Here's looking at you kid

[KarlH]

Thanks That sounds like quite a good investment.

Properly used training collars can almost work magic. Poorly used, they should be taken off the dog and used on the ignorant human at max power.

Ultrasonic collars supposedly work well too, but I'm not sure they're any more humane. And they probably wouldn't work for this.

 

[Malamute]

Thanks That sounds like quite a good investment.



Ultrasonic collars supposedly work well too, but I'm not sure they're any more humane. And they probably wouldn't work for this.

One aspect of the training collar I really like and used frequently when out in the woods is the beeper. Some use it as a warning, I use it as an attention getter so if i cant see the dog every moment and want to know where she is or bring her in, I dont have to be making noise calling or whistling. I just beep and she looks for me or comes in, she generally always knows where I am even if I cant see her for whatever reason. I rarely ever used the training shock part after the initial period (and it should be used at the lowest level they feel it and get their attention, and NOT as punishment, only correction at the moment of an issue), but wanted her to have it on in case she came upon something like a porcupine that she wasnt familiar with and could really hurt her, or a moose or similar which she wouldnt understand could seriously hurt or kill her and be excited by seeing up close.

Id put it on her before going for a walk, id get it and say "Do you want to put on your jewelry?", and shed get happy and come up so i could put it on her, because to her it meant we were going for a walk or adventure. When best used, they never know it was you that did the correction. As my friend that trained dogs said, "if they chase deer, make them think the deer did it". I used it for that exact purpose besides the snake conditioning and running off thing.

She went from a really difficult dog to handle and manage, and returned to a pound and rescue because of it, to a very awesome, easy to live with dog almost overnight, (more like a few weeks). I mostly walk her around the home place, in the hills and mountains without being hooked up, she stays near me and listens when i call her or beep her in. people think shes highly trained and highly obedient, shes just a medium/smart dog nobody ever really worked with correctly and she had no idea what was wanted of her or how to have a happy and free life.

 

[LargeMarge]

...in NH[,] all varieties of the rattle snake are considered endangered.
If you were to kill one and if anyone found out and turned you in...

.
"It was supper-time, and I heard they taste like chicken."?
.
Snitches, on the other hand, taste like old galoshes.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

It is curious to me that many people are so terrified of snakes they will probably never see but think nothing of getting in a four ton vehicle and drive 75 mph or faster, within three feet from another vehicle, texting or not.....

IMO it is fear of the unknown.

I drove a race car for 17 years (with cars within inches of me doing 160 MPH). I understand and accept the risks.
I grew up around bears, I have hiked and climbed in grizzly country. I have no fear of being in their territory; I respect them and understand how to act with them around.
I have no experience with poisonous snakes; don't know how to avoid them or deal with them. Hence, my level of concern is higher, especially for da beagle.

P.S. I do want to get 'snake avoidance training' for him when I can find it.

 

[KarlH]

Id put it on her before going for a walk, id get it and say "Do you want to put on your jewelry?"

I swear that malamutes and hukies know how classy they are; she probably understands every word

She went from a really difficult dog to handle and manage, and returned to a pound and rescue because of it, to a very awesome, easy to live with dog almost overnight, (more like a few weeks). I mostly walk her around the home place, in the hills and mountains without being hooked up, she stays near me and listens when i call her or beep her in. people think shes highly trained and highly obedient, shes just a medium/smart dog nobody ever really worked with correctly and she had no idea what was wanted of her or how to have a happy and free life.

How does she handle the heat out west? (I've been thinking of finishing my stepvan build at a friend's place near Pueblo, but my pup melts in 80F+ and sometimes gets a little crabby.)

 

[Malamute]

I swear that malamutes and hukies know how classy they are; she probably understands every word



How does she handle the heat out west? (I've been thinking of finishing my stepvan build at a friend's place near Pueblo, but my pup melts in 80F+ and sometimes gets a little crabby.)

In normal home life she spends time under the porch when it warmer out, if thats not cool enough, she will come inside and hang out in the AC, but thats up into the 90s before she really seems to care much. I spray the cabin or bath house porch and board sidewalk down with the hose also, which she immediately lays on to cool off. Its effective when shaded. She likes laying in the irrigation ditch close by when i let her. The water is very cold, coming of a mountain creek about a mile away, it is snowmelt off the mountain just a couple miles further away.

When in the vehicle I have a 5000 btu window AC unti I run off a small Honda gen in the cargo box, or we go up on the mountains and she can cool off in tthe lakes and creeks, or play in the leftover snow fields.

Wet dog in irrigation ditch,

 

[vanbrat]

IMO it is fear of the unknown.

I drove a race car for 17 years (with cars within inches of me doing 160 MPH). I understand and accept the risks.
I grew up around bears, I have hiked and climbed in grizzly country. I have no fear of being in their territory; I respect them and understand how to act with them around.
I have no experience with poisonous snakes; don't know how to avoid them or deal with them. Hence, my level of concern is higher, especially for da beagle.

P.S. I do want to get 'snake avoidance training' for him when I can find it.

I had a boa for 30 + yrs. He got to about 11/12 feet before he died of old age.

I have a deep respect for all wild animals and snakes included. For the most part if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone. That means when you see a snake, they see you. Give them their space and don't mess with them. If you don't know if it is poisonous or not, treat it as if it is. If you have been handling their favorite food, you may smell like dinner, and they may strike. NOT their fault. They hunt by smell wash your hands. (A lesson I learned the hard way.) If you are where there are snakes, be aware of either the sunny spots they use to warm up or the cool spots they are cooling off in. They can't control their body temp any other way.

The best thing for your dog is the 'leave it' command. Though my dumb love seems to think the little garter snakes around here are his own personal playthings. Dummy likes to carry them around in his mouth! I watch him very carefully when in rattle snake country.

 

[D'L]

Statistically, most people who are bitten by snakes of any kind are bitten because they are trying either to kill or to capture them.
A rattlesnake does not want to bite you. Only one in a million or fewer than that would actually come toward you to bite unless they feel threatened by you.

There is nothing to learn in terms of avoiding snakes, really.
It boils down to the same thing you apply to any wild animal:
Leave them alone, they will leave you alone.

I have spent a very great deal of time in rattlesnake country, in different areas. I have handled them in various ways for various reasons. I know what they are like and while I don't trust one, or any other venomous creature, I like them a lot. They are beautiful, fascinating, and a vital and necessary part of the ecosystem they live in.

See one, just go the other direction, or wait calmly while it crosses the path ahead of you, and all is well.
Also.............
Wear boots if in tall grass. Wave a long stick in the grass ahead of you so the snake knows you are coming and either gets out of the way or rattles. Don't put your hand under a rock or into a crevice where you cannot see where your hand is going. Don't go into a dark cave. In other words, use common sense and the chances of your being bitten are very slim indeed. Do not attempt to kill or catch one unless you really know what you are doing and have a lot of experience with doing that, and have a very good reason for doing it....not just because it is there.

NO animal of any genus should be killed just because it is what it is. Not ever.

If one is in your yard or area and you absolutely have to remove it, use a hose, or even a spray bottle, and spray them with water. Not hard, you don't want to hurt them. Not hot water, again, you don't want to hurt them. The snake will move away from the water and you can actually chase it out of your area that way. I do this with very good results if I find one in my fenced in dog yard.

Rattlesnakes are not stupid. They need their venom to kill things they are going to eat. They know they can't eat you so they would much rather avoid you than use up their venom to bite you instead of something they can eat.
Please.....Live and let live.

 

[Morgana]

That was excellent, D'L,

The only thing I'd add is watch where you're going and consider closed shoes, even in not-tall grass. I almost tripped over a rattlesnake once on a well-cleared forest trail. In dappled light, with a few leaves laying around, they're really not that easy to see!

 

[D'L]

Yes. Boots are always a very good idea if you are anywhere near rattlesnake country. something that goes over your ankles, at the least.