Snake Avoidance Question

I am pretty sure I know the answer, but is snake avoidance training and the vaccine worth it for retrievers also?

I can see upland dogs needing it more than retrievers simply because of the kind of work, hunting, and terrain involved with upland stuff.

Someone just confirm that I should get it done for my retriever.... Also, is there a minimum age for a dog to get the snake vaccine?

Absolutely! Not sure why you think only pointers would encounter a snake but I've seen my share of cottonmouths while duck hunting. And really it's a cheap insurance step to take to protect your best buddy!

If I thought my dog would have the potential of encountering a rattlesnake then yes...Cottonmouths won't kill a retriever. A good dose of benedryl and they will come out of it with time/rest.

I haven't given my dog the rattlesnake vaccine but I did do the training, mainly for insurance purposes. There is plenty of reading on the web about the vaccine and I tried to make the most educated decision and decided against the vaccine. Also, the vaccine is very specific and will not help all venomous snakebites. I am not in places where my dog would encounter a rattlesnake in the time of year they are out and about.

Good luck...I will say I think Wayne (wal) does an excellent job and worth more than you pay him for it.

If I thought my dog would have the potential of encountering a rattlesnake then yes...Cottonmouths won't kill a retriever. A good dose of benedryl and they will come out of it with time/rest.

I haven't given my dog the rattlesnake vaccine but I did do the training, mainly for insurance purposes. There is plenty of reading on the web about the vaccine and I tried to make the most educated decision and decided against the vaccine. Also, the vaccine is very specific and will not help all venomous snakebites. I am not in places where my dog would encounter a rattlesnake in the time of year they are out and about.

Good luck...I will say I think Wayne (wal) does an excellent job and worth more than you pay him for it.

We get the vaccine for all of our dogs- it saved our dog, Rose, when she got bit at just a couple of months old (we then registered her as Rattlesnake Rose) It mostly just buys you time to get to the vet- our dogs live 45 miles from a vet's office. We do our own snake avoidance training (although I hear so much about Wayne's that I think I may take a pup to one to see if I can learn any new tricks for my own dogs

IMO- any dog who hikes, hunts, herds cattle, blood trails...they all need two layers of protection- the vax and the training. It all comes down to "what is your dog worth to you" if he is worth more than the money for the vaccine then why not get it?

Fortunatley we dont' have to try and figure out which breed is more likely to be bitten. We have options and they are good options that all owners can choose for their animals. Unfortunately some choose after the fact and it is way too late then. I try and tell every client the training is not fool proof at all. I am a huge fan of the vaccine. Some of the internet stories I read were just a bit too on the "I hate the rattlesnake vaccine" side for me to believe. Example: The one lady that said it shut down the liveer of both of her dogs. If that actually happened (both livers shutting down) then we should ask why and what was it other than the vaccine. If they did die from oliver failure I would be more inclined to believe they were vaccinated and as a matter of coincidence found and ate rat poison. The likely culprit in the owner's mind would be the vaccine. Are adverse affects with any and all vaccines, yes. I say we keep an open mind and weigh the detriments. To do so we must ask, is my dog likely to experience a rattler? Which is worse, the vaccine or a rattler bite? My dogs are not vaccinated right now. They have been when I was hunting south Texas. Bull is 11 come October. He is not going to hunt south Texas again. He will be with me up at the ranch, where we have timber rattlers. I don't just let him run wild and I keep him close to me. I can't see vaccinating him for 1 or 2 trips to the college station area. For those who will be in snake country I would say get the training to try and avoid a bite. Get the vaccine in case of a bite.

Mine have had the training, and get the vaccine yearly.
Most of the time we are not around rattlers over the summer, I've seen one when I had a dog out with me this year. But I'm sure they will still be out during dove, and teal season.
Its just cheap insurance to have both done.

Last year my dog went nuts, when a snake wanted to get in the blind with us.
He started barking, backing up in the blind, and looking for a way out. I first thought whys he acting a fool, that's not like him. I can shoot snakes like that now, and I don't have to worry about him trying to retrieve then. I don't thing anyone could even drag that dog near a snake, after he did Wayne's clinics for two years in a row. The third year he leaped and hid behind Wayne when he caught scent of the snake, no correction was needed. Wayne had me call him to me with a snake hidden in-between us, he made a huge circle around it.
The only snakes I worry about are the ones he doesn't see, hear, or smell.

A big YES for all hunting dogs

My Vizsla has encountered more water moccasins and copperheads than rattlesnakes. The snake avoidance training works and I would want any retriever or pointer of mine to have it. The rattlesnake vaccine, my breeder did have a dog develop a sarcoma at the injection site. Red Rock offered to pay all bills, but only if she signed a legal agreement not to reveal or release any information about it. Vaccine related sarcomas are nothing new with some types of animals/vaccines combinations. This may have been an isolated case, but if the company is suppressing information about those they provide vet service for that do; then we may never know. Like other designer vaccines, one should weigh the risk to exposure. Take the Lyme disease vaccine. Though present here, this is not a prevalent tick disease in Texas. There are known possible complications from the vaccine. I do not give my dogs this vaccine because they are more likely to have complications from the vaccination than to get Lyme disease. Now if I wanted to go hunting in say Pennsylvania where the disease is prevalent, then yes I would vaccinate my dog for Lyme. Rattlesnakes are prevalent in Texas in areas I hunt and there are several positive outcomes of vaccinated dogs that have been bitten. The risk to benefit leans heavy in the vaccine's favor. But I do not believe the vaccine is entirely without risk.

My 9 month old Britt has the rattlesnake vaccine but I could not drive him up for a snake avoidance clinic. I was hoping to get it done before dove season begins but that won't be happening. I do hope to get to a snake avoidance clinic before quail season. Seems there are none in the Valley so I'll have to drive up.

The closest I will be to you is the next couple weekends. I will be in and around the west Houston area. You may opt for a private session at my home as well. No lines and waiting.