Rattlesnake Avoidance Training for Your Dog: Preventing a Potentially Deadly Rattlesnake Bite

Rattlesnake bites are dangerous and can be potentially fatal for a dog. Rattlesnakes have what is called a Hemotoxin, a toxin that is produced in their venom that causes coagulation problems throughout the body. The other types are Necrotoxins and Neurotoxins. So how do you avoid snake bites and protect your dog against a potentially fatal bite? Snake avoidance training is the best way to train your dog to stay away from snakes. This may be expensive training to go through at some places, but in the end, it is well worth the money spent. You are protecting your dog and you will not have to pay for treatment further down the road.

So what does snake avoidance training entail? Basically, the person that runs the snake avoidance class will use e-collars (electric collars). The instructor will usually have a group of rattlesnakes out in the yard in cages and defanged. What the instructor will have you do is take your dog around the yard as if you were going for a walk. Once you are in close proximity to the cage that houses the snake and your dog goes to sniff it, the instructor will trigger the e-collar. This is termed "Negative Reinforcement". By triggering the e-collar when your dog went to go smell the snake, left an imprint in his/her brain. This imprint, hopefully, will remain with the dog through the remainder of his/her life. The next time the dog sees a snake, you should see him/her become very hesitant to smell the snake. Most dogs will look very worried when they see the snake because they think that they will be shocked again.

You should repeat the snake avoidance training every 3-4 years to keep it fresh in your dog's memory. For some dogs, it may take more than one time to walk past the snake in the cage, for them, the process is repeated however long it may take for them avoid the snake. You can snake-proof your yard on top of the snake avoidance training. There are companies that you can research on the internet that will snake-proof your yard for you. This way, you have two methods of avoiding a snake bite. Through snake avoidance training and snake-proofing your yard, you can feel confident that the chances of your dog being bitten by a snake, are greatly reduced. A snake bite is something that you do not want to deal with. On top of being expensive to treat, it can be potentially fatal for your dog.