Do you use a pan cover, or perhaps something under the pan, to keep dirt from getting under it and possibly preventing it from fireing ? ... After looseing a few animals due to rocks, sticks and etc., getting under my pan, I started using either a "Trapper's Caps" or a pan cover... I had bought actual commercial "Trapper's Caps" that fit my #1.75 and #2 VICTOR traps...but for the other traps with different sized and shaped pans, I just used a can...a soup can, small orange juice can, a pepper can, etc...whatever can would fit snugly over my pan... After it was cleaned I used a small nut and bolt to secure a piece of broom handle about 4 to 6 inches long to the center of the can bottom (use washers on each side of the can bottom so that it is solider and won't "tear-out" as easily) so that it would fit down over my trap pan, (you will have to cut out a small notch so it fits over the dog) and made "Home-made Trapper's Caps". In many cases if the dirt is packed solidly inside and outside the trap jaws you will not need a pan cover or anything under the pan to keep dirt and debris out.................... For pan covers I cut a "pattern" the size of the inside of my trap's jaws out of cardboard, then put another piece of cardboard aginst this one and cut around it so that I had two identical pieces... Then I used one inside the jaws of a set (and vice-gripped so it would not snap closed) trap, to measure and mark where the notch needed to be cut for the dog... I then put the two pieces exactly together again, and cut out the dog notches... Now I had two patterns for the inside of my trap's jaws....... I then went to the lumber yard and bought several yards of that plastic or vinal window screen. I would cut several pieces just a little bigger than my "pattern". I then stacked several at a time, layed the pattern over them, and with a sharp pair of scissors I cut around the pattern, cut out the notch for the dog, and I had several pan covers... The pan covers that I cut to fit the #2 coil spring traps also worked for the #1 3/4 (#1.75) size traps, as well as most other #2 and #3 sized coils, jumps, and long spring traps.