Rattlesnake School Update

[Diane Margetts]

Dakota went to Rattlesnake Aversion Training on Sunday. I did a lot of researching up front, so I pretty much knew what to expect. The general process is to work with live, muzzled snakes and gentle electronic shock collars. And so the training began. (I did a video of the class and the photos are screen shots from the video.)

Several years ago, we had a baby rattlesnake in our driveway. Dakota saw it and, in probably a much too excited state, I told him to get back and “leave it!” He doesn’t forget. The first training experience is with a baby rattler. Since this snake is “less intimidating” the intent is to make the dog curious enough to go up and sniff it, then ZAP! The timing is critical because the shock is intended to make the dog think the snake bit and not the human. Dakota didn’t even want to acknowledge that the baby snake was there. He looked here, there and everywhere except at the snake. The trained threw pebbles at the snake, moved it around with his foot, etc. finally, they had to replace the baby snake with a slightly larger snake. Then, when Dakota did pay a bit of attention, the trainer ZAPPED! But, no reaction from Dakota at all. I guess the trainer tried to create several “learning” opportunities but Dakota still didn’t acknowledge the stimulation.

I did like the trainer quite a bit; he really seems to handle dogs very well and he is very compassionate to the situation. He finally came over to us and told us how sorry he was to do it but Dakota needed to use the high stimulation collar. I felt as bad for the trained as I did for Dakota.

The stronger collar made Dakota YIPE! We hated that but it’s for the greater good. The next step was the snake skin shed for “smell”. Again, Dakota didn’t have any interest in it but the trainer made sure that he associated the smell with a ZAP . . .

For the “sound” training, they position a couple of snakes that really like to rattle, behind some rocks. Did I ever confess that Dakota is just a bit of a whimp? He is. He doesn’t like new noises and will jump at any unexpected loud sound. Needless to say, he excelled at the rattle recognition portion . . .

Now that sight, smell and sound were complete, it was time for the final test. Large, live, muzzled snake in the middle of the training area. The trainer and Dakota were about 15 feet away from the snake and we were about 15 feet on the opposite side of the snake. The test is to have us call Dakota and see if he chooses a safety route around the snake or if he comes right through it. Pictures are worth a thousand words—this is what Dakota thinks of Rattlesnakes . . .

The trained wrapped up y telling us that Dakota did great. He observed that Dakota is a Mama and Daddy boy and was uncomfortable being away from us—true; we knew he would be. He said every dog has their own way of communicating concern. Dakota hesitates and bobs his head and we should never force him to come to us or anything like that if he is doing the head bobbing . . .

Dakota finished his day with hugs, treats, swimming and ball chasing! Just the way he loves it . . .

[Diane Margetts]

The first message is trust your dogs instincts--if he is behaving strangely, he is probably trying to tell you something. Dakota's head bobbing is "his" way of telling us there is something very wrong. --Each dog has their own way of communicating to us.  I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer as to what to do next, but here are some thoughts:

--Trust your dog’s instincts/senses; if your dog is behaving oddly in a situation like this, there is probably a reason

--Watch where you dog is looking; in the case of a snake, Dakota would be looking back and forth between us and the snake.

--If you see a snake (or another obstacle) try to guide your dog safely around it. (I'd don't precisely remember, but I would be surprised if I hadn't motioned Dakota to "go around" when the snake was between us; and that's the safe route he chose).

--If you are still not sure of the problem, proceed carefully and safely. If we were in a field or rocky area, I would find a branch or something to poke out in front of me as I made my way to Dakota. You could also find small rocks or something to throw in your path. The one good thing about Rattlesnakes is they do "rattle" so you have a bit of a warning to work with.

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

What is your go around signal or command. Luca often, sometimes  on purpose, gets his ball behind things on the porch and wants me to retrieve it. I do tell him to "Go around" if it's feasible and sometimes he does.

[Diane Margetts]

The command is "go around" and/or I use a broad arm motion to show him where I want him to go. It works well when he knows I'm serious. If it's not real serious, Dakota looks at me like,"Whatcha wavin' your arms around for???!!"

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

What a great training day for Dakota. Thanks so much for sharing.

[Linda and "Toby"]

Wow! What an intense (and highly productive) day for Dakota! Considering how many rattlers you've had in your garage this year, I think this was very important to do. Talk about too-close-to-home! yikes! I give you kudos for taking the initiative to do this! I know it wasn't pleasant, but this training may save his life! And yours, too! :)