Snake Bites and Gun Dogs
I’m Susan Allen welcome to Open Range It ‘my favorite time of year, it truly is, I love how the air becomes crisp and how hunting dogs get antsy with excitement. To me there nothing defines a great fall outing then being a out in the field watching your dog work, that is until you hear that unmistakable sound that send shivers down the spine of the best upland hunters. Coming up, you can train your hunting dog to avoid snakes. I’ve been there, herd the rattle, seen those tiny pricks on my English setter’s legs. We carried her several miles, rushed to the nearest clinic and paid a fortune for antivenin. Still I wouldn’t wish her recovery on any animal. Her leg swelled to obsess proportions turned a horrendous color and skin sloughed for months. I wish I would have taught her to avoid snakes. The best method is through a gun dog trainer and it involves using and electronic collar and a live rattlesnake whose fangs have been removed. Like anytime you reprimand with an electronic collar, timing is everything. Applying correction in the form of a mild shock at the exact moment the snakes coils and rattles will insure the dog has no curiosity when encountering a snake during hunting. Some people will use non-venomous snakes to school puppies on but it isn’t as effective because rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouth have a different odor that the hunting dog needs to become aware of. Take it from someone who has nearly lost a good pointer to snake bit, avoidance training makes sense it saves money and heart ache. .
