snake info

im sure there is a topic for this some where. Snake vaccine or not? and why if not? also who does the snake avoidance training near FORT Worth?

I would highly recommend it. Two of the ranch dogs have been bit by rattlers in the last couple of years and one of them was bit on the tongue and the other was on the top of the head. Both made it past the bites fairly easily and the vet said that neither would have lived if they hadn't of had the vaccine...I believe him.

I can't remember who does the training around here, but there is a few post on the forum. If I find it, I will post the link but I am sure someone will be able to tell you. Good luck

He's on the forum (wal1809), and is the only one I've ever used for my dogs. You should start seeing dates on the forum this summer, as he travels a good part of Texas putting on clinics.
http://www.snakebreaker.com/

I have my vet give the dogs the Snake vaccine, but they have had it at some clinics.

Vaccine and Clinic.

When Red Rock first brought the snake vaccine to the market 15-or-so years ago, everyone I know was rightfully skeptical about the effectiveness of this new idea. But there's no doubt anymore; the vaccine works and just might save your dog's life if he gets bitten. If you hunt in rattlesnake country, get the vaccine right before hunting season. If you live in rattlesnake country, get your dogs vaccinated twice yearly.

The vaccine is specific for Crotalus spp only, but empirical evidence suggests that it has some crossover effectiveness for Agkistrodon bites...copperheads and cottonmouths.

Snake avoidance training is equally valuable. It is the ounce of prevention, whereas the vaccine is the pound of cure.

We have a great deal of copperheads. Never heard any recommendations for a snake vaccine. I'll look and see if this is available because it sounds like a good idea.

The vaccine will not work for copperheads. It was developed for Western Diamond back rattlesnakes ONLY.

Kindall mujch love to you, thank you very much.

Dawaba "It is the ounce of prevention, whereas the vaccine is the pound of cure." I love it. If alright with you I might just work that into my speech I gove before each clinic. I have always said to get the training to try and avoid a bite, get the vaccine in case of a bite.

The first clinic of the year is firing up on 04/25 in Waller, Texas. I will post it in the correct spot at the top of the list of threads in the dog forum.

Mucho correct! BTW We find out today if we get loan approval for the townhome in Port Oconner. By the time duck seaason rolls around I will have the pontoon blind ready to go. We will have to make a trip and rake some redheads.

Wal, do your clinics cover cottonmouth and copperhead avoidance? I don't get around rattlesnakes much, but I am worried about the other two. Will the training work for all species of snakes or is it just the species introduced in the clinics?

If I have them at the time I will use them. The training will cross over for all. At one time my labrador wouldn't even cross a garden hose if that will tell you anything.

Wal you need any copperheads soon?

Sounds effective! You came highly recommended by a forum member, by the way.

Excuse the millions of questions, but the one video I've seen on the topic showed a bird dog sniffing around a brush pile with defanged (? Not sure if that's right, but somehow the snakes' venom was neutralized) and every time they got near or sniffed near the brush pile/snake they hit the e collar, so I didn't know if the dog was picking up on general snake sent, specific snake sent or brush pile sent. When will you have your website updated with 2015 dates?

Yes! Do you have any? I reckon the hogs eat them off of our ranch. We rarely see them.

I dont know about my website. I cant get into it to edit it at the moment. The dog can certainly smell the snake if he is smelling the brush pile.

One of my dogs we use to check out the pit blinds for snakes in early teal season.
If he will not go near the blind, you can bet there is a snake in it. It doesn't even have to be a poisonous snake, it can just be a water snake.

He did do the avoidance training two years in a row. On the 3rd year he leaped behind Wal tail tucked, with no correction on a snake he only scented. Each dog is different but you couldn't drag my dog near a snake, if you tried.

I can get you one or two no problem I just been killin um but just let me know cuz I been killing 6-7 a week

^^^^ I had my weim go to wal1809's clinic and afterwards we had a couple rattlesnake encounters...he taught him to avoid the rattlers and it worked! Got the vaccine as well, just to be sure.

I've seen a total of four rattlers in 50 years of hunting 80 counties in Texas. My dogs found two of them and jumped back. That was before the e collar. I no longer hunt in snake country, so I do nothing.

You hunt in New Zealand now Bill?

Absolutely!!!I have been searching high and low for a copperhead. if you can get me 4 or 5 in a 5 gallon bucket I will pay you.

Never heard of a copperhead killing a dog. I kill 3-4 a yr. around my house and I have numerous dogs bitten by them over the years, mostly bit on head. Their heads swells up like a balloon. I give them a half a Benadryl and a Ibuprofen tablet and then the other half Benadryl and another Ibuprofen tablet in about 4 hrs. They are back to normal the nest day.

Dog snouts are why they can take a blow from most snakes.. but if they are hit on the body it can be badnews

Ill keep an eye out and let you know when I get um.

A buddy of mine lost his lab to a copperhead 2 years ago.

I have a 5 month old lab. Is she too young for snake avoidance? She has not been introduced to shock collar yet. They said they could use the vibrant on her.

5 months is not too young. If you feel your dog is at risk of a bite then get it done. I am not sure who "They" is that told you information on snake aversion training. I am am going to try and be respectful in my answer. It is difficult to do so when I have to tell you "They" are flat out wrong.

I don't want a pizzin match or to even raise a feather. I just want the correct information injected here for all to see.

No verbal command, no clickers no nothing but a bad azz jolt of electricity. Collar conditioning is not needed and.my training will not hinder collar conditioning. If the dog has never been on a collar then great. The training settings and mine are way to far apart for mine to affect a normal training. I am on an high 6 tritronics whereas most train with a 1 or2. It ismy job to hit the button at a precise moment. The dog's 3 senses must be filled with "Snake". If done at that precise moment, it is impossible for the dog to associate the jolt with the trainer. Done at an incorrect moment and it aint good.

Normal training has human interaction mine has minimal. I explain this is great detail at my clinics.

I will leave you with this. There is a lot of information out there. Question and verify like you are doing here. In the end bring your dog to a proffessinal, be it me or Julian Westloe. There are a lot of young whoopersnappers that have snake will travel. There is a whole he77 of a lot more to this training than dog see snake\shock dog. Go to website as the 2015 calander has been updated.

Thanks for updating the schedule. Hopefully, I'll see you in Weatherford.

Looking forward to it. I am ready to attack the training season this year. In other years August had been this big looming dread of "Oh my God how am I going to get through it". I reckon I have settled in to comfort. Certainly thankful I have been blessed with the ability and a place to go!