BHARCS
Lives of Streeties · Living framework

Reducing conflict between people and free-living dogs.

A practice-informed framework that works with dogs, not against them — regulating the conditions that drive conflict, rather than controlling or removing animals. Watch the 6-minute overview, then find the part that fits your situation.

Version 2026.04Updated 1 April 2026A living document
Download the full framework (PDF) Aggression annexure
Start here

What are you dealing with?

Pick the situation closest to yours. The framework will point you to the interventions that matter most for it — you don't have to read the whole thing.

The framework

Nine interventions

Apply these contextually — never in isolation. Tap any one to open it. Small changes in feeding, space or interaction can shift a whole group.

  • Start or increase feeding where competition is evident
  • Ensure an adequate quantity of food
  • Maintain consistent feeding routines
  • Separate large groups or insecure individuals when needed
Why it matters
Food availability influences stress, arousal and sleep cycles.
  • Shift feeding to quieter, low-pressure locations
  • Avoid narrow or high-traffic areas
  • Time feeding to encourage post-feeding rest and avoid peak human activity
Why it matters
Moving feeding spots indirectly moves resting spots — this helps minimise bites, dog fights, vehicle-chasing and guard-barking.
  • Provide safe, low-disturbance resting spots
  • Keep them temperature-regulated, protected from movement, and open (not confined)
  • Remember dogs rest near feeding areas — changing feeding locations shifts resting zones
Why it matters
Dogs need 12–14 hours of sleep. Deprivation increases reactivity; better sleep helps them cope with stress.
  • Avoid high-intensity interaction in busy spaces or times
  • Separate roles where possible — one person feeds, another socialises
  • When triggers appear, call the dog away or disengage without reinforcing reactive states
Why it matters
Strong human bonds can increase guarding and excitement, leading to escalation.
  • Shift feeding and resting away from narrow passages and high-density human zones
  • Keep activity away from sleeping areas
  • Identify and reduce pressure in shared high-use areas
Why it matters
Limited space increases forced interactions and reduces the ability to disengage.
  • Identify key triggers and the first dog to react
  • Create distance — call dogs away or move away from triggers
  • Temporarily keep high-reactivity individuals indoors during peak periods where feasible
Why it matters
Early interruption prevents cascade escalation across groups.
  • Address harassment — teasing, chasing, stone-throwing — and unsafe approaches
  • Teach the community to curve around dogs, not disturb eating/sleeping/injured dogs
  • Use a calm voice and indirect body orientation; supervise children; avoid areas with litters
Why it matters
Human behaviour often initiates or amplifies conflict.
  • Improve waste management — prevent access to open garbage, manage wet waste
  • Reduce traffic speed in narrow streets and high dog-density areas
Why it matters
Unmanaged environments increase unpredictability and trigger exposure.
  • Ensure vaccination and sterilisation
  • Identify and treat injuries, illness and pain-related behaviour
  • Allow decompression time for post-illness and post-confinement recovery
Why it matters
Pain, illness and hormonal states lower behavioural thresholds. Vaccinating 70% of a population also builds herd immunity and a buffer that reduces conflict.
The core idea

The cup analogy

Picture the dog as a cup. Every stress or excitement adds a little liquid. When the cup overflows, that's a bite. Don't analyse the last drop — ask why the cup was full. Tick what's filling this dog's cup and watch it rise.

Empty — a calm dog
Drain a full cup with: Sleep · Heavy meals · Sniffing · Chewing — plus reducing exposure to the fillers above.
In practice

Stories of application

A growing library of how the framework has been used on the ground — what was tried, and what changed. This collection builds over time.

From the field

The first stories are being collected. Applied the framework somewhere? Tell us how it went — your story could be the first here.

Share your story

Help the framework evolve

This is a living document. If you've found an adaptation that works, an important resource, or a better way — send it in. Reviewed suggestions are published into the framework, with your credit if you'd like it.

Contribute an upgrade
Version management

What's changed, and how to cite it

The framework is carefully versioned and updated with input from the community that uses it. Always work from the latest version, and when you build on it, name the document and cite the version number — then let us know at learn@bharcs.com.

Version 2026.04Current
1 April 2026
Added the cup analogy, curving, and the explanation for sterilisation and vaccination. Moved the point about separation during feeding into Resource Stability.
Version 2026.03
25–30 March 2026
Framework restructured; proposed changes incorporated from Sowjanya S Vijayanagar and Annelieke Laninga.
Version 2026.02
4 February 2026
Document created — the first structured version of the framework.
The living document Download version 2026.04 (PDF)
© BHARCS · The Conflict Resolution Framework is a public, self-educating document that updates with input from the people who use it · Contribute