Rattlesnake Avoidance Training Can Save your Dog

And spare you a fortune.

In summertime rattlesnakes are almost everywhere. Close to suburbs, in backyards and, of course, on off leash trails in the mountains around Los Angeles. Dogs get bitten by rattlesnakes quite often. Some are bitten more than once in a season.

This inevitably means huge vet bills.

Rattlesnake avoidance training can save your dog and a lot of your money.

During hot days rattlers stay in the shade. They come out to hunt in the cooler afternoon hours and at night. On cool days they warm up on rocks, in and under wood piles, anywhere they can hide and stay warm.

Dogs are curious about those strange critters, attracted to and fascinated by the weird noise and the strange smell. They will curiously, carelessly and quickly approach the rattler to sniff it out. Then they get bitten in the face.

The strike of a rattler is not immediately painful to the dog. Therefore, she will not refrain at once from sniffing or even snapping at the snake. Multiple strikes are a common result.

A visit to the vet is mandatory if you do not want to risk loosing your dog. Office fees are the inexpensive part. A vial of anti-venom serum will cost you between $ 600.00 and way over $ 800.00. Your dog may need more than one vial.

All in all a snake bite can cost you at least $ 2500.00. But it also can cost much, much more. I have heard of total costs of over $ 16,000.00!

The alternatives?

There are two I know of. One is an expensive rattlesnake vaccine. It is applied as a precaution to immunize the dog before he encounters a snake. But it does not keep the dog from being bitten and therefore does not eliminate the exorbitant vet costs.

The other is rattlesnake avoidance training. At $50.00 a session per dog it is actually a bargain. It also saves your dog a lot of pain and you much heartache.

How does it work?

A dog is trained to recognize and to avoid rattlesnakes by smell, sight and sound. During the training she is wearing an electro collar that is set to administer a small shock when the dog approaches a rattlesnake. The snakes are secured in double walled, snake proof cages. They will strike at the dog but can only hit the inner wall. The dog is safely out of reach but close enough to realize that something bad is going on. That's reinforced by the small shock from the collar.

Several passes may be required before the dog learns to stay away from the snake. When he does he can rest for a while. During the second part of the avoidance training the dog walks with his owner past the snake cage. He receives a small shock whenever he attempts to rush the snake. This is repeated until he stays clear of the snake. Upon successful completion of this part of the exercise, your dog can retire and rest shortly before the conclusion of the rattlesnake avoidance training.

The final exercise and test is for the owner to walk the dog on his leash towards the snake. If he refuses to approach the caged snake, he has successfully completed his avoidance training. If not, he will need to practice a little more till he gets it.

The rattlesnake avoidance clinic will keep your dog safe for several months or longer. However, repeat training is strongly suggested.

Rattlesnake avoidance training is frequently organized by organizations that promote outdoor activities or hunting. You can check with local clubs in your area for the availability of training classes. If you live in Southern California, go to http://www.ladyhunter.com/fourwinds/aboutsnakeclinic.htm for more detailed information. Google for rattlesnake avoidance classes or something like that and you will get many more trainers who offer avoidance training.

Here is another one link: http://www.patrickcallaghan.com/. Also for Southern California: http://www.kindredspiritsk9.com/snakes.html.

Any dog owner, especially those who live in the outskirts of cities or in the countryside, should expose their dog(s) at least once to a rattlesnake avoidance class.