I have trapped for almost 60 years. I've always been a water trapper.i did trap a few fox years ago. I retired in 2011 and started a nuisance trapping business that keeps me pretty busy. I started getting more and more calls for coyotes. My friend and I bought a snare starter kit from Dakotaline with an instructional video. We caught a coyote the first night and had very good success after that. I have come to realize that I am limited by using just snares and have decided, at age 70 , to learn to trap coyotes with footholds. I ordered Bob Noonan's video on basic beginner coyote trapping. I'm getting ready to order traps. Most of my coyote work is near houses and in urban situations so there are domestic dogs around. I am looking for recommendations for a coyote trap and set up that would cause the least amount of foot damage in case I would catch a dog. Please help this old dog learn a few new tricks. Thanks

A rubber jaw something, or maybe a MB 550 with offset jaws. More people on here than me with a lot more experience.

Listen to the live market guys. I'd go with whatever they tell you, because in their business, bad feet are a wasted catch.

Victor #3 softcatch comes to mind. 2 coiled (standard jaws). A 4 coiled rubber padded trap can cause more damage than steel jaws.

That Indiana Vet (Bob) uses that trap for live market. Seems to work pretty good for him.

No rubber, causes swelling n abrasion, use like a #2 Bridger or #3 Bridger with 1/4" round lamination on the jaws

When they where trapping wolves to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone they used tooth traps.

Offset do the same paw damage and regular. Doesn’t matter, they both have full contact of metal hitting the paw. Offset jaws are nothing more then a less “scary” looking trap to the uneducated. Study’s show that tooth traps are the most paw friendly trap. But since they are “scary” looking, they aren’t used much anymore.

Most any trap with thick jaws. Fidos foot will swell some but they heal up ok. I say its a lesson in not letting Fido run loose but dog owners get madder when you tell them that truth. It helps to tell people that you will be trapping coyotes. That coyote trapping benefits them. Most agree with that. That you cant keep dogs out of coyote traps. Most people will confine Fido in some fashion or other. Some people will tell you Fido stays in the yard. With an old grey muzzled dog it may be true. When you catch Fido a mile from home take a picture. If its scared and growly go get the owner to help you release it. If its easy to release you want the picture so that when the local vet charges them 800 dollars for a shot of dex and an xray the vet knows Fido doesn't need, you will have a much better chance convincing a judge Fido's ignorant humans are not your responsibility.

P.S. Fido's humans get real upset when you tell them free range pet dogs are the cause of livestock attacks 10-1 over coyotes. That children are injured daily by free range dogs. That letting a dog free range is illegal in most of the U.S.

Danny is 100% correct. This past season I caught a German Shepherd 400 yards+ from his residence. I released him, and watched him limp all the way home. Two days later when I pulled out of the field, he was back to chasing my truck as I passed his house, running 80 mph with no ill effects. Domestic dogs are WAY tougher then we give them credit for. If you're running a longer check then 24 hours, or if the temp drops to single digits, that's another story.

I've caught a few domestics, including my own

The mb550 off-set 2 coil was the easiest on them

The offset #2 Bridger with offset lamination was just removed from one a couple of days ago

#4 Duke on a drag not so easy on them


Also, I know take dogs to the pound if I catch them, and they are calm enough. I've decided it's the owners responsibility to retrieve their free running dog and to visit the pound to retrieve it. I tell the pound how I got it and let them relay that to the owner

Animal shelter here now wants money from anybody dropping an animal off. Any animal not neutered gets the surgery and anybody wanting their animal back gets charged for that. Its run by a bunch of animal rights nuts. The old county shelter dropping dogs off would have been a good idea. 3 days they got killed. No unwanted surgery. This new bunch are a little disneyfied

For close in ADC work. Have you considered the Collarum by Wildlife Control Supplies.
If not MB 550. I use modified Sleepy creeks#2 base plate and laminated jaws.
Soft catch are slow would need to upgrade the springs. But as another said can cause damage.
BeSt thing I ever did was FTA trappers collage. Tax Wright off as business expense.
My 2 cents

I use a padded KB and the #3 Soft Catch when I'am close to sheep and the owners dogs, but have caught the dogs fur trapping in the KB lamminated either the owner or his wife usually release them. They all work haven't found the need for anything else.

If you look into studies on damage types and reasons why such damage is caused the main thing is horizontal lacerations dude to thin jaws and back and forth movement . One of the larger live market guys down there actually showed me one of his old traps . It was off set with thicker jaws but he went across the jaw face and welded shallow bubble welds . Said by far he best thing for live market . The bubble welds where smooth and just big enough to prevent the foot from.moving what so ever.

At the very least get laminated traps. People will argue up and down but studdies show it helps and most live market guys will tell you it helps. Also cheaper than rubber jaws in the long run

On a side not on the teeth, one of the main benefits is the lancing effect. Long story short the the punctures allow fluids to drain and though it's not gonna look pretty it's gonna be much better on the animal.

Minnesota trapline products. MTP

Link banner is above^^^^

Id use MB550 offsets .

Caught 7 different dogs on the last property I trapped. One twice!! All were caught with 2 coil 550 offsets. No damage and apparently no lessons learned for one of them!