In many states, upland game and trapping seasons run concurrently, and from time to time our hunting dogs may get caught by mistake. To help your dog avoid traps, be aware of when the season opens and closes in your area and learn where traps are likely to be set. Be particularly careful around creeks, which are home to a wide variety of furbearers. You'll often see traps set where tile lines run into the creek and where game trails lead down the bank into the water. Look for sticks or metal rods stuck into the mud as anchors as well as looking for the traps themselves. On dry land, look for traps in gaps in or under fences, in holes in the side of barns, at the ends of culverts, and so on--anywhere a funnel exists to increase the probability of an animal passing a particular spot.

If your dog is caught, chances are it will be in either a leghold or a conibear trap. When a leghold trap is triggered, one or two leaf springs (or, in the case of coil spring traps, a pair of metal paddles attached to the springs) snap open from the sides, closing the trap and locking the jaws on the animal's leg. To open the trap, don't try to pry the jaws apart but instead compress the springs until the trap opens far enough for the dog to remove his leg. The trap itself is unlikely to hurt the dog, but he could injure himself trying to break free. In some rare instances, dogs caught in extremely cold weather for long periods of time can suffer serious circulation damage to the foot. In that case, you'll want to see a vet right away.

Conibear traps look like two superimposed squares of heavy steel wire. One or two powerful springs snap the squares shut over a furbearer's body and kill it instantly. Your dog may wind up with a conibear on his face or neck if he sticks his muzzle in the wrong place. To open a conibear, compress the spring (it's like a big version of those wrist exercisers) and use the latch you'll find on the spring to hold it closed. Then compress the other spring, if it has one, and latch it, too. It takes strong hands to open a conibear quickly, and some trappers carry a length of rope with a hook on one end to help them open their traps. They put the hook on the loop at the end of one spring, run the rope down through the loop on the other end of the same spring, then pull up on the rope.

A few prudent hunters carry a bandanna or a similar sized rag with them to use as an impromptu muzzle so they won't be bitten as they're trying to free their dog, which is, perhaps, not a bad idea. You might also visit a local trapper and practice opening traps with no dog stuck inside before the season begins. At the very least, go to a hardware store and familiarize yourself with what traps look like and how they open.