How to Train Your Dog to Stay Away from Rattlesnakes

Hello Beverly, Most snakes have a musky type odor. For a dog with a sensitive nose, most animals in general, including species of snakes have distinct odors for each specific species. Rattlesnakes are said to have a musky odor and possibly even a cucumber like smell in their dens. You may be able to buy something like snake urine for scenting purposes online to train with. If you have dead rattlesnakes or snakes killed in your area often in general, that can (very carefully still - the venom is still there) be used to train. Don't go messing with live rattlesnakes for just this purpose for your own safety though. It might be easier to train pup to avoid all snakes using a harmless garter type snake. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello, I would use the Here Method from the guide where you submitted the question, which is this one:https://wagwalking.com/training/stay-away-from-snakes. I would also suggest that your work with Kaiser to teach him the "leave it" command. Work on it constantly and it will serve you well, not only with snakes but with other distractions that come your way. Although this guide is to do with biting, the "leave it" command is well described: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite. Practice the command 20 minutes a day and be consistent. The Down Method as described here is another one to work on: https://wagwalking.com/training/not-kill-small-animals. Teaching Kaiser to drop to a down position on your command will keep him from going after the snake. Perfect it, and practice it often! To discourage the snake from coming in your yard, get rid of piles of brush, leaves, and items that may be lying around. Clean garden sheds, and remove piles of rocks. Make sure your yard is dry and not soggy (plant grass etc) to deter the snake. Good luck!

Hello Patt, Does pup avoid the planted fake snack when it is being moved around well? But still chases the real thing. If pup is avoiding the fake snakes well - showing that the training is somewhat effective, but still going after the real ones, you might have to actually practice with a real snake - like a non-poisonous garden snake or pet store bought harmless snake (nothing dangerous!). I would try teaching an alternate behavior using positive reinforcement also first though, with the fake snake. Teach pup to do something like return to you whenever they spot a snake. Practice this with a long leash and a fake snake. With one person simulating the snake's sound and movement with string attached to it, and the other person holding the end of pup's leash and practicing reeling pup in as soon as they spot the snake, then heavily rewarding when they get to you each time. Practice this until pup automatically returns when they spot the snake during surprise training sessions. Also, check out James Penrith from Take the Lead Dog Training. He has a YouTube channel and specializes in teaching livestock killing dogs to avoid the animals. The training you need to do around snakes is similar to the livestock avoidance training. His videos will go into more in depth information on e-collar, laying the foundation for obedience commands and impulse control, and proper e-collar use to teach avoidance. Day 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgNbWCK9lFc Day 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpf5Bn-MNko&t=14s Day 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj3nMvvHhwQ Day 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxrGQ-AZylY Try all of this with the fake snakes first to see if additional training, modifying the e-collar training, and adding in a positive reinforcement element are enough (the combination of punishment for unwanted and reward for doing desired behavior instead, often works best when combined, instead of just one or the other). If those things aren't enough, the issue is probably using a fake vs. real snake. Obviously you don't want to practice with a poisonous snake, but using a harmless non-aggressive species in training might make all the difference - as long as the training techniques are also correct. Just be sure that you don't end up releasing something non-native into the environment, like a constrictor from a pet store. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden