Taken from the local state park info website Brazos Bend, where we go about twice a week, and have had no problems with alligators, and the dogs.


Alligator Etiquette
Thousands of people visit Brazos Bend State Park every year and there have been no alligator attacks of humans.
When you visit the park you are the guest in this wild habitat and should treat all wildlife with respect. All wildlife in the park is protected. Feeding, harassing, injuring or removing wildlife is prohibited.
You can ensure your safety by following these rules.
1. Absolutely do not feed or harass alligators.
2. Pets must be on a leash at all times. The leash must be no longer than 6 feet at
any time. Bring water for your pet when you walk the trails. Never allow your pet to drink from or enter the lakes.
3. Keep a safe distance of 30 feet at all times. Do not assume the alligators are
slow and sluggish. Remember they can move at speeds up to 30 mph for the
first 30 feet.
4. If you hook a fish, an alligator may go after your catch. Do not continue to fish near an alligator which shows interest in your fishing line or catch. Do not use a stringer for your fish; keep them in a bucket.
5. Avoid any alligator sunning itself on the trail. The alligator has the right-of-way.
You may turn around and go back the way you came.
6. If you see a pile of twigs, grasses and/or soil near the lakeside or side of the trail,avoid it. It could be a nest and the mother alligator is probably close by guarding
it. This also goes for any group of small alligators one foot in length or smaller.
This is what we call a “pod” and they are still under the protection of their mother.
Mother alligators can be very aggressive if they feel their nest or pod is in
danger!
7. When an alligator stands its ground and hisses, you have come too close. This
is a warning! You need to slowly back away until the alligator no longer
demonstrates this behavior.


And another one.
On One Hand: Potential Dangers

Hiking around lakes in East Texas presents potential dangers that are unique to the area. The American alligator is native to East Texas. Most alligators in Texas are about five to six feet long, but they can reach over 14 feet long. The area is home to four types of venomous snakes; copperhead, coral, cottonmouth and rattlesnake.
On the Other: Safety Tips Protect Hikers

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, alligators usually avoid contact with humans. They warn that hikers should never feed, disturb or annoy alligators. On record, there has never been a human death involving an alligator attack in Texas. Learn how to identify venomous snakes and remain on marked trails.
Bottom Line

If hikers use common sense and good judgment, they can safely enjoy the trails around lakes in East Texas. Hikers should treat wildlife with respect, and keep their distance from potential dangers.

Move home.

like how adam has now crawled under that rock he creeps out of every now and again. and love the post's with the facts and info. thats it for a while were adam safe.

We wish he's gone to ground but he's busy digging up people with alligator and e-collar experience to trounce my previous post.

Just goes to show that people are often a lot deeper and more knowledgeable than they seem at first glance, eh?

Oh and just in case anyone thought I made all that up....

That's the newborn Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake we found - newborn, less than an hour old (they are live born not hatched from eggs) and already have enough venom to kill. This was in Florida panhandle and I was allowed to touch that snake.

What an amazingly beautiful little snake Hard to believe something so little and pretty could be so deadly.

It was one of the most awesome and gobsmacking moments of my life (to go into stupid cliches there!!!) when I got that close to it. Beautiful and yet so deadly and only because I was with someone who was trained, could I have ever got that near to it... and when it was held properly, I was allowed to stroke it with a fingertip. A very awed and shaky fingertip I have to say!

Fab pic,

all snakes are beautiful i keep them non venamous as you need a licence. the joys are second to none, also have a bearded dragon fantastic personalitie's lol. but a snake more often than not will only attack if provoked, so if seen in time a simple recall would avoid a bite.

I did teach a dog snake advoidence once.
I was out walking my old boy Ted when he was about 15 months old, he was about 20 mtrs in front and pounced on a snake that I hadnt seen on the track, I shouted the loudest Noooooooooo (I think they could have heard it 5 miles away) but in that Noooooooo Ted heard so much worry and fright he never went near a snake again, and we used to pass basking adders daily. When the cats came home with small snakes Ted wold run and get me barking like a nutter untill I went and sorted it out.

So not quite a gator, but I didnt need a bl**dy elec shocks to teach advoidence.

You know, the more I think about the starter of this thread, the more I think this was just a troll post. Who on earth would come to a UK forum to ask about alligator avoidance? That doesn't even make sense!