Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im thinking of trying this, do you think it would work? Perhaps using him to find herps in the field?

Happy Birthday Tank
Then and now..1 year old

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It is possible to teach a dog to find herps. When I was young we lived in Virginia, and some friends of my parents gave us a Springer Spaniel that was a former show and bird hunting dog. She had developed arthritis in her hip and was no longer suitable for the show circuit so she became our pet. Over the summer I taught that dog to find box turtles using some turtles that I had and a good amount of dog cookies. One day, one of my friend's turtles got out that live three houses up from me, and when I put that spaniel on the scent she followed it all the way back to my house, under the deck and retrieved the turtle! Later we took the dog camping with us in the blue ridge mountains. We were setting up camp and noticed that the dog was gone. She came back about 15 minutes later with a box turtle in her mounth! Problem was, if you left her alone with the turtle she would chew on it, so we had to take it away. We turned around and she was gone again. Sure enough, she came back about 20 minutes later with another box turtle! After that my parents tied her up so no more trutles that trip. I loved that dog.

Of course it is possible. Most bird dogs and other hunting dogs have a knack for finding "anything that's ever been put into a pot" which includes reptiles for sure,huh?
Anyway, lots of bird dogs have found (and some point)box turtles when tracking birds.
This subject comes up now and then.
I was at the airport last Nov. and was talking with a Delta guy who said that there was some FWC guys there with a dog they were planning to use to find eastern indigos.
Supposedly for tracking wild but I'm sure if that works they'll use them for enforcemant as well.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

www.crimsonking.funtigo.com

I like that idea and I have a lab/Rhodesian ridgeback pup that was given to me as a "gift". I hadn't thought about it much but may as well make him earn his keep. Trouble is it takes a lot of practice and you have to train against venomous. Too many cottonmouths in my fields for my liking. If they will point them, that's good.
Todd Hughes

My dog is great at finding snakes. He is 6 months old and half black lab and half collie. I still need to teach him to leave snakes alone, When he was just a little pupy he was siting at atention in my snake room while I was handeling my sons young gopher snake, the snake took off and while reaching for it it took a shot at me, as soon as the snake did that the dog jumped up and atempted to make a meal of the snake, Ever since then he gets very protective when he sences a snake.
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