Dangerous obsession

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by didee

I totally understand and use the "leave it" command, but the dog is a sighthound. All bets are off when there is a squirrel or exciting moving object. If anyone has a sighthound and has successfully trained it to "leave" a live running animal, I would sincerely like to know the secret to the training.

Someone else told me today that we do NOT have the poisonous toad here in this area. That would be great, but I don't know how to explain the vomiting and foaming, etc. if the toad was non-toxic. Anyway, I believe I have the toad captured and will compare its 'body' (ewwww) to photos online.

And we're now leashed in the yard from 8:30PM on...no fun for her, but until I can figure out what type of toads these are, better to be safe than sorry.

P.S. She's a crazy dog. I got her a stainless steel bowl for H2O for her crate (she chewed all the others and I was afraid she would break and eat a glass bowl). She has been carrying it around (water spilled all over) and is really enjoying her new 'toy'. Maybe I should have got a dog from a breeder and not a feral street stray from the shelter...she's so nutty...

What area are you in? Gulf Coast Toads are very common throughout, aptly, the gulf coast area. They are definitely venomous but not as toxic as cane toads. Fatal encounters are unusual and most often happen with cats since they are relatively small and prone to attempting hard bites at the back of the neck, puncturing both parotid glands with the upper and lower canines. Dogs get dosed by these toads all the time and pull through just fine. There are lots and lots of domestic toads that have venom, but few are extremely toxic like the cane toads.

Cane toads are easy to spot because they are huge. If you don't get the impression that you are looking at a toad that could eat a bird, that isn't likely to be a cane toad.

[Va-Cat]

Originally Posted by didee

I totally understand and use the "leave it" command, but the dog is a sighthound. All bets are off when there is a squirrel or exciting moving object. If anyone has a sighthound and has successfully trained it to "leave" a live running animal, I would sincerely like to know the secret to the training.

Someone else told me today that we do NOT have the poisonous toad here in this area. That would be great, but I don't know how to explain the vomiting and foaming, etc. if the toad was non-toxic. Anyway, I believe I have the toad captured and will compare its 'body' (ewwww) to photos online.

And we're now leashed in the yard from 8:30PM on...no fun for her, but until I can figure out what type of toads these are, better to be safe than sorry.

P.S. She's a crazy dog. I got her a stainless steel bowl for H2O for her crate (she chewed all the others and I was afraid she would break and eat a glass bowl). She has been carrying it around (water spilled all over) and is really enjoying her new 'toy'. Maybe I should have got a dog from a breeder and not a feral street stray from the shelter...she's so nutty...

Sounds like you have quite a character on your hands. They are the most fun

I doubt very much that your toads are cane toads. All toads exude toxin as a defense mechanism. Mouthing any of them will definately make dogs froth at the mouth, drool and retch. However, unless it is a cane toad, it is very VERY unlikely that even a massive amount of mouthing would kill a dog. (I never say never) For your comparision, here is a list of all the toads commonly found in the Continental US. NPWRC :: Checklist of Amphibian Species and Identification Guide

We have retrievers (also a "sight" rather than "scent" breed). The "leave it" command takes patience and consistancy but it can be done with any breed.