Snake Avoidance. By Linda Michaels, M.A.


How can you keep your dog from being bitten by a venomous snake? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer and there are no guarantees.

Seal Your Yard. Many, if not most, snake bites to dogs occur on their own property. Neither your family nor your dog is safe from venomous snakes. Remove food sources, such as: rodents, mice, birdseed, crickets, pet food and secure garbage cans. Remove habitats where they may hide, such as: woodpiles, vegetation, underbrush and rocks. Seal holes and block entrances under your house. Install rattlesnake safety fencing. (See Wikihow.com for suggestions). There are no spray or scatter products that have proven to be effective. 

Penny DiLorento Teaches No Shock Snake Avoidance

Exercise and Activities. Some dogs have an inborn aversion to snakes, others do not and are fascinated by them. Don’t allow your dog to walk or roam loose in known snake infested areas. The San Diego Natural History Museum herpetology research center advises, “Common sense is the best defense. Cultivate an attitude of alertness. Never let a dog run loose; always keep a dog leashed no matter how good it normally is.”  It’s against the law to have your dog off leash in many counties except in a few select areas, such as dog parks and dog beach. 

Dogs need to run and sniff. Keep your beloved dog safe and happy by providing safe-environment exercise activities such as agility class, swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, dog-surfing, dock diving, paddle boarding, or join a flyball team. Take your dog shopping with you.  Use a Manners Minders®, play upstairs fetch, chase a lure toy, or have your dog fetch your tennis serve into the pool!

The Vaccine. Bites should always be treated immediately as a veterinary emergency. However, if you live in or frequent areas where rattlesnakes roam, get the vaccine. It’s generally effective for most venomous rattlesnakes and side effects are rare. The vaccine costs approximately $20 and may dramatically reduce the effects of venom, the cost of treatment, and recovery time in the hospital.  Make sure your vet carries antivenin. More dog vaccine details here…

Snake Avoidance Training.  Many snake bites occur by inadvertently disturbing a snake. No amount of training can prevent that. Promotional claims, anecdotal reports, and unverifiable statistics abound about the benefits of snake-aversion shock training for your dog. The use of shock collars in dog training has become the standard for snake aversion “training” despite the lack of evidence for its efficacy. This oversight has led to inaccurate conclusions regarding the benefits of positive punishment by pet parents, trainers and some scientists as well. Empirical evidence is requisite to the scientific method. An assumption of efficacy regarding shock snake aversion training has far-reaching and possibly dangerous consequences. It may give people a false sense of security. However, it may have serious and permanent unintended and undesirable side-effects. Shock snake-aversion training seeks to instill the flight response. However, the fight or flight response is often erratic and unpredictable, i.e., the dog could “freeze”, the dog could “fight”, or the dog could easily panic and get bitten by the snake. Dr. Karen Overall PhD VMD MA DiplACVB tells us (2007), “There are no scientific studies on whether shock teaches dogs to avoid snakes, in part because the population data on the range of “normal” canine responses to snakes are lacking completely.” Snake aversion “training” has not been shown to be either a valid or reliable method of snake deterrence (see also Pages 32-34).

Science must ask and seek to answer the obvious questions: Does shock “training” do what it purports to do? What are the side-effects? On whose scale would the benefits outweigh the risks and cost to the dog and, moreover, to public safety? Behavior experts tell us that shock is easily misapplied and can traumatize animals. The San Diego Humane Society and SPCA does not endorse rattlesnake aversion training for companion animals. Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for companion animals, advises that “If people choose to work with a trainer, they must be sure that the trainer’s methods are safe. Trainers should never use electronic aids like shock collars which will hurt your dog and can damage your bond with him.” Alternative, less aversive training methods are springing up because of the need and the cry from dog lovers to find another, safer way.

Penny DiLorento owner of www.K9DogPark.com offers Snake Avoidance classes using rattlesnake sight, sound, smell, and simulations as an alternative to programs that use shock and live snakes that have had their fangs pulled out with pliers, or mouths sewn or taped shut. New courses that teach your dog to alert you immediately upon encountering a snake, similar to basic service dog training and real life scenarios of an outdoor hike, are underway with Jaimie Robinson at SnakeAvoidanceWithoutShock.com in Tucson, Arizona. For example, the sound of a rattle is the cue to come to you. We agree with Penny DiLorento, “Learning should never hurt”.

Linda Michaels, M.A, Creator of the Hierarchy of Dog Needs, and speaker is rated one of the top ten trainers in the U.S, She may be reached at 858.259.9663 or by email:LindaPositively@gmail.com for private obedience instruction and behavioral consultations near Del Mar and the San Diego Coast. Please visit us at DogPsychologistOnCall.com

Originally published in the U~T San Diego countywide newspaper, Pet School column. © All rights reserved.


5 responses to “Snake Avoidance. By Linda Michaels, M.A.”

  1. Nice article Linda.
    I would also like to add, using shock when training dogs to avoid snakes can actually backfire causing the dog to go towards the snake. In this method of training the dogs are shocked for going toward the snake. Trainers want the dog to make the association that the snake causes them to get shocked. Look at the snake= feeling pain (shock). Some dogs will actually go to the snake in reaction to the shock. “I am going to hurt the snake, before the snake hurts me.”
    Pain should never be used in training, and as the article states, trainers should use force free methods to best teach the dogs.

    • Thank you so much for pointing this out, Judy! Right — dogs can either back away or attack the animal that is perceived to have hurt them. Great point! Depending upon the temperament of the dog, so many and various types of backfiring is possible.

  2. Those of us at K9 Dog Park have been getting questions about our Snake Avoidance training. So, I put together an informative explanation for our training process.

    K9 Dog Park – SNAKE AVOIDANCE CLASS – OVERVIEW

    K9 Dog Park’s Snake Avoidance Class is positive reinforcement without the use of shock collars. It is our belief that “learning should not be painful” and we have incorporated that belief into all of our training programs. Our snake avoidance program teaches dogs to avoid “all snakes” including rattlesnakes. Our program is positive but we do teach the dog to fear snakes through the uses of Sight, Sound, Scent, and Handler Correction using the “Leave-It” command.

    Empirical data from our clients after taking K9 Dog Park’s snake avoidance class suggests that it is 100% effective. We have never had a client contact us stating that their dog, after having taken our snake avoidance class, approached a rattlesnake. Instead, every client that has reported back to us that upon encountering a rattlesnake stated that the dog avoided the snake in every case. Although this data is extremely positive, K9 Dog Park makes no guarantees that the snake avoidance training is 100% effective; this is simply the data we have received from our clients. Like all training, snake avoidance training should have ongoing reinforcement by the dog owner. We recommend that snake avoidance class be retaken on an annual basis if not reinforced regularly at home.

    Class Summary:

    For those considering taking snake avoidance training from K9 Dog Park, here is what you should expect.
    • The class generally lasts 1 ½ – 2 hours
    • Each dog attending must have a handler
    • Must have leash and collar or halter: No Pinch or Choke Collars allowed
    • The class begins indoor with a short video presentation to educate clients in general about:
    o Recognizing poisonous snakes indigenous to our area
    o Facts about snake bites
    o Education on venom effect on dogs
    o Education on anti-venom and what to do in the case of a bite
    o Information on snake-bite vaccinations
    o Dog habits around snakes
    • Train the client on the proper use of the “leave-it” command
    • Incorporate use of dead rattle and other snakes into the leave-it command
    • Move outdoors to locate dead & decoy snakes in the surroundings and teach avoidance
    • Incorporation of rattlesnake sounds, pneumatic snakes, dead snakes (for sight and scent), manikin snakes and electronic sound-makers in a created snake-like environment
    • Test the dog to verify that s/he has been trained and avoids snakes

    Sincerely, Penny and David DiLoreto
    http://www.K9DogPark.com

    • Thank you for posting this David. Both pet parents and trainers are interested in knowing more about your pioneering efforts– how it’s done and how it’s working. Go Team!

  3. I have a Baja beach house on the Sea of Cortez, about 150 miles south of Calexico, south east of San Diego. This is a desert area and is known for sidewinders.

    My 11 month old Chocolate Lab, Coco & I spend about 2 weeks a month there. If Coco was bitten by a rattle snake, I would have a 30 minute drive to try and find help. It is Mexico and I have no guarantee that a vet would be available, so it is very important that I do whatever I can to help protect Coco.

    Coco and I attended the K9 Rattlesnake Avoidance class on May 13, 2013. Because Coco was only 9 months old, I wasn’t sure how much she would learn and remember from the class.

    The first part of the class we saw a video about different snakes. This video included the rattling & hissing sounds of snakes. Coco wanted to crawl into my lap when she heard the snake sounds! This video was very informative and Penny is extremely knowledgeable and was able to help us all understand the options available for keeping our dogs safe and healthy.

    At the end of the evening, after Coco had many encounters with the scent of the snakes, I knew she “got it!” Coco and I were the first to leave at the end of class. Penny held Coco’s collar at one end of the room and I went across the room to the exit and called Coco to “come.” Coco walked all the way around the “snake pit” Penny had set up in the middle of the room! There was NO way Coco wanted to get anywhere near that snake pit!

    Two weeks later Coco and I headed south to Baja and I was feeling pretty confident that Coco would avoid snakes. Because of my need to protect Coco, I NEVER throw or encourage her to fetch sticks! I never wanted her to mistake a snake for a stick. I did like to throw the empty small plastic water bottles and she loved fetching them. Sometimes I would put a couple of small rocks in the plastic bottles so that I could throw them farther. After the class, when I put little rocks in the bottle and threw it, Coco ran after it. She picked it up and started to run it back to me. Next thing I know, she drops the bottle and RUNS back to me as fast as she can! I am wondering what happened??? In tow seconds, it dawns on me she heard the rocks rattling in the plastic bottle and drops it and runs to me! OMG! It worked!

    Needless to say, water bottles with rocks in them are now with the sticks, on the do not throw and fetch list!

    Coco has a strong sense of her “leave it” command, so that really helped in this class. I love that this class didn’t use a shock collar, I totally appreciate that.

    Many thanks to Penny for giving Coco the tools to avoid snakes and giving me the confidence that she can and will avoid them!

    Mary & Coco