That was a wise decision! So the dog's get a correction with the collar if they show interest in the items? We have tons of Lyme disease and other vector borne plagues, but I am very grateful we don't have any venomous snakes here.
Rattlesnake aversion training
Finally got around to taking the brothers for rattlesnake aversion training. I decided it was needed because Wilson has been taking hikes with my son and his fiancee. Wilson really loves going on these hikes, and even though he is leashed, there is still a risk of coming up on a snake. The training was handled well by both dogs. I was worried that Nike, the more sensitive of the two dogs, might shut down. This was not the case. Nike was a lot more interested in the snakes, as he has more prey drive than Wilson. Both dogs took about five minutes each with exposures to a baby snake, a snake skin and an adult. Wilson immediately reverted to a close heel position after his first zap from the electric collar. He then, tried to shove the handler away from the snake while moving away from it. He was in the "No, thank you" mode to the skin and the adult rattler. He did not get upset, and his tail was happily wagging the entire time (not excited nervous wag). Wilson's general attitude to the world is, "Oh boy, an adventure!" Nike's attitude was more like, "Oh no, snakes bite!" (literally and figuratively, ha-ha). My daughter says that Wilson learns quickly because he is smart, and that Nike takes a bit longer to learn because his emotions get in the way of his intellect. Either way, both boys got the message and will go back next year for a quick review. I doubt they will need it, but better safe than sorry.
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I think that advice is for other breeds! Poodles would certainly learn it in one session.Either way, both boys got the message and will go back next year for a quick review. I doubt they will need it, but better safe than sorry.
Hehe MF.
Hey, I think that's a great idea when you live where there are rattle snakes. Holy cow! That would worry me. That is one thing where I think E-collars are appropriate. I mean...it would be just terrible if a dog went right up to a snake. My poodles are interested in garter snakes when they see one. I wouldn't put it past Maurice especially to go for the grab. He's so prey driven...that teensy little mouse. So if I ever lived where there were poisonous snakes, I'd defnitely do what you're doing. It sounds like your dogs got right onto it.
Hey, I think that's a great idea when you live where there are rattle snakes. Holy cow! That would worry me. That is one thing where I think E-collars are appropriate. I mean...it would be just terrible if a dog went right up to a snake. My poodles are interested in garter snakes when they see one. I wouldn't put it past Maurice especially to go for the grab. He's so prey driven...that teensy little mouse. So if I ever lived where there were poisonous snakes, I'd defnitely do what you're doing. It sounds like your dogs got right onto it.
Yes, the dogs are walked up to a baby snake ( no noise, just going for the smell), and when the show interest, they get zapped. They are given a chance to mull it over and some dogs will actually need several zaps on the baby snake. The poodles were not interested in staying anywhere near that "zap". The same routine was followed for exposure to the skin and the adult snake. By the time they got to the adult Wilson was already trying to push the handler away from the snake. This is not what the training does, it is just Wilson's way of trying to get out of there while maintaining his heel. Neither of our boys was very dramatic... having volunteered at the training I know that some dogs react violently and will try to bite the handler, or kill the snake. If a dog kills the snake they require much more training as they have to know to leave the snake alone! We have seen rattlesnakes on the road that is next to our house. My mom ran over one with her big Buick (not on purpose); the snake was run over with both rear and front tires and still slithered away. We will go back next year for reinforcement, but when Sailor did the training he had it down pat in one year. The second year the trainer dismissed him, saying that it was obvious that he did not even want to be on the same field with the rattler. Smart boy! We are warned that the training only applies to rattlesnakes, but when we did the training before, the Australian Shepherds and our own dogs even eyed garden hoses suspiciously for a few days.
It's wonderful that you can participate in this kind of training - life saving training.
The cockerpoos across the street from me are fond of killing medium sized black snakes that we have locally - they aren't poisonous or dangerous.
The cockerpoos across the street from me are fond of killing medium sized black snakes that we have locally - they aren't poisonous or dangerous.
Have you done the rattlesnake venom vaccinations? My son had both of his lugnut retrievers vaccinated since he lives out in Granite Hills now! They are supposed to make the effects of a rattlesnake bite less toxic ........ hope he never has to find out!
No, I have avoided the vaccine. At one time, the vaccine had as many issues as getting bitten. It is probably improved by now... Did you see a recent article that said if your dog was bit by a rattler, you should give it benadryl while you were on your way to the vet? In theory , it makes sense- to help prevent swelling, but I just never thought of benadryl in a snake emergency. Bees, wasps, and fire ants, but venomous snakes? Since you would already be on your way to get veterinary help, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Something else to add to my "go to" bag in the van, for the dogs. Hah, the "kids" have all used my emergency dog bag for themselves a lot more than the dogs. They probably figure if it is good enough for the poodles , it is great for humans.
They make liquid Benadryl - that's what I would use - something that goes into effect as quickly as possible - buying time till you get to the vet.
I keep liquid Benedryl (as well as liquid gas drops) in multiple places - at home, in my trial bags, etc. You never know what a dog could have an allergic reaction to and when it might be helpful whether or not you determine a vet visit is also needed after administration. When we used to trial outside, dogs getting stung by bees was fairly common for instance.
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