Snake avoidance class

BleuBijou

BleuBijou

Active member
Attention All Dog Owners

whos dogs live and play in Snake Country

The Colorado Gun Dog Association (a pointing dog club) is hosting the Snake Avoidance Course for all dog breeds Saturday June 11th & Sunday June 12th at Quail Run near Elizabeth , CO . The time is approaching to get your registration in, we are less than a month away.



You may have already sent in your application and we thank you and will see you there. Please consider this a reminder and please forward this on to friends who might be interested in this course for their dog/s.



Most dogs do not know what a snake is nor are they aware of the dangers of a rattlesnake encounter. They are curious and are bitten when they investigate. Our course introduces dogs to real rattlesnakes safely. Each dog gets individual treatment. One of our handlers will lead your dog through the course then you will participate at the finish. Be aware that he/she will get shocked by an electric collar in a way that he/she will blame the snake. This is the only time the snakes & handler is available this year. You may come either day.



There is plenty of room for your dog/s in this clinic. This course does not take long, 10 to 15 minutes per dog, so we can educate many dogs.



We will be there until at least 1:00 pm, all dogs are taken care of or we can't go on. You need not show up at 8:00 am but those registered who come at around 7:30 to 8:00 am will have priority on a first come first serve basis.



Walk-ins ( not registered ) are welcome. Sending in the application and payment beforehand will make the process go smoother and those registered that come at around 7:30 to 8:00 am will have priority (see attachment).



See the attached flyer and application. Make check payable to: CGDA



This service is for all breeds,



Thank-You,

Fred Prior

CGDA Snake Avoidance Course

303-450-2547

fred_prior@comcast.net





Frequently Asked Questions





Do I need a reservation?



Your application and payment are your reservation. Sending in the application and payment beforehand will make the process go smoother and those registered that come at 7:30 to about 8:00 am and those in line will have priority on a first come first serve basis. You may come either day.



Is there room for my dog?



There is plenty of room for your dogs. We guided over 100 dogs through the course in a day last year and still had time for more. If you arrive by 1:00 pm we will train until all dogs are are done, it is too dark or we just can't go on. This year you have the choice of two days. Just come on the day most convenient to you, Saturday June 11th or Sunday June 12th.



Does my dog need to take this course again?



A second treatment is good for a refresher course and allows you to judge whether your dog has learned from the first time or may need more. Dogs are like people in this respect, you never know.



Is my puppy old enough for this course?



This treatment is not effective for puppies younger than 6 months old.



Do I need to be a member of CGDA to put my dog through this course?



No, membership is not required, this is a program for all dogs especially those who live and play in snake country. If you do have a pointing dog you may be interested in our club and it's benefits, please inquire at the check in desk.
 
Ever since my now 12 year old Cody got struck behind our house in Aurora, CO when he was one, I've taken our labs through the course two years in a row. It is really effective. Though we've luckily not encountered any rattlesnakes while pheasant hunting yet, we've come across a dozen or so on our runs down the bike trail and in our back yard. It is money well invested in your dog.

Note that your dog should be at least 6 months old.

PairOfLabs
 
Takin my dog for sure! :thumbsup: He's the only one out of 4 that has never been snake-broke - not so worried about it during pheasant season, but another story during dove season, sept teal or spring/summer training. See ya there!
 
When friends have gotten dogs out in rattlesnake country, or cottonmouth country, about the second question I ask is "Have you gotten the dog snake-proofed yet? When will you?"

We don't have any poisonous reptile in Wisconsin to speak of, so it is not an issue, but I know the wirehairs I had, especially Young Bert, would have made it a point of honor to kill a rattlesnake. Then, of course, YB would have needed treatment or burial. Would have broken my heart.

GREAT class to be offering! Congratulations to all the folks who organize and participate in it.

There's enough risks to a bird dog without worrying about poisonous reptiles.:10sign:
 
Hi All,

I just moved from the east coast to Denver. I would like to have my 13 month old GSP go through snake avoidance training. Unfortunately me and the mutt have to be in North Dakota for a dog test on June 11th and 12th, so I won't be able to participate in the CGDA clinic discussed above.

Can anyone suggest an alternative? Possibly there is another clinic somewhere on another weekend, or is there someone who would do a one-on-one with my dog if I drove to their location?

Thanks.

--shinbone
 
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Snake Avoidance Clinic

Shinbone,
The fellow that puts these on is out of TX. He travels all over the country with his snakes putting on these clinics. I am a member of the Colorado Gun Dog Association, this will be my second year helping out handling the dogs for this event. The fellows name escapes me, but I will try to get his info so you can find out his clinic schedule.
Also CGDA sponors this clinic at the ISE show here in Jan.

gundogsrus
 
gundogsrus - Thanks for the info. Since the guy does multiple clinics around the country, there should be a chance I can attend another one of his clinics besides the one in Elizabeth on June 11th ands 12th.

Also, what is the "ISE show." If all else fails, I can just do a clinic there.

Thanks!

--shinbone
 
Snake Avoidance Clinic

Fred,
I just realized you were the one with the original post. Maybe you can get shinbone the info on the fellow that does these clinics.
 
gundogsrus' comment motivated me to do a little internet research. The snake avoidance training referenced in the original post is done by Julian Weslow out of The Dog Ranch in Trinity, TX. As gundogsrus mentioned, Mr. Weslow does a lot of these clinics each year. However, I wasn't able to find contact info for Mr. Weslow.

Does anyone have an email address or telephone number, so I can contact Mr. Weslow and find out where else he will be doing his snake avoidance clinics?

Thanks.

--shinbone
 
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PairOfLabs said:
Ever since my now 12 year old Cody got struck behind our house in Aurora, CO when he was one, I've taken our labs through the course two years in a row. It is really effective. Though we've luckily not encountered any rattlesnakes while pheasant hunting yet, we've come across a dozen or so on our runs down the bike trail and in our back yard. It is money well invested in your dog.

Note that your dog should be at least 6 months old.

PairOfLabs
Click to expand...
Do you let the handlers work the dog? Ive seen a lot of owners run over pet there dog the minute the dog receives the shock and the dog learns nothing. Its best if owners stay out of it!
 
Shinbone, call Fred Prior (he is he one that made the original post on here) his phone is listed in the 1st post. I am sure he would have Julians contact info....
 
I'm looking forward to meeting anyone from this forum tomorrow at Quail Run. I'm planning on showing up at 7:45 or so. I'll have Merle with me, she's a solid liver wirehair.
 
I was there on Sat a.m., although didn't get there till 10 a.m...Great Clinic, ran my dog 'Chance' & about 150 other dogs thru - man those were some Big diamondbacks they used! :eek: :D

Sidenote: I've been a member for several years @ Kiowa Creek & still like it very much - but I was really impressed with Quail Run. If the tacos/b-b-cue pork chops + all the trimmings and brownies & ice cream they served for lunch were any indication of the norm, I'm already sold based on the food alone! ;) Went ahead & cashed in while there on the free membership I won at the PF Banquet back in March, I now have a full year to make the hard decision which of these two excellent local Denver-area hunt-club/training-grounds I want to gravitate to long term! :thumbsup:

Also really enjoyed meeting Rick Fitzpatrick from gundogsrus (who was helping with the clinic) & 'McKenzie' the 5 yr old well-mannered/well-trained GSP, who will most likely become my very first pointy-dog ever after a lifetime of labs & waterfowling/flushing! I'm never giving up on labs, but I gotta try the pointer gig at least one time be4 my ride on erth is up! :cheers:

Looks like I hit a triple or killed 3 birds with 1 stone on Sat!!! :10sign:
 
HHR, was a pleasure to meet you as well. I believe the clinic was a great sucess.
Quail Run serves lunches on Fridays and Saturdays and yes the food is as equally as good every week. :thumbsup:
 
If your dog ever was to get bit by a rattlesnake, and you weren't there to see it happen, how would you even know he got bit? Let's say for example my dog ges bit in the yard and the snake slithers out of sight, are there signs of being bit? My dog has a huge pain threshold and it worries me that it would be to late before I realized he was bitten.
 
Cody is now 13. He was out in the open space behind our house with my wife when he was struck when he was one. I was mowing the grass so I couldn't hear him. I shut off the mower to empty the bag and I heard my wife screaming my name and Cody screaming like crazy. When I looked out the back gate Karen was carrying 80 lb Cody toward the house. We had him at the emergency vet hospital within 30 minutes. By then he was in major shock. I'm not sure if I explained before that he was struck in the nose--the fang marks were one inch across-big snake. We agreed to have the vet start aggressive snake bite remedies-snake antivenom, huge doses on antihistamine and two quantities of blood plasma. They let us come see him about midnight, 4 hours after we got to the hospital. They told us they thought he was going to pull through but would have to keep and wait and see. When we left him, his muzzle was the same size as his head-no exageration.

If your dog gets a major injection, he will be screaming and there will be major swelling very quickly. Head for the hospital. Here's a pic of Cody.

IMG_1101.jpg


Also, I enrolled my lab pup Parker (now 11 mos) for snake avoidance training at the recent ISE sports show in Denver on Jan. 5. Julian Weslow was doing this training in conjunction with Colorado Gun Dogs Assoc. to stimulate attendance for this summer's session. Parker was first up at 3:30 and suffered the embarrassment of getting struck at by the defanged and milked snakes and zapped by the E-collar in front of about 100 spectators. He was a good learner. I still plan to take him through the course again this summer.
Regards,
POL
 
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