Ground scatchings and other marks:
Individual dogs and foxes often scratch the ground vigorously with their hind-feet at sites where they or others have deposited scats or urine. Dogs tend to engage in more extensive scent- marking than foxes and often travel in groups, producing multiple marks.
It is sometimes possible to identify soft depressions scratched out by dogs as resting places, usually in the shade and near water or an animal carcass. These resting places with their tell-tale dog prints can give an indication of the number of dogs present.
Howling:
Howling is the most common call of wild dogs and the one most likely to be heard by the average person. Other vocalisations such as yaps and growling are used over shorter distances. Howling generally occurs during the night, frequently soon after sunset and just before first light in the morning.
Howling tends to peak during the lead-up to and through the mating season. Chorus howls, with multiple dogs calling, can often be discerned because humans can detect the differences in pitch or form of howl between individuals.
Other indications:
Unusual behaviour or distribution of stock, particularly sheep, can indicate the presence of wild dogs. Sheep may appear to be more flighty, be found in less-preferred areas (including outside their designated paddocks), and have a higher incidence of mis-mothered lambs when wild dogs are present.
Concentrations of scavenging birds such as crows can help identify carcasses which should be checked for evidence of predation or scavenging by wild dogs. These birds sometimes follow wild dogs as they travel about, occasionally leading to the wild dog being discovered.
The following information deals with sheep, the species most vulnerable to attack and injury by wild dogs. However, the same principles apply to other species such as cattle and kangaroos. In the case of cattle, calves are the age-class most vulnerable to wild dog attack.
Calves often sustain less mortal injuries than sheep due to their size and the protection usually given by the cow and other adult cattle, and are more likely to survive an attack. Evidence of dogs attacking cattle is sometimes first noted when the cattle are yarded and instances of bitten ears, tails and other wounds are found.
Because there is a wide range of behavioural responses determined largely by the experience of the attacker and its motivation, such as hunger or play, there is no certain way to distinguish between dingo and domestic or feral dog attacks. Therefore much of the following information, derived from studies on dingoes, applies equally well to damage by other wild dogs.
Wild dog predation of livestock can also give rise to animal welfare issues. When injured stock are found they should be treated or humanely destroyed as soon as possible.
Wild dog control strategies:
General strategy
The aim of controlling wild dogs is to protect livestock from attacks and harassment. The approach used in sheep grazing areas is different from that in cattle areas. Sheep and wild dogs cannot coexist, so a control strategy aimed at keeping sheep paddocks free of wild dogs must be adopted. In the absence of fences to exclude them, wild dogs must be controlled before they reach sheep paddocks.
Buffer zone strategy:
The concept
Studies in Western Australia and the Eastern States have shown that only wild dogs living within or close to stocked paddocks are likely to pose an immediate threat to livestock. It is therefore sensible to target the limited resources available for wild dog control to those areas.
The territorial behaviour of wild dogs forms the basis for creating a virtually dog-free buffer zone next to the stocked country. Dogs coming in from further out will tend to settle here (the area had sufficient resources for the previous resident dogs, so why would the newcomers need to go further?). The newcomers would be no more likely than their predecessors to roam over a wider area.
This would be especially so if the buffer had been cleared across the effective width of typically two territories, which can be 15 to 20 kilometres in total in some areas. General and effective control of these dogs is much easier to manage than trying to deal with dogs that have already reached the paddocks and started to cause damage.
Ideally, the buffer zone should extend to form a continuous strip of country fronting the areas needing protection. Detailed studies and many practitioners have clearly documented the danger of leaving a partially occupied buffer. Wild dogs arriving from further afield are unable to settle in the buffer because of the continuing presence of some established residents, and move through to the stock paddocks.
It is well known that dealing with wild dogs that are among sheep is more difficult than tackling them in the buffer and away from stock. In addition, the timing of control in the buffer zone is not as critical as dealing with a dog that is already encroaching on sheep paddocks.
Buffer zone width and level of control:
To make sure that adequate food and water are available to immigrating wild dogs, a buffer zone should be as wide as one to two territories. In the Pilbara, this amounts to about 15-20 km. The amount and distribution of water must be taken into account in establishing a suitable buffer zone. Widely-spaced waters, such as found on the Nullarbor, necessitate a buffer zone of up to 35 km wide.
It is more efficient to concentrate control efforts into well defined areas than undertaking a less intensive effort over wide, poorly defined areas. The general approach to restrict wild dog control within and close to paddocks, also applies to the cattle industry. However, eradication of wild dogs in cattle areas is not as crucial as in sheep areas.
Not all social groups of wild dogs are involved in attacks on cattle, and cooperation between wild dogs is usually necessary for a successful attack on cattle. This suggests that a general reduction in the number of wild dogs in problem areas should be sufficient for the protection of cattle herds. Coordination of baiting between properties to provide a general wild dog population reduction is a good strategy.
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