Rattlesnake Avoidance Training

[StarEcho]

Kili got his training yesterday. It was exactly as azmike said. The empty cage was to reassure the human that the dog didn't associate the shock with the cage, but with the smell. I let him smell the empty cage before hand, then he went up to the first cage with snakes that the trainer had stirred up so they were rattling. He started sniffing around the cage, interested and got the shock. He yelped and we ran the other way with me telling him good boy! The idea was to not only associate the smell with BAD THINGS, but also to reinforce the action to take when smelling that snake smell. Run the opposite way!

Then we walk the round about way to the second cage and he would not let me get within 12 feet of it. Dug his feet in. We went back to the empty cage and he sniffed it again no problem. So as far as I'm concerned he learned the lesson needed.

Now, my job is to keep an eye on him and if he starts running the other way to follow suit! LOL And if I don't see another snake, that will be just fine and dandy!

 

[Queen]

That is excellent! I know my Border Collies would have run right up to the snake, one to play with it and the other to bark it out of her AO!

 

[jimindenver]

Thank you for the post Cindi. First I'll have to stop Max's zoom puppy sessions, then look into the training.

 

[TrainChaser]

Not all rattlesnakes rattle, and young snakes can't rattle (still deadly), so don't wear blinders, either.

 

[Mattkcc]

I know to make noise walking out and about.  This snake actually came into my campsite to share the shade I guess.... It made no noise whatsoever.  This picnic table, set into concrete and covered with a roof was less than 6 feet from where the snake lay.  This was all against what I'd heard and read.  It froze in place and refused to moved.  Played dead?  More scared of me than me of it?  No rattling that's for sure.  Everything I'd read said that snakes did not want to confront so to give them an out, but this one wouldn't move while I was anywhere in the vicinity.  Maybe thought I was a big eagle or something and didn't want to catch my eye?  (see what I did there? lol)

Re prey drive, that is also what I am concerned about, so we will see.  The man at vipervoidance said that it was the smell that would deter them.  They would associate that smell with VERY BAD THINGS, aka a rather intense shock.  Normally I wouldn't do the shock thing, but in this case I'd rather be mean for a few minutes and save him a bite (and maybe myself).

I asked the vet here at the Phoenix humane society if I should get the vaccine and she said no, it wasn't effective enough for the cost in her opinion.  And I'd still have to bring him in if he got bit....

The Tucson humane society conducts training sessions and I was going to sign up for one of those but the Phoenix humane society recommends the company I referenced so I went with them.

I more wanted to share my story than anything.  I was so freaked and lost that feeling of safety.  Sorry if it bored some of you.

Making noise won't help with a snake they have no ears, they sense vibration. The problem with a vacc. is every species of rattler has a different poison. Avoidance training is a good thing but you need to do it often, also the dog will act differently when it doesn't have the training collar on.

I have trained bird dogs, didn't like the idea of the "shock collar" but found it necessary for the dogs safety. The first difference you notice when they have a collar on is how well their hearing improves. I rarely need to use stimulation as the buzzer on the collar gets the job done. Beside snakes there are several other animals that can and will kill your dog if it chases them. Number one is coyotes, they can kill the largest dogs and will actively hunt them. If your dog chases a raccoon into water the raccoon will climb on it's head and drown it, I've seen a small coon do this to a large dog. Deer if chased and cornered can easily stomp a dog to death, for the above reasons when I have my dogs in the field they have training collars on. Also, a friend lost a small dog at a lake to a bird of prey.

Years ago I was a military K9 handler stationed in the Philippines, while I stationed there we had three dogs bitten by cobras. Two survived while the third had to be put down due to a long battle with an infection that wouldn't heal. We didn't have any dog training to avoid snakes, however most dogs did this on their own. You would be walking down a trail at night and your dog would stop then go around a section of the trail. You never knew what the danger was you just always followed in your dogs steps.