Porcupines

[greg jacobs]

Last Sunday Sonny, my pup, pointed out in the cattails. I went to walk in to flush. All of a sudden my pup is jumping on a Porcupine I grabbed him. We got the trauma kit out with forsips and pulled probably 40 out of his mouth and another 60 out of his face.
Fast forward one week. 20 minutes from the pickup, Sonny went on point out 200yds. When we got there we found him out in some cattails. A dead porcupine and a mouthful and faceful of quills. Worst I've ever seen. It was so bad we held his mouth open and drove 60 miles back to the Emergency vet. Afterwards she said that some dogs don't learn, she sees the same dogs time after time.
I've never done an avoidance class but that might be the only answer.
What a way to end the season.
I'm wondering if they are hybernating out under the mat of cattails.

[Max2]

They are a pain right in the butt ! Both my shorthairs have gotten into them one time. I can't say if my first one would have gone in again as he is gone . But my current one has encountered more then one since his first face full. Here is a picture of his second encounter.


Now he steers clear. He is funny in how he deals with them. Like a hound dog bay'n a pig or other wild game. But keeps his distance. We are loaded here where we live with porkies.

[cjhills]

Porcupines do not hibernate. Up here sometimes they spend the whole winter in the same tree. Not a whole lot left of the tree when spring comes...................Cj

[Leeza]

Some dogs learn to avoid them, some learn to hate them. The haters will go after a porky for revenge no matter what. I personally wouldn't spend the $ for avoidance training on a hater as they tend to run thru a collar to get at that porky. I have a hater and it sucks but that is the game sometimes painful as it is.

[slistoe]

One fellow I know quit hunting with his GSP altogether. The dog got such a hate on for porcupines he quit hunting birds. Turn him loose and he went looking for a fight. I like the dogs that point them and have manners - however one time my dog was on point in some heavy grass cover and a young girl went in to flush - she came out screaming and hopping. Pulling a dozen quills from a girls calf and knee is tougher than getting them out of a dogs tongue. Porky proofing does work if you have the opportunity to find some you can work the dog on. I have seen two dogs that were "proofed". One time my dog was pointing and the other fellows dog cruised in and made a hard left and kept moving as he came by. The fellow tells me my dog is pointing porky because his dog backs reliably and points hard - only time he does that is on porky. Sure enough, I collared my dog away and told him to move on.

[greg jacobs]

Been reading a little about Porcupines They don't hibernate, they will crawl into dens. Thinking they were crawling under the cattail mat to get out of the storm.
I've pulled out another 25 or 30 broken off quills that have Migrated through. Finding the sharp ends and pulling them out. All over his muzzle, near his eyes close to his ears, the beginning of his throat. This has been a tough one.

[polmaise]

We don't have porcupines here , but we have Hedgehogs. We also have mice and rats and all manner of things much like you guys .
I train mine on game and game scent and what we are hunting for . I have heard of a few guys saying their dog has retrieved a Hedgehog . But I'm sure they have just let them .

[gonehuntin']

Porcupines do no good what so ever. That's why many states have no closed season on them and are totally unprotected. Do everyone a favor and kill everyone you see. You can use fresh dead porkies to proof your dog's also.

[cjhills]

Porcupines do no good what so ever. That's why many states have no closed season on them and are totally unprotected. Do everyone a favor and kill everyone you see. You can use fresh dead porkies to proof your dog's also.

Probably should not share this attitude with the rest of the world.........Cj

[DonF]

It has always seemed to me that once they get into their first they are out for revenge.

[Mountaineer]

IF you have a need to kill a porcupine then consider covering up the carcass to help prevent the next dog from rolling....sadly, not everyone feels that is important or they may imagine every covert is secret.

[gonehuntin']

It has always seemed to me that once they get into their first they are out for revenge.

+1

[gonehuntin']

IF you have a need to kill a porcupine then consider covering up the carcass to help prevent the next dog from rolling....sadly, not everyone feels that is important or they may imagine every covert is secret.

I don't carry a shovel grouse hunting so put them under log's or brush. A dog is usually not hurt bad or at all by a dead porkie. They're much like other dead animals, the dog is more interested in sniffing them. It's the live ones that whack them with a tail.

[mask]

Porcupines do no good what so ever. That's why many states have no closed season on them and are totally unprotected. Do everyone a favor and kill everyone you see. You can use fresh dead porkies to proof your dog's also.

Yep and that goes for rattlesnakes too.

[greg jacobs]

It has always seemed to me that once they get into their first they are out for revenge.

+1

He killed the second one before I got there. I'm thinking he is a hater like Leeza called them. He now knows he can kill them. Thinking this has escalated quickly.
My other gsp walked over and sniffed it after it was dead and just walked away.

[JONOV]

Why couldn't you break it with an e collar like you would a dog chasing deer or breaking it off other trash?

[gonehuntin']

Because dog's develop a tremendous hatred for skunk and porky's because they have been hurt by them. A deer is like a bird; they chase them because it's fun.

[slistoe]

Why couldn't you break it with an e collar like you would a dog chasing deer or breaking it off other trash?

I have seen quite a few dogs that were "proofed" against porkies with the collar. It works - if you aren't fighting an uphill battle already where the dog has been "bit" by the porky a few times and the bite of the collar will only make him more determined.

[marysburg]

After two fairly mild porcupine encounters this summer, I used a fresh road kill porkie for avoidance training with our GSP. Worked great so far. They only have to learn to avoid the scent; just like snakeproofing. This is the 4th dog who got porkie-proofed in the same way.