Cheat Grass and dogs?

[BuddyBoombox]

So I've got a pup that sorta surprised me with her interest in birds and retrieval. I'm considering working on exposing her to more hunting and seeing how she does. The problem is that in Arizona, cheatgrass (foxtail..whatever you wanna call it) is everywhere good quail and rabbit hunting is. Anyone have any tricks or advise beside keeping leg hair trimmed short and just spending tons of time picking them out?

 

[Salmonchaser]

Get a GSP, ok sorry. The stuff is a pain.

 

[PNWGator]

It’s also potentially deadly! Awns in the ears, nose, mouth, paws etc. can migrate and cause serious issues. Often best to keep your dog out of the grass til the seeds are off of the plant.

Freekin’ hate cheat grass

 

[BuddyBoombox]

Lol, if I had bought her for hunting she wouldn't be a poodle! It's supposed to be a family dog but she retrieves better than my buddies lab with no training and she stalks and points while on walks when she discovers birds. The water retriever heritage is weirdly strong with this one!

Dang, in Arizona here those seeds almost never drop of until we get a solid monsoon or two and this is the driest summer and fall I've ever seen. Poor timing to accidentally get a pup interested in hunting!

 

[thomas89]

Yeah I’m terrified of the stuff for my dogs. Seen several good retrievers killed or at best crippled by it. Carry saline solution to wash out nasal passages if they start sneezing repeatedly. Go over them with a fine tooth brush when you’re done for the day. Check between toes, under base of tail, ears, eyes, ehh, basically everywhere. Have gone over my dog thoroughly and given them a wash with the hose and still will have them coming out of their coat. Can’t stand the stuff and I avoid it at all costs.

 

[Elmacho]

Cheatgrass is ok, but stay away from foxtails.....pretty sure you are in the foxtails by your description....as others have said.....BAD NEWS

 

[Ben Lamb]

Poodles are hunting dogs. That was their original intent. Darned good ones too.

I keep mine out of cheatgrass once it has seeds, and until it's laid down. Spent enough money getting seeds plucked out of ears, noses, eyes & paws.

 

[BuddyBoombox]

Man, was hoping to take her into the field tomorrow to really try to gauge her interest, but it might look like poodles just weren't meant to hunt the deserts of Arizona.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[406dn]

I can't imagine that cheatgrass is still holding its seeds this late in Arizona. Take a walk without the dog and see if the seeds are still attached to the plant.

The plus side to cheat grass is that when it sprouts,,birds like the green shoots.

Here in Montana, it seems that rains in September knock most of the seeds to the ground. A couple of weeks later, the green shoots show up.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

This works really well for removing junk out of their ears. Easy to use.

https://www.amazon.com/Aurocin-Cleanser-Cucumber-Melon-Scent/dp/B008C2P6XE

 

[OntarioHunter]

Interesting. I've read warnings but don't believe I have encountered the crap. I usually don't come to Montana until the end of October.

 

[406dn]

Interesting. I've read warnings but don't believe I have encountered the crap. I usually don't come to Montana until the end of October.

You've crossed paths with it in all likelihood. If you have ever noticed bright green short shoots of grass in the fall,,, it is likely cheatgrass. You can find it in some amount in most every grazing pasture.

Huns and Chukars in particular love the new growth.



There was a big bunch of huns between my two dogs. The wispy grass in the foreground is cheatgrass. The seeds were gone and there was regrowth. This shot was taken in December quite a few years ago.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Not many Huns around here this year. I won't even point a gun at one.

I have seen some small patches of cheatgrass on the edge of fields we goose hunt before coming to Montana but never had a problem with the dogs. Guess I'll be more attentive from now on.

 

[Jezz]

IMO you should be fine now in AZ for cheatgrass. Cheatgrass softens as fall hits and the barbs become less problematic. I have areas I like to take my English Lab hiking with lots of cheatgrass, I only go to these places from October to March. U of I has done studies on eradication of cheatgrass with cows. They wait till early fall, move cows into a overrun plot and as they are able to eat the invasive plant in the fall due to the seed softening. Studies show it reappears in the spring, but at a much lower percentage, eventually being fully eradicated by year two and three of the program.

I don’t worry about much during these months, I still give my bud a thorough check but see a 95% drop in attachment to the fur during this period.

I had quite a bit of cheatgrass in my pasture when I bought my place and my cows have eliminated 90%+. 24D had no effect on it. There are a few pre emergents herbicides, but I haven’t tried them.

 

[Mule man]

Cheatgrass and foxtail are two different things . Just got back from a weeks hunt in Nevada for chuckars were the birds live in the stuff. Have never had a problem with dogs and cheatgrass over 40 years of chasing chuckars. Foxtail is a different story. I went to shorter haired dogs years ago on the account of foxtail here at the ranch

 

[rrogersgsp]

We have a lot of foxtails here in Northern California. My 12 year old gsp had one surgically removed from his neck. Was one expensive weed.

 

[Mule man]

We have a lot of foxtails here in Northern California. My 12 year old gsp had one surgically removed from his neck. Was one expensive weed.

Were are you in North cal. Im far north Cal.with lots of foxtails and every weed on the planet....lol

 

[rrogersgsp]

I’m in the Fairfield/Vacaville area. If you don’t remove about 2” of soil, you can’t get rid of foxtails. Very nasty stuff.

 

[Mule man]

I’m in the Fairfield/Vacaville area. If you don’t remove about 2” of soil, you can’t get rid of foxtails. Very nasty stuff.

Gotcha,We have tried most everything,but they keep coming back. Im from up west of Yreka

 

[NickOnTheRun]

They make cattail head coverings for dogs https://www.outfoxfordogs.com/