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wingnut
Supporting Memeber - Boulder Roller
USA
229 Posts |
 Posted - 07/29/2010 : 17:34:23
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Not to bad considering how many dogs we've had and how many days afield we spend, plus all the other bird hunters and dog owners we know.. Im more worried about my dogs going over a cliff after a bird than i am anything else..Im still gonna get some snake avoidence training for Daisy though, shes having way to much fun with em these days..
Situk,, My vet told me that Rattlesnakes can control the amount of venom they inject and most of the time they won't inject a full dose on something they can't eat cuz it takes to long to build it back up.. |
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mrichard
Supporting Member
USA
174 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2010 : 19:05:48
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| Except the very young which have no control at all. |
28ga. Go small or go home |
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Karl and Zealot
Administrator
USA
2645 Posts |
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Ithaca 37
Sage-grouse>150 posts
150 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 10:21:37
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I apologize for not getting into this topic sooner. I've been traveling and real busy for the last month.
I am the one who started the snake avoidance training here in Boise about 15 years ago. At the time I was a member of the local chapter of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA). After getting the training set up and running it for the first five years I turned the job over to other members. Later the local chapter was disbanded and the training was taken over by Jeff and Heidi Funke who started another hunting dog training organization.
I learned all about snake avoidance training after my dog was almost bit by a rattler one year and I decided to make sure it never happened again, then we turned it into a fund raiser and community service project. I've personally trained hundreds of dogs to aviod snakes and I've trained dozens of guys how to do the snake avoidance training.
Anytime the Upland Idaho group wants to catch a couple snakes and learn about how to do it I'll be glad to show you all. All you need is a bull snake/gopher snake. |
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Ithaca 37
Sage-grouse>150 posts
150 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 11:17:47
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I should add that you also need a training collar, naturally. I have a tape recording of a rattler and also have a fake rubber rattlesnake that rattles. It's realistic enough to scare the hell out of most people. I've heard you can download rattlesnake rattling sounds from the Internet but never looked into it. Sounds plausibe, you can download just about anything else. Gopher snakes have a way of buzzing that sounds a lot like a rattler. It's part of their defense strategy. It's pretty tough to find a snake after the temperature gets into the 90s. It helps if you have some snake sh*t tp put around the snakes to help with the scenting. Then all you need is a snake herder to keep the snake from slithering away. It's tough to put a collar and leash on a snake, although I've done it.
I've had a million laughs doing snake avoidance training. There's nothing with more potential for some excitement than having snakes, dogs and people all together!
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Brentster7189
Quail>10 posts
USA
31 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 14:41:43
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| Sounds like a great get together and event for Upland Idaho to do. |
“A man does not climb a mountain without bringing some of it away with him, and leaving something of himself upon it." -- Sir Martin Conway |
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Karl and Zealot
Administrator
USA
2645 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 14:53:03
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| Anyone else interested? I'll see if we can find a snake and I'll arrange the event with Ithaca if we have some interest. |
Karl
www.uplandidaho.com
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JPC
Blue Grouse>50 posts
USA
51 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 18:36:44
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Sounds great. I would be very interested.
jc |
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dsolsen
Sage-grouse>150 posts
222 Posts |
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Anthony
Blue Grouse>50 posts
USA
149 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 20:05:56
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| I would be interasted. Rocky likes to chase garter snakes in the yard. |
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Ithaca 37
Sage-grouse>150 posts
150 Posts |
Posted - 07/31/2010 : 09:08:36
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Part of what we were doing with the snake avoidance was using it to educate people about snakes, so they'd realize they don't have to kill them. I haven't killed a rattler for 25 years and we really shouldn't kill them or any other kinds of snakes. If your dog is trained to avoid them and you're smart enough to avoid them yourself, there's no need to kill them.
Snakes have wintering dens they return to every year and they can range as much as ten miles away from that den during the summer. If you catch a snake for training purposes you should return it to the same place you caught it, so it can find it's way back to the den. If it can't find it's way home it has a very poor chance of survival. Catching one and turning it loose far away is almost certain death for the snake, so returning them to where they were caught was one of our rules. |
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Shrthrcrzy
Supporting Member
USA
230 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 16:13:46
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Very good thread. I try to do snake avoidance training every year with my dogs, just to reinforce the issue. It payed off as i had a 4 footer in my yard this year, and none of the dogs would go near it. I have a 2 footer all coiled up in the freezer when I can't find a live snake. Works good to keep solicitors off your porch if you see them coming down the street too. :) My grandpa said they used to catch a rattlesnake remove his fangs train the dogs then bbq the rattlesnake back in the day.
My vet has jack russells and he said they have been bit a few times, and have recovered fine, so a medium breed or larger in good physical health should do just fine, although there are exceptions. Either way I would like to avoid the whole problem. He also told me that the anti-venom is for easter diamond backs not westerns so he doesnt recommend it to many dog owners out west. Not sure if thats factual or not. Maybe someone else knows. |
" Never kick a fresh Turd on a hot day"
-Harry Truman |
Edited by - Shrthrcrzy on 08/03/2010 16:15:10 |
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mrichard
Supporting Member
USA
174 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 19:25:03
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This is from the redrockbiologics website.
What types of snakes does this vaccine protect against?
This rattlesnake vaccine was developed to protect against Western Diamondback Rattlesnake venom. It is most effective against this snake's venom.
Venom from many other snakes found throughout the United States is similar to the venom of the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. Because of these similarities, this vaccine also provides protection against the venoms of the Western Rattlesnake (including the Prairie, Great Basin, Northern and Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes), Sidewinder, Timber Rattlesnake, Massasauga and the Copperhead. This vaccine provides partial protection against the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake.
This vaccine does not provide protection against the Water Moccasin (Cottonmouth), Mojave Rattlesnake or Coral Snakes. Red Rock Biologics is developing a variety of vaccines to provide the best protection against poisonous snakes for dogs in each part of the country.
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28ga. Go small or go home |
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Shrthrcrzy
Supporting Member
USA
230 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2010 : 16:17:07
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| Well thats good to know. Is it expensive? Hmnnn...i will have to ask him again about, and make sure hes not losing it lol. |
" Never kick a fresh Turd on a hot day"
-Harry Truman |
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mrichard
Supporting Member
USA
174 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2010 : 16:54:24
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| It's probably different everywhere, I paid 25.00 a shot and you should have 2 shots |
28ga. Go small or go home |
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snake avoidance.
