turn sideways and kneel down. Make calming sounds and movements to soothe the animal. Confine the dog in a crate or small space. Locate identifying information about the dog. Ask the owner of the dog for permission to pet it. Slowly approach the dog. Let the dog take the last few steps. Extend your arm slowly and keep your hand relaxed. Allow the dog to sniff your hand and arm. Don't stare into the dog’s eyes. Stroke the dog’s ears or neck. Watch for signs that the dog is agitated or wants to leave. Consider what your new dog has been through. Give your dog plenty of treats. Kneel down to the dog’s level. Take your new dog for a walk. Speak in a low, soothing voice. Give your dog space. Keep it low-key. Introduce your dog to family and friends. 