It was over 5 years ago that I wrote my first post about Canine Rattlesnake Aversion training. My husband Alan and I have had a pack of dogs since we have been together, and every year we retrain the oldies and first-time train the newbies that rattlesnakes are to be avoided at all costs.
Nearly every day, the five dogs and I walk between 4 and 5 miles in the desert. We’ve been going very early in the morning, before it gets too beastly hot. Supposedly, most snake activity occurs at night during the hottest months of the year in Arizona. Nevertheless, I have significantly restricted the dogs’ off-trail roaming. This frustrates my big Border Collie boy, Jake, immensely, as he loves to chase the desert lizards.
This past week, our diligence in training our dogs to avoid venomous snakes paid off not once, but twice. Within a few days of one another, I saw both Nick and Jake jump back with alarm from something in the tall grass. Soon after, I heard the rattle. Jake was busy trying to flush lizards, and Nick, a German Shepherd, was just along for the ride. The look on Nick’s face when he heard the rattle was priceless… “WARNING, DANGER!”
I didn’t see any snake, but I sure did hear the rattle. Unfortunately, some sources say that some rattlesnakes are losing their rattle. Other sources believe that the snakes are simply choosing not to rattle. The result is the same… You might not get an auditory warning of a snake contemplating an attack.
What does this training involve?
This page provides a detailed description, but basically this is just what it says, aversion training. It involves the use of an e-collar and a negative stimulus provided at the appropriate time. NO ONE likes to see their dog “zapped”… but it is a far better option than the severe pain and swelling created by a venomous snake bite. Emergency room veterinary bills and the cost of antivenom is far more of a financial burden than paying for the training. I truly believe that I would have had at least one dog bitten last week, if not two, had it not been for their avoidance training.
Using an e-collar, a negative stimulus is applied whenever the dog shows interest in investigating a venomous snake. The message is very clear… leave that thing alone! The training occurs with juvenile snakes, adult snakes, sloughed snake skins, and snakes with and without rattles. This is the first year that our foster-failure Lady (a red merle Border collie) and Nick (a German Shepherd) experienced the training. Nick is one of the two dogs that encountered a snake last week. He responded appropriately and reinforced the value of the training, not that I ever doubted it.
Left to right, Finn, Lady, Kara, Nick, and Jake
MUST JOIN Facebook groups to help you navigate snakes and snake bites
I have learned about and joined several different Facebook groups that 1) provide snake identification and 2) provide detailed information on how to respond to a human or animal that was bitten by a venomous snake. There is no crossover between the groups: in other words, you can’t ask for snake ID in the National Snakebite Support Group, nor can you ask for treatment recommendations in the Snake Identification Group.
There is no commenting allowed in the National Snakebite Support group. ONLY the admins and group leaders are allowed to respond to snake bite inquiries. Nevertheless, there is much to learn by reading the posts, and it is absolutely the go-to option if you or one of your animals is bitten.
The mission of the National Snakebite Support Group is stated as follows:
National Snakebite Support is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to connecting snakebite victims, pet owners, and healthcare providers with experts who practice and promote evidence-based snakebite management. Our mission is to improve snakebite treatment by supporting continuing education opportunities and resources for medical professionals—both human and veterinary—and by empowering bite victims with the knowledge to advocate for appropriate care.
One of the drugs most often administered by owners or laypeople is Benedryl. The Snakebite Support group staff is adamant that Benedryl or anti-histamines are of no help in treating envenomation. In fact, this amazing organization has developed several handouts and templates for the benefit of snakebite victims, pet owners, and medical personnel. I am going to post them here, but I strongly recommend that you go to their link and copy the jpg files and print them off. Here is a link to pre-hospital guidelines for human bites.Here are the handouts for HUMAN snakebites.
Guidelines for treating HUMAN snakebites
Guidelines for treating ANIMAL snakebites
Where to find Canine Rattlesnake Aversion Training opportunities
We have taken our dogs to training in both Colorado and Arizona. In the last few years, we have used Green Valley Canine here in Arizona. A quick web search shows Rattlesnake Ready, LLC in Cave Creek, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. I found several organizations in Arizona, and this one in Southern California. I found those searching rattlesnakes, but they are by no means the only venomous snakes that can harm our horses and dogs.
If you join the two Facebook groups I mentioned, you will be educated about which snakes in your area are venomous and which ones are not. We have King snakes here in Arizona, and I have learned to recognize them and not have a negative response! In fact, King snakes eat rattlesnakes and are highly resistant to rattlesnake venom… so don’t kill or relocate those guys if you see them on your property!
Snakebites in horses
Here is a good, concise article on snakebites in horses. Horses generally don’t die from venomous snakebites, but they can certainly suffer acute pain and swelling, as well as long-term effects like cardiac damage. I have some indirect personal experience with what can happen to a horse that encounters a venomous snake.
About 12 years ago, a friend of mine had a horse named Lena that was bitten first in the face, and then in a rear leg after she whirled around to kick the snake. Unfortunately, my friend was out of town, and the person taking care of her horses didn’t realize the mare was at home. She believed Lena was at the trainer’s when the horse didn’t come up to the barn in the evening.
Several days passed before Lena received treatment… well past the optimal window for using antivenom. By the time I arrived at the state-of-the-art veterinary clinic, Lena was a very ill horse. While I admired my friend’s dedication to trying to save her horse, I struggled a great deal with the mare’s suffering. Ultimately, after 5 days of intensive care, Lena was euthanized.
The amount of skin sloughing that would have occurred had Lena survived was a serious threat to her life in and of itself. The swelling at both bite locations had resulted in significant tissue damage, and large sections of skin would have sloughed had the mare lived. Additionally, she likely suffered severe cardiac damage from the venom, and she would not have been rideable had she survived.
As I stated initially when discussing snakebites in horses, a bite is not usually fatal. But there is no question that we need to watch our horses carefully and seek treatment immediately if they experience envenomation.
Final thoughts on venomous snakes
First and foremost, I can’t encourage you enough to pursue canine rattlesnake aversion training for your dog(s). I truly believe I would currently be nursing at least one, if not two, dogs who would be recovering from a venomous bite if they hadn’t received aversion training. Second, I also highly encourage you to join both of the Facebook groups that I mentioned. They are top-notch educational resources. In the Support group, you will be able to read inquiries posted by physicians, veterinarians, and pet owners alike. You will learn how to advocate for yourself, your loved ones, or your pets.
This was our first summer spent in Arizona and cohabitating with a significant population of snakes. That being said, I had seen several on the mountain in Colorado, at 7200 feet. I was a bit nervous about having multiple snake encounters this summer. We did have the two last week, but the dogs responded appropriately.
We are in the process of building a new home in St. David, Arizona. We are a hair over 200 feet from the National Forest, and we’ll enjoy a plethora of wildlife viewing through our large windows. We will have a totally enclosed dog run, and we will add snake fencing to that dog run! Here are a few photos of our home under construction. We will ride the horses right into areas I have blogged about previously, such as Council Rocks or Boondocking With Horses. No doubt there are additional encounters with snakes in our future!
