Looking for advice! Building a shelter for dogs in a forest.

[Hypsandar]

Hello, I come from a town in Serbia that has hundreds of stray dogs, so I've had this idea for a while now. Why not making a home for them? A small village, but not for humans.

Now, the main issue isn't building the shelter, its warmth yet a food source. I can't afford to actually feed them unless I would get the resources to make the food myself. The forest is near a big river called Dunav, i'm sure there are mices & rats that will be drawn to the heat but that probably wouldn't be enough, its rare & simply not enough calories. Could I possibly teach the dogs to hunt somehow? To be honest there isn't much wildlife out there. The forest is about 20km/+ from my home.

I welcome any advices and criticism, I really want to make this work. Thanks.

 

[Leshy]

Hello, I come from a town in Serbia that has hundreds of stray dogs, so I've had this idea for a while now. Why not making a home for them? A small village, but not for humans.

Now, the main issue isn't building the shelter, its warmth yet a food source. I can't afford to actually feed them unless I would get the resources to make the food myself. The forest is near a big river called Dunav, i'm sure there are mices & rats that will be drawn to the heat but that probably wouldn't be enough, its rare & simply not enough calories. Could I possibly teach the dogs to hunt somehow? To be honest there isn't much wildlife out there. The forest is about 20km/+ from my home.

I welcome any advices and criticism, I really want to make this work. Thanks.

Man , you've got a big heart but it's a near on impossible job.
It would take a lot of work...
I don't know what your hunting laws are like over there, but you'd need to do a daily kill and drag the carcass there on a daily basis to start with.
My guess is that , all of those stray dogs do quite well (considering they're stray) by having handouts by the local butcher's and scraps from the restaurant chefs etc.
You'd have to seriously work your butt off to try and match that.

However you mentioned the river... That could be a blessing right there , as it's fresh water and hopefully plenty of fish in it.
Build a few traps , see how well they work, is it the traps or is there no fish.
If plenty of fish but no catch , then change trap methods .
In my experience, dogs love fish .
As for building their little "town" , what do you have in mind?
Don't forget dogs are pack animals, and as such, they need the Alpha and possibly the Omega too.
Are you willing to live out there for a few months ? Building and teaching them and feeding them?
I look forward to seeing those trip reports buddy, and I'm not even being cynical... I really do hope you do it !
👍👍

 

[sunndog]

if the dogs are in the town how do you plan to get them to move to the forest?

 

[Leshy]

This English guy did it...
https://youtu.be/9vCKxrhBoPE


Shaun did what most thought impossible ...
Goes to show what you can do when you put your mind to it...

Wolves and dogs are pack animals and will almost constantly challenge the pack and their position within the pack.
Leadership and continuous commitment to the pack will earn your place within it.
Once you've understood this and studied their behaviour , your job will be easier, not much ! ...but a little easier.
It will take a lot of work from you , but if you pull it off your reward will be immense.

Can I ask why ? Why do you want to do this ? And why you think they would benefit from it?
👍

 

[Hypsandar]

Man , you've got a big heart but it's a near on impossible job.
It would take a lot of work...
I don't know what your hunting laws are like over there, but you'd need to do a daily kill and drag the carcass there on a daily basis to start with.
My guess is that , all of those stray dogs do quite well (considering they're stray) by having handouts by the local butcher's and scraps from the restaurant chefs etc.
You'd have to seriously work your butt off to try and match that.

However you mentioned the river... That could be a blessing right there , as it's fresh water and hopefully plenty of fish in it.
Build a few traps , see how well they work, is it the traps or is there no fish.
If plenty of fish but no catch , then change trap methods .
In my experience, dogs love fish .
As for building their little "town" , what do you have in mind?
Don't forget dogs are pack animals, and as such, they need the Alpha and possibly the Omega too.
Are you willing to live out there for a few months ? Building and teaching them and feeding them?
I look forward to seeing those trip reports buddy, and I'm not even being cynical... I really do hope you do it !


The river is about 1km meters wide, or more. Im definitely willing to try, id stay there with them for a while and see how it goes. I already got a godly Alpha, I found him on the street, he kept following me and we connected a bond, he was incredibly loyal and every other dog that passed by was conquered by his sight, even dogs that are 2 times the size.

But before I form a pack and move the dogs in the place id have to build it and secure a food source, fishing traps would probably do if I can figure out how to make them & use them. The town I live in is pretty poor & most people don't care about the stray dogs, the food they acquire is mostly from trash bags & food scraps someone happens to drop. Or rarely feed them. About the little 'town', i thought id use deadfall & other materials to build some walls, tiny huts which could support 5-10 dogs with a built in fireplace. They would be fortified from wind & the cold.

 

[Hypsandar]

if the dogs are in the town how do you plan to get them to move to the forest?

I would bring a few dogs for the first time, after that 1 by 1. I can get any stray dog to follow me for miles just by getting friendly, petting them and looking them in the eyes. Besides that, the trip is long and they cant walk as much as we can so i would bring some water & food.

 

[Leshy]

I wouldn't worry about fireplace...
Waste of energy, enclosed shelters with good insulation all around (including the ground) would be enough...
Their body heat would be enough to keep those buildings warm .
If you can get the insulation we use on building trade, that would work . There are different ones , with different price tags but they all do the same job , reflect heat back in and keep the cold out.
Not the soft wooly type (rock wool) as it's itchy as hell (ask me how I know) but I mean the solid blocks of foil backed foam .
Cheap car windscreen foil mats would also work or even just mylar foil emergency survival blanket type of thing...
It really depends on the law in your country and who owns the forest /land.

If easier , the strawbales as walls covered in mud from the river , or pine or spruce boughs weaved into the wooden walls and floor (off the ground) would be a more natural approach and maybe cheaper but it's more work.
How many friends are willing to help you?
And how many dogs do you plan to relocate?

 

[Hypsandar]

This English guy did it...
https://youtu.be/9vCKxrhBoPE


Shaun did what most thought impossible ...
Goes to show what you can do when you put your mind to it...

Wolves and dogs are pack animals and will almost constantly challenge the pack and their position within the pack.
Leadership and continuous commitment to the pack will earn your place within it.
Once you've understood this and studied their behaviour , your job will be easier, not much ! ...but a little easier.
It will take a lot of work from you , but if you pull it off your reward will be immense.

Can I ask why ? Why do you want to do this ? And why you think they would benefit from it?


Thanks, i will check out the video.
I don't benefit, haha. If anything its the other way around. To be honest, look around you... We humans live our lives, some with dogs, sure. However they don't live the way they are meant to, sad but true most are stray dogs trying to survive, there's packs here and there, helping each other and struggling for food while we live in comfort without a care. Besides that, from my perspective we are all devolving to a point of laziness, our ways have gone far from natural. Animals on the other hand haven't as much as we did, for the most part. Eventually they would devolve more and more. Dogs were born from wolves, they evolved into something weaker, less oriented.

Heck, if we humans can live in houses instead of the cold street floors struggling to survive, why can't the dogs as well? :}

 

[Leshy]

As for fishing traps , YouTube videos can help you with that...
Some traps are really just an enclosure within the water with just a very small narrow entrance...
The fish can find their way in but can't find way out.

 

[Hypsandar]

I wouldn't worry about fireplace...
Waste of energy, enclosed shelters with good insulation all around (including the ground) would be enough...
Their body heat would be enough to keep those buildings warm .
If you can get the insulation we use on building trade, that would work . There are different ones , with different price tags but they all do the same job , reflect heat back in and keep the cold out.
Not the soft wooly type (rock wool) as it's itchy as hell (ask me how I know) but I mean the solid blocks of foil backed foam .
Cheap car windscreen foil mats would also work or even just mylar foil emergency survival blanket type of thing...
It really depends on the law in your country and who owns the forest /land.

If easier , the strawbales as walls covered in mud from the river , or pine or spruce boughs weaved into the wooden walls and floor (off the ground) would be a more natural approach and maybe cheaper but it's more work.
How many dogs and how many friends are willing to help you?

0 friends at the moment.
Country owns the land, id have to build it small & illegally i assume. Camping is allowed though..

And as u said about the fireplace, simply making clay huts would probably do, just to keep the heat inside.

 

[Leshy]

Thanks, i will check out the video.
I don't benefit, haha. If anything its the other way around. To be honest, look around you... We humans live our lives, some with dogs, sure. However they don't live the way they are meant to, sad but true most are stray dogs trying to survive, there's packs here and there, helping each other and struggling for food while we live in comfort without a care. Besides that, from my perspective we are all devolving to a point of laziness, our ways have gone far from natural. Animals on the other hand haven't as much as we did, for the most part. Eventually they would devolve more and more. Dogs were born from wolves, they evolved into something weaker, less oriented.

Heck, if we humans can live in houses instead of the cold street floors struggling to survive, why can't the dogs as well? :}

I didn't say you benefit , I said why do you think THEY would benefit?
I guess you answered the question when you say nobody really cares for them .
I see this all over the world but you know what? If they didn't think they would survive in the town's I think they would have moved upstick and out to the woods... 😊

 

[Leshy]

0 friends at the moment.
Country owns the land, id have to build it small & illegally i assume. Camping is allowed though..

I'd stick to Natural materials , that way no issues with synthetic materials and pollution and litter...
Dog numbers?

 

[Hypsandar]

As for fishing traps , YouTube videos can help you with that...
Some traps are really just an enclosure within the water with just a very small narrow entrance...
The fish can find their way in but can't find way out.

Aye, i'll be sure to research that on YouTube.

 

[Leshy]

if the dogs are in the town how do you plan to get them to move to the forest?

Good question.
They would need a real good reason to stay there..
Slow process

 

[Hypsandar]

I'd stick to Natural materials , that way no issues with synthetic materials and pollution and litter...
Dog numbers?

Aye, dog numbers, no idea. I'd keep upgrading the place and adding up numbers. There's a lot of stray dogs in the streets. I don't have them with me.

 

[Hypsandar]

I didn't say you benefit , I said why do you think THEY would benefit?
I guess you answered the question when you say nobody really cares for them .
I see this all over the world but you know what? If they didn't think they would survive in the town's I think they would have moved upstick and out to the woods... 

- Right, sorry I misread that, I'm sleepy and disoriented.. About to go to sleep. :, hit by cars,
- That's a good point, however, they were either born in the streets or kicked out by their owners. They don't know what a forest is. All they know about is the streets, a lot of them die on daily basis, hit by cars, starvation.. The town's government is putting some of them to "sleep" because of their vast population count.

 

[Leshy]

Geez there must be loads of strays in your town then...

Watch that wolf man video, it's interesting how he went on to become Alpha and train the wolves to become wild instead of trying to domesticate them.
I can guarantee you , that you will need someone else to help with this . It's too much for one man as you will have to live out there for a few months at least.
If you have an outside helping hand , to bring you supplies when stuff goes wrong , and also to be on hand to alert emergency services if you were to need it.
As they say "s*#t happens" when you least expect it , and it's important somebody knows your location, intentions, and timings (from when you were expected to be back to direction of travel etc) .
Without that , you're pretty reckless and maybe a little naive.
Your best friend will help ... As will a close family member.
👍

 

[Hypsandar]

Geez there must be loads of strays in your town then...

Watch that wolf man video, it's interesting how he went on to become Alpha and train the wolves to become wild instead of trying to domesticate them.
I can guarantee you , that you will need someone else to help with this . It's too much for one man as you will have to live out there for a few months at least.
If you have an outside helping hand , to bring you supplies when stuff goes wrong , and also to be on hand to alert emergency services if you were to need it.
As they say "s*#t happens" when you least expect it , and it's important somebody knows your location, intentions, and timings (from when you were expected to be back to direction of travel etc) .
Without that , you're pretty reckless and maybe a little naive.
Your best friend will help ... As will a close family member.


Yeah, im halfway to finishing the video, its motivational.
I don't really know anyone that would really care to put their time in this, im really close with my brother and yet he'd say no. Unless i actually build something that could motivate him, it would still be a maybe.

I can positively say that there's 600 stray dogs in the town, at minimum.

 

[Leshy]

Yeah, im halfway to finishing the video, its motivational.
I don't really know anyone that would really care to put their time in this, im really close with my brother and yet he'd say no. Unless i actually build something that could motivate him, it would still be a maybe.

I can positively say that there's 600 stray dogs in the town, at minimum.

😵 How many???!!!😵

Man , you're just nuts. A big hearted nutter... 😊
I think your brother got the brains and you got the heart...

Not even someone that would keep a backup plan for you ? Like a " call search & rescue if I'm not back by Tuesday" type of scenario? That person would need to know your times, location and route taken by you, everytime. Your brother can be bribed...😁

Anyways , good luck 👍

 

[Hypsandar]

 How many???!!!

Man , you're just nuts. A big hearted nutter... 
I think your brother got the brains and you got the heart...

Not even someone that would keep a backup plan for you ? Like a " call search & rescue if I'm not back by Tuesday" type of scenario? That person would need to know your times, location and route taken by you, everytime. Your brother can be bribed...

Anyways , good luck 

Phaha, thanks. I don't plan to move 600 of them there.. The town is a vast area. Id start off small and see where it leads up to.