Yes, stray dogs can be trained. Canine whisperers reveal how

India Today

7 hours ago

When lawyer Amrita Pratap adopted a retired guard dog, a Doberman, in Varanasi, she thought she was offering a second chance to a soul in need. What she didn't anticipate was the reaction of the four-legged residents of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus. The sprawling university campus teems with cats and dogs.The first time Pratap took her Doberman out for a walk, a pack of stray dogs pounced on them. Both Pratap and her Doberman had to get rabies shots. The encounters didn't stop, and each walk risked a confrontation.Then came the advice from canine behaviourist and vet, Ajay Mukherjee. He suggested Pratap loosen the leash on her Doberman, stay calm, and walk straight to her home without reacting. The trick worked instantly.Mukherjee then offered to help not just with Pratap's pet, but also with the colony's strays to lower their aggression.It was then that Pratap and her family first realised that help was available, not just for pets, but also for stray dogs.Street dogs in India are often seen as untrainable, but experts say they can be taught to manage aggression and coexist with people, just like pet dogs.With consensus from five households and collective funding of Rs 25,000, around six stray dogs in BHU's Jodhpur Colony Lane were trained to reduce their aggression by Mukherjee and his team over the following month.Experts stressed that aggression management, not tricks, is their main goal while training street dogs. They said the training process for strays requires skilled behaviourists, consistent community involvement, and regular feeding to build trust.Canine behaviourists like Shirin Dhabhar and Shivani Sharma said the methods for training strays are the same as pedigree dogs, and age is no barrier, though younger dogs learn faster.Food is a powerful tool. Regular, structured feeding not only tames aggression but also desensitises dogs to human presence, the experts said.Without continuous community commitment, trained dogs can revert to old behaviours as feral instincts eventually take over, the experts added.New Delhi-based canine behaviourist Aaron Dsilva told India Today that he had personally put some street dogs in Delhi's Safdarjung area on a routine, where they take a walk of around a kilometre and are regularly fed by locals—a practice that has helped reduce their aggression.However, Dsilva said this was possible only with community support, adding, "RWAs don't have the capacity to do this."Even Mumbai-based Sharma succeeded in curbing aggression in community dogs in Juhu and Lokhandwala.
Mumbai-based canine behaviourist Shivani Sharma said age is no bar to make dogs unlearn old patterns of behaviour, but younger dogs learn more quickly. (Image: India Today via Shivani Sharma)
CAN TRAINING BE PART OF SOLUTION TO STRAY DOG MENACE?Strays in India are mostly Indian Pariah dogs that make fantastic guards if trained.They have served in paramilitary forces like the NDRF, CRPF, and also in police departments, proving their intelligence, resilience, and working ability.While training alone can't solve the stray dog problem, experts told India Today Digital that it should be part of the solution, combining skilled trainers, resident cooperation, and policy-level investment to make streets safer for both humans and dogs.The Supreme Court recently ordered the removal of all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR streets within eight weeks and their relocation to shelters. It came after a surge in dog bite cases and rabies deaths.The order sparked a massive outcry and is now being reviewed by a three-judge bench.Opinions are divided, but experts are united in their view that training stray dogs on aggression and socialisation can be part of the overall solution.That's what Pratap successfully did in her BHU colony.PAST DELHI GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES ON STRAY DOG PROBLEMIn fact, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) in 2014 had a similar initiative called "May I Help You" in-house home-guards programme to train strays."If these dogs are going to roam the NDMC area, they might as well work," then-NDMC chairman Jalaj Shrivastava told The Hindu."Our plan is to adopt these strays and train them as guard dogs," he said.The plan involved enlisting the services of police dog trainers to train stray dogs and press them into service, according to the report.The trainers India Today Digital spoke to had trained street dogs in their own colonies out of goodwill. But large-scale implementation needs resources and numerous trainers and support staff.Dsilva said NDMC's 2014 plan was poorly implemented. "I don't remember even one instance where I came across any such (trained) dog in Delhi," Dsilva, a canine behaviourist for 19 years, said.
A major cause of aggression in stray dogs is territorial fights triggered when dogs are picked up and relocated to another area. (Image for representation: PTI)
CHALLENGES TO TRAINING STREET DOGS: CASH, CONSENSUSTraining dogs at the community level requires patience, money, and most importantly, a consensus among local residents.Unlike pet dogs, street dogs cannot be removed from triggering environments, making aggression harder to control. However, aggression can often be reduced.Time availability is another challenge for trainers tasked with training strays.For a single dog that is not human- or dog-friendly and has behavioural issues, training may take around four weeks. For dogs with severe behavioural issues requiring rehabilitation, the time extends to six to eight weeks, the experts told India Today Digital.Training pet dogs is costlier, typically Rs 25,000-35,000 a month for basic obedience.For community dogs, however, trainers said the rates are flexible, as most people in the profession are driven by passion, and are willing to work for the greater good, charging as little as Rs 1,000-1,200 per dog per month.But most communities lack consensus and are unwilling to allocate the necessary funds.It should be noted that in this context, "training" refers specifically to aggression management, not full obedience training.SMART AND QUICK STRAY DOGSIn terms of trainability, Shirin Dhabhar, said, "They are some of the cleverest dogs in the world and very easy to work with. They're smart, they learn quickly, and yes, training is entirely possible even at the community level.""The methods of training are the same as pedigree dogs," said Dhabhar, a President of India awardee in the field of canine behaviourism."If you have a colony with dozens of dogs, you can train them all. It depends on what you want to train them for – whether it's keeping them in certain zones, preventing fights, or stopping them from chasing. It can take a couple of months, but it's doable," said Dhabhar.Mumbai-based Shivani Sharma, who has been working in the fields of canine behaviourism and rescue since 2014, said age was no bar to making dogs unlearn old patterns of behaviour. However, the younger the dogs are, the better the learning.HOW TO MANAGE STRAY DOGS IN RESIDENTIAL AREASShivani Sharma has helped manage dog aggression in multiple communities in Mumbai, and has also helped societies find common ground during disputes between feeders and non-feeders."Aggression in street dogs can be managed to the point where they are under control," said Sharma, adding a rider."This may not be the case for every stray dog as they live in an exposed environment and they have multiple triggers."The fact that pets can be isolated from triggers is what differentiates them from street dogs when it comes to aggression management."Pet dogs can be removed from a triggering environment, such as constantly moving objects and loud noises; community dogs can't. Repetitive triggers make it harder to control street dogs' exposure to these stressors," Sharma said.FOOD AS A TOOL TO TRAIN AND MANAGE STREET DOGSFeeding is one of the most effective ways to tame aggression in street dogs, trainers and behaviourists told India Today Digital. Most fights or biting incidents happen because of the dearth of food, they said. Another cause is territorial fights triggered when dogs are picked up from one area and relocated to another, something activists have long blamed municipal corporations for.Sharma explained, "I have noticed that, over a long period of regular feeding, some form of desensitisation happens." By this, she means that if food is given regularly by multiple humans, dogs begin to see their association with people as positive and eventually become less reactive.
Experts suggest if food is given regularly to a dog by multiple humans, they begin to see their association with humans as a positive one. (Image for representation: PTI)
In some societies, she said, dogs displaying mild aggression were also given behavioural modification through structured feeding. "We also asked feeders to alter feeding times, so the dogs don't have to interact with people during busy hours, such as when children are boarding or getting off school buses," said Sharma.Sharma added, "People around must be aware of the dogs' temperament. We have run awareness drives, instructing security guards, shopkeepers, and residents to warn people about certain dogs who don't like too much human interaction."On whether community dogs can be fully trained, she said, "To an extent, yes. You can have a well-managed pack that is desensitised, medically looked after, and fed regularly so they coexist with human activity."PEOPLE AND STREET DOGS: IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO COEXISTMost communities avoid training strays to manage aggression as they believe it is too costly or requires consistent on-ground effort."You can't expect people who don't like dogs to pay for training. Instead of spending money on legal battles, put it into something positive," said Dhabhar.Aaron Dsilva said, "The key is not just working with the dogs but also with the people living there."
Communities that make consistent efforts to care for stray dogs witness significantly less aggression. (Image for representation: PTI)
In areas where training and routines were maintained, "dogs became calmer, friendlier, and less reactive", said Dsilva.Though most trainers India Today Digital spoke to said the problem is multi-layered and cannot be solved through training alone, they agreed it can be part of the solution, especially in areas where animal lovers are ready to take responsibility.Training stray dogs isn't just about curbing aggression. It's about creating safer streets for people and giving these animals a chance to coexist peacefully in the spaces they share with humans. From a policy perspective, involving canine behaviourists and allocating budgets for training dogs to manage aggression is one way to address the dog menace across India.- EndsTune InMust Watch
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