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newsletter on June 2005.
K9 Snake Proofing
"Snake proofing" is an inaccurate term for what the dog actually is taught at a snake
proofing session. Snake avoidance is a more accurate term. We are also making the
assumption that we are talking about pit vipers (rattlesnakes) which, with the
exception of the coral snake, are the only snakes that are harmful to dogs in Arizona.
What the dog is actually learning is to recognize a snake by sight, sound and
hopefully, scent, and that the snake is something to leave alone.
The vast majority of dogs get themselves into trouble when involved with snakes
through their own curiosity. Snakes do not actively seek out a dog to bite. A dog is
much too big for a snake to hunt and as far as the snake is concerned they are in
danger of being eaten themselves. They rattle at the dog and try to move away, all of
which actively attracts the dog. The dog goes in to investigate what is going on and in
the process is bit in the face. While I do not have an exact figure, I can easily say that
of the people I have had discussions with, that this is where most the dogs have
been bitten. I can only think of two cases where the dog was bit any place other then
the face. In one of the cases the dog was bit 3 times, twice in the face and once in the
chest. That dog also killed the snake in a long battle which makes it the exception to
the rule. The other case the dog was bitten on the front foot and had probably
unknowingly stepped on the snake.
What generally happens is the dog hears or sees a snake which is minding its own
business. The dog goes in to check it out and is bitten in the face. Curiosity kills
more then the cat in this case.
What can we do to prevent this? First we must get rid of the curiosity factor and teach
the dog to understand that the snake is a bad thing and to leave it alone.
So how do we do this ?
We build a negative association with the snake through the use of an electronic
collar. The dog is allowed to "discover" the snakes on their own, in a controlled
environment with the snakes safely kept in a double walled cage. The dog is
naturally attracted to the sound snakes make and sight of their movement. Some
dogs will also investigate this "discovery" by trying to smell it as well. This is where
the "hopefully" comes in from earlier. Not all dogs naturally use their nose to
investigate, some breeds have very poor scenting ability like bulldogs or rely on sight
like the greyhound.
When the dog is completely focused on the snake, they are given an electric shock.
Dogs learn by association, so what ever they are doing at the time of the correction,
to them, is the source of the electric shock. Depending upon which study you read,
dogs have anywhere from 1/10 to just over 1 second of association to an event, with
most experts putting it at about 1/2 a second. So timing is everything. The correction
must be given at the exact instance that the dog is focused on the snake.
Once the dog understands that the snake is what caused the electrical shock, we
then build an avoidance reaction. We do this by exposing the dog to the snake and
giving a smaller shock every time the dog looks at the snake. As soon as the dog
realizes that even the sight of a snake will get him a correction he is done training.
Finally we test to see if the dog understands everything we want him to. We take him
for a short walk which allows him to calm down from the stress we have just put him
through. We evaluate how he walks with the handler. If he calms down and is
walking nicely on leash, we can ascertain that he has not related the event to the
handler and the handler is not the source of the correction. We then walk him by a
second cage with snakes in it.
As soon as the dog realizes there are snakes in the area it should show an
avoidance reaction. The dog should move away from the snake but all dogs are
different like all people are different. Some dogs will run, dragging the handler along
behind. Some dogs will move to the opposite side of the handler, putting the handler
between them and the snake. These dogs have usually had a lot of obedience and
are moving to a "safe place" next to the handler. Then there is also the dog that does
the "ostrich head in the sand". They know the snake is there but do not even look in
the snakes direction. We know they realize it is there by watching the ears and other
body language. While all these reactions are different, they are all acceptable. What
we absolutely do not want is that dog to move towards the snake once they realize it
is there. Moving towards the snake means the dog doesn't understand the training
they just went through.
So what do you do if, in spite of all this, your dog still gets bitten? Seek immediate
medical help. There are a number of 24 hour emergency vet clinics, find out where
they are and know how to get there. A snake bite is not generally immediately fatal.
Usually what first happens is there will be an enormous amount of swelling in the
bite area. This swelling can close off the airway and cause suffocation. This swelling
usually happens within 4 hours of the initial bite. Then over the course of weeks
tissue where the venom has perfused will die and sluff off. This area is extremely
prone to infection and gangrene. There is rare situation where it is possible for the
venom to be injected directly in to a vein. In this case the venom would travel directly
to the heart and death can be almost instantaneous. So in a strange sort of way we
are lucky that most dogs are bitten in the face as there are no major veins in the face
& snout area leading back to the heart. That is why it is rare that a dog dies as a
direct cause from a snake bite.
The snake proofing training is only effective if your dog knows that the snake is there.
From personal experience I have seen dogs that I know are 100% snake proofed
miss seeing snakes that just lay there quietly not moving or rattling. But snakes
donÕt always rattle before striking. In this case the anti-venom inoculation is their
best protection.
In the past several years a new anti-venom inoculation has come out on the market.
It has really hit the market big this year with a number of vets now recommending it.
The shot is cheap (about $20 each) and is supposed to be the equivalent of 1 or 2
vials of anti-venom in the treatment of a snake bite (anti-venom is $200 and up per
vial assuming the vet has a stock on hand). Treatment for a snakebite usually runs
between $800 to $3,000 dollars depending on the number of vials of anti-venom
needed and the time spent at the vets office.
So as a dog owner and trainer I personally recommend taking every possible
precaution. I snake proof my dogs and I get them the anti-venom inoculation. This
way I know I have done everything I can do to protect them.
Michael Wiederhold of Rio Verde K9 has snake proofed over 1000 dogs in the past 7
years. He is currently a member of SONORAN Search and Rescue as a K9 handler.
His dog, Wicca is a state certified cadaver dog and is also certified through NASAR
(National Association of Search and Rescue) as a SARTech 3 Wilderness K9 and
HRD K9. He can be reached at 480-471-7499 for questions regarding SNAKE
PROOFING and obedience training.
