Cactus Avoidance

[Bonnie_Springer]

I have a seven-month-old Springer Spaniel and this will be the first season for both of us. My question is that we will be hunting in South Dakota and there is quite a bit of cactus on the ground. Do you do anything special for dogs that hunt near a lot of cactus or do we simply pack pliers and hope for the best?

 

[Blondebomber]

Boot’em up, especially front feet. It will make a world of difference. Use tire tubes. There’s a great video on YouTube with Dr. Dale Rollins and another gentleman. They go step by step. Don’t mess around with boots you can buy, tire tubes are superior and way cheaper.

 

[Blondebomber]

 

[Bonnie_Springer]

Thank you!

 

[Blondebomber]

Welcome. They work great here in NM where prickly pear are abundant. The dogs will get used to them fast. It will save you and dog a lot of grief. Good luck

 

[Powderhorn Jim]

I hunt New Mexico all winter with my two labs. I never boot them because the majority of the cactus are large enough for them to see and they quickly learn to avoid it. The issue I encounter in SD (I live here) is with small prickly pear and another even more malevolent cactus that I don't know the proper name for. I call it "mini cholla". It is low growing and has barbed spines. The dogs can see it in rocky areas but some fields we hunt have it mixed into the grass. My dogs quickly learn to stop and hold up the offending paw and I'll pull the pod off. The barbed spines will break off in your fingers (and the dogs paws) if you don't use a forcep or similar to pull the pod. Hate the darn stuff. It is particularly prevalent in older, dry fields and especially where sharptail are found. In that case boots work well.