My Springer keeps killing things. I don't like it but apart from muzzle her on walks, what can you do? 

Thing is, I am s**t scared of snakes and know full well she will be killing the damn things left right and centre when the weather warms up.  I'm worried about her getting bitten. She's in and out of ditches and undergrowth all the time and chases anything that moves. Rabbits, squirrels, birds... she kills 'em if she catches 'em.  Apart from wearing wellies and starting training in them at the gym for mega sprints, what, if anything, can I do?  Please don't tell me she's a dog and dogs kill snakes - I don't need to hear it!  I can't explain how much I hate snakes!!!!!!  Just THINKING about them... yuk!  My dog is four years old and I've had her four months.  My first dog, when I was 6 years old, found a nest full of adders and barked at them - I was terrified.  He was a Finnish Spitz - they bark at all game.  Springers retrieve.....

Where do you live? We've only ever seen one snake, and that was a grass snake. Or do you exercise on heathland?

I live close to Gatwick airport.

I'm very lucky in that just a few yards from my front door, there is a country lane with fields to either side.  There are ditches everywhere, including along the lane.  Last year, my neighbour was bitten by a grass snake outside someone's house.  The adders were in woodland on a golf course. 

I live close to Gatwick Airport too :D We have seen 2 adders altho one was a baby in a walk we often use off the Balcombe Rd, but that is over a period of 16yrs ;) My dozy flattie never noticed it as it crossed our path, but hubby was fascinated:rolleyes:

Which walk off the Balcombe Road? The one near the roundabout where you have Pound Hill behind you, East Grin to the right and Horley straight ahead? I got lost there recently and was starting to get a bit worried about hairy men lurking in the woods.  I told my other half that I want one of those collars that sends messages to your mobile phone about where your dog is.  The collar was for me, by the way, so I would know where I was!  Other half said he wouldn't pay for my safety.  Hmmph!

This walk is heading towards Maidenbower, past the  Cowdray Arms pub and turn right as if you're going to Handcross, then first right into a small parking area (free :D), you can walk from there to Tilgate or onto Pease Pottage, and you rarely meet anyone either, we often see deer there too.However as it is so isolated i would use caution going on your own, I admit I never go without someone else :( sign of the times I guess.

Shame, isn't it?  My other half won't come for walks cos he's a woos and the dog needs two walks a day.  Mum does her during the week and I give her two miles weekend mornings and about three in the afternoon.  I guess that in the summer, what with it being hot and all, I could do one very early morning and one evening when the hissy things have packed up for the day and gone to bed....

Of course if you make a fair amount of vibration when you walk (snakes are deaf so won't hear you) they'll all scarper and you won't see any. :)

I'll keep my wellies on in the summer and stomp about a lot!  Might get some suede full chaps as well. And a crash helmet/Tasar/big stick/brace of mongooses (mongeese?).  Mind you, the dog doesn't stomp - she runs about with velvet slippers on.  I'm worried about her catching a snake in the middle of it's body and it swinging round to bite her.  She shakes things to death but if she grabs a snake in the wrong place... Yuk, yuk, yuk.

At least grass snakes aren't venomous, so that's one less worry :)

True, but I hate EVERYTHING about them, venomous or not!  Still, at least if my dog gets bitten, it should stop her from doing it again!  I need to check which vets are able to give anti-venom injections at weekends, just in case.  Funny thing is, it's only snakes that really worry me!

small world! I used to live in Rusper (cant get closer to gatters!!)
Ting, I always found that Tilgate park was a great place to walk never saw anything untoward there.
I would say avoid Buchan park tho' (just past Broadfield on way to Horsham)
they have a reconstructed Heath land area there which is used as education on heath lands for school kids etc.. (lots of snakes Im afraid!) which is a shame because in summer its a very cool (temperature) place to walk around the lake.
:)

Rusper,you must be posh ;) I used to love Buchan Park too till they dug it upfor the bypass, and some unsavoury folk started walking there It was the first walk we too our Goldie Bree on :D

I used to live in Horsham - we used to walk the dogs in St Leonards Forest. :)

Oooooh JG we were almost neighbours....is there any truth in the rumour you left the county when I moved down?? ;)

I thought I'd managed to keep that quiet ... :(
;) :D

Hummph......No chance a member of your GAS Club told me (Gin Appreciation Society...... not your secret medical condition)
:D :D :p

:p :D

My dog's last owners took her to Seers Croft Veterinary Centre - I know this cos it's on her RSPCA vaccination card, so she's probably been on St Leonards Forest a lot too.  Hope she got scared by some snakes! There's plenty there!

SNAP!! We use Seers Croft Vets too :)

Do you know anyone who had a black and white working Springer bitch, a liver and white show Springer and a something or other neutered male who gave their dogs up to the RSPCA when their son got sick?  I'd love to know about my Tilly's upbringing but the RPSCA had nothing to tell me other than she was picked on by the male. She doesn't like children very much.  The other bitch was called Tizzy.

And wallabies, too! :)

Yep, Tilly saw wallabies on Sunday and thought they were big rabbits.

I actually come from right by horsham too, (Cowfold) small world really as not many people know the area at all, seems strange seeing you all talking about places I know. reminds me of home

awww... I havent been back in years so didnt know about the bypass :(
I used to love the castle parapet style on the bridge at the lake there! and it was  a great place to excercise thick coated dogs in the height of summer it was soo leafy and cool.
Is the Maize Maze still around? used to love visiting that too (obviously not with the dogs..that would have been chaaaaaotic!)

Oooh the Maize maze is new to me,the only one I knew was the one at Tullys farm lol

I think that's the one she means?  Tilgate Park... went there on Sunday - it's now £2.00 to park.  Place was full of kids and dogs on leads, including one darling Weimar - grey dog.  The owner (male) had two stout chains around it's neck and then he hit it for moving forward slightly to say Hello to my bitch.  I hate this male thing about power and obedience.  Weimar - grey dogs aren't exactly renowned for being savage beasts, are they?  Oh, and any snakes found in Crawley get released into Tilgate Park.  Unless the youths sell 'em for drug money!  Did I mention that I live in a village outside Crawley?  Just over the Sussex/Surrey borders.

where do you live ting? Am in Pound Hill.

Well isn't that funny.  I work at Worth Corner!  I live in Smallfield. The golf course where I saw the adders is the Copthorne Golf Course.  Even though they've cleared a lot of the woodland, you still get adders there.

Unfortunately spaniels do not have loads of sense when it comes to snakes. A friend lives in Texas and has no end of trouble, lost 4 dogs to rattlers in 1 year :(

Thankfully we have lesser problems here. I would suggest that you teach a leave command, always easier if they first learn hold/retrieve. This will also enable you to chanel your springers attention on to what you want retrieved rather than what she thinks you would like as a present :rolleyes:  It really dosnt have to be stylish your out to have fun after all!

How can I teach a leave command?  Getting her to "drop" for a biscuit?

I teach it with the dog sitting in front of me, place a toy in the mouth and say hold. Reward the hold once she has the hang of this you can start using a release command as she lets go to take the treat. Once you have the hang of it at home take it outside, practice and away you go. They are gun dogs so shouldnt be too hard to teach, what is essentially a retrieve broken down in to stages. Comes in handy for when they head for yummy horse poo too. 

Horse poo, fox poo, dog poo...

Thanks for the advice, we'll start training tonight with her squeaky turkey.

WOW sounds brill where you all live .....except for the snakes of course....

My walks consist of up the dual carriageway past the school and the police training college then around tesco supermarket and back !
1 and half hrs no field or lanes ......dream unless we go to the park...or a long car journey having to make a day of it...

traffic and people everywhere !   I'm so jealous :)

Roni

It's certainly a serious problem in some areas :( Friend at training nearly lost one of his cockers last summer. They had only just arrived at their holiday home and went for a walk to the beach over the dunes. The three dogs (2 cockers and a sprocker pup) ran right through a nest of adders The owners didn't realise immediately what had happened. One cocker and the pup were bitten. Both dogs had to stay at the vets (who were used to dealing with bites fortunately) - the pup was allowed home after a day or two, but the cocker nearly died and was in the vets for the week and only allowed out as they were going home. He still took a long time to get over it (he's about 7).

Daisy

I have to admit my ignorance on this ....

Didnt realise it was such a big problem ....thats what living in a big city does to you...

I'll be much more aware of it when I holiday ....it never crosses my mind I have to say...

Roni

A dog near me was bitten last year by an adder, unfortunately he did die. :-(

Having said that, I have lived in the New Forest for all my life and last year was the first time I have come accross an adder, luckily it was dead but it did spook me.

The vets I use don't often use anti-venom, they say that it doesn't do a great deal and the venom will run it's course with or without the anti-venom. 

I dread walking in the summer, I tend to be out at 6.30 a.m before the sun is warm and then again after 8 p.m when it's gone down.

I live in East Sussex and in hot summers we do get adders on the Downs but in many years of walking up there I've only ever seen one. The thing to avoid is long, dry patches of grass but of course humans know this, dog's dont!!

We get more grass snakes though and they are beautiful creatures. Unlike slow worms of which we have loads and even though they aren't worms but actually legless lizards, I still can't find it in my heart to like 'em!

Collars that tell you where your dog is? How do those work? Where do you get them??

I'd like to know where to get these collars as well (just got back from a very soggy walk and Hamish b*ggered off again, he keeps giving you that "I will be a good boy" look then disappears - lead exercise only for a while I think).

http://www.symmetry3.com/pet_tracking.htm

As far as I remember, you pay £24.00 a month. The wears the collar and you run round with your mobile phone (when you get a signal).  In my case, as my dog stays fairly close and I think I have a good sense of direction, I'd wear the collar and have the messages sent to my other half.  Or a police rescue squad.

If you make a noise as you walk the snakes usually get out of the way, hence you hardly ever see them. There are plenty about, you just have to know where and how to look. Same with most wild life really. On the up side the venom from an adder is not particually strong so you do have a little while to get the dog to a vet (trying to keep it as calm as possible on the way) although as a general rule the smaller the snake the more concentrated and hence dangerous the venom, so if you are going to get bitten pick an adult! . In the US a rattler can kill a human in 2 hours and most dr dont even hold anti venom as it has a shelf life of 6 months and costs $300 per shot. My friend was classed as 'barking' for even taking her dogs to the vet. Most owners in US would have either let it take its chances or put a bullet in it. One of her dogs ended up having to have 3 lots of anti venom at $300 each plus the vet fees plus her time and fuel to do the 140 mile round trip to the hospital each time. Most people simply cannot afford that.

In Kent we used to have loads of slow worms in our garden. Trouble was they didnt get out of the way of the mower so cutting the lawn became a masacre  

Like Bluebell says Adders tend to hide when they see you or a dog coming.  However becuase the dogs tend to be quicker the Adders don't always hide quickly enough.

When I was about 9-10 we lived in Kent in an area where there were quite a few adders, grass snakes and slow worms etc.  We had a cat who like most cats liked to share things it caught with it's owners :rolleyes: I can remember opening the front door for it to come in one day and finding it standing on the door step standing over a live adder it had just caught   I grabbed the cat and got my Dad to come and deal with the adder.

Steve