Reptiles

[GnM]

Just curious how many of your have dogs that like to chase reptiles such as lizards. Do you think it can cause any problems when it comes to working birds? I assume lizards/reptiles have a scent that is attractive to dogs. My concern is the dogs sniff the ground to find them. What are your thoughts?

[Featherfinder]

GnM, young dogs will chase just about anything. More mature dogs WILL chase just about anything in the extended absence of quarry with a higher value (birds). In this case, they will entertain themselves with....whatever.
Most often, I see young dogs chase mice, butterflies, song birds, etc. which I totally disregard. The worse thing you can do is SAY something like, "Leave it!" or "Hey...stop that!" It actually elevates their value in whatever they are chasing. I know...it doesn't make sense.
Soon enough, their attention should refocus on game birds and they rarely if ever look back. Sounds like your dog needs birds....lots of birds.

[DonF]

I have never worried about what a young dog chase's. Seem' all the one's I've worked with pretty much quit chasing all off game when I started them on planted bird's. Two exception's are most will chase a deer and some really like porcupines. Generally on porcupine's they don't do bad till after they got into the first one. Almost like a revenge thing and seem's you can't stop them. My old Hannah was almost perfect about leaving off game alone. Her one vice was she liked pointing snakes. Till I quit early season bird hunting she'd pointed rattle snakes for me a couple times! She never got bit. Squirt got bit years ago and I quit hunting till I was sure the snakes had gone in. You wouldn't think a dog's skin could stretch enough without tearing to keep the swelling in! Scary!

[Steve007]

Naw. In warmer weather when there were no birds and we were practicing or exercising in a training area, my formerly nationally-ranked FC used to point turtles occasionally and when I told her to knock it off, she would rush off, find and retrieve some! All good retrieves to hand, but not what I had in mind.

She never did this in bird hunting weather, so I presume the warm weather (and lack of birds) and our obviously just rambling around rather than my carrying a shotgun or being in a trial setting caused this. But it is pretty quirky. My wife told me not to call her (my dog, that is) "turtle breath", anymore.

Uh, you can't eat box turtles, can you?

[bonasa]

Had a pointer that would pick up box turtles and bring them to me.

[Enazle]

Mine too will bring me a turtle. She runs the yard, about 2 1/2 acres. One year she brings this same turtle to me a couple different times. After the second time I hauled it down the road to release it. The other was a dang armadillo that was hanging around. I let the dog out to go do her business and I knew if she didn't come back she was pointing that armadillo. It had a den in the back, funny dog wouldn't give it any attention as long as it was in the den. She would follow that dillo pointing it as it rooted. I have a thermal scope I would watch them with. I finally had to dispatch the critter once it started digging up the flowerbeds.