It’s warmer weather and the snakes are out!
If you love the great outdoors, live in rural areas prone to
rattlesnakes or even spend time in your backyard or garden,
teach your dog rattlesnake avoidance now!
Snake Life After Winter
Snakes are not mammals, so they never enter a “true” hibernation. Instead, they enter a state called “brumation” which means they remain awake and somewhat aware, but they use so little energy they do not need to eat for long periods.
As warmer temperatures begin to heat them up, snakes become more active usually in early spring. Snakes may re-emerge as soon as temperatures rise above freezing consistently! You can find them around park paths and hiking trails, gardens and the water sources they need to survive.
Less than 1% of dogs and cats are bitten
by snakes in the US.
But 85% of rattlesnake bites happen
to dogs in their own backyard!
Teaching K9 Rattlesnake Avoidance
Thankfully, there are many rattlesnake avoidance classes available. But beware! Many use aversive and pain-based methods like e-collars or electric shock collars. This type of training supposedly teaches the dog that snakes equal pain and to avoid them.
But it’s critical to remember aversive, painful and negative reinforcement can also create unwanted issues and side effects. It may even produce the opposite behavior with the dog suddenly choosing to attack the rattlesnake.
The good news is you can still teach your dog to avoid rattlesnakes with positive training and reinforcement. Keep reading to learn more.
Positive Rattlesnake Avoidance Training
In this type of positive reinforcement training, the dog is rewarded for running away from a rattlesnake.
Training involves the dog’s senses of sight, sound and smell. Yes, rattlesnakes have a unique odor that dogs can pick up on! A foul-smelling liquid (called musk) is stored in the snake’s two pouchlike glands near the base of their tail which can be discharged to repel any anticipated dangers.
The Five Steps:
- Using actual rattlesnake scent (not an actual snake), the dog learns to identify the scent through positive reinforcement.
- Next, the dog is trained to run away on command.
- Combine steps 1 and 2 to train the dog to run away upon smelling the scent.
- Using toy snakes (often combined with the scent) dogs learn to recognize snakes by sight.
- Sound is added to train the dog to run away upon hearing the rattle sound.
After a month of training, a live rattlesnake who is de-fanged, muzzled or milked of its venom, will be used to reinforce the dog’s learned response of running away as soon as he smells, sees or hears the rattlesnake.
Here is what you need to know to stay safe (along with your dog).
If you cannot find positive reinforcement rattlesnake avoidance training, Jamie Robinson, of Brains Bones & Behavior in Tucson Arizona, offers several training options including in-person classes or an online class you can do at your own pace.
Rattlesnake avoidance training is recommended to be done once a year for 3-4 years in a row. This additional training reinforces the dog’s learned behavior of avoidance to the sight, sound and smell of a rattlesnake.
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Image Credits (Shown in Order of Appearance):
Nicooografie from Pixabay