Man training dogs to steer clear of rattlesnakes

Hikers and campers on the west side of the Cascades don’t
have to worry about rattlesnakes, but head over the
mountains and you’re in rattlesnake country.

Not only do you need to be aware of how to avoid
them, but your dog should know to avoid them too.

Darel Ansley has a service that can teach dogs this
valuable lesson. He is offering a rattlesnake avoidance
class at the Beaver Lake Off-Leash Park in Sammamish on
Saturday.

He uses a real snake in a strike-proof cage and
shock collar to teach the dogs.

“I have the owner walk the dog up, show him the snake and
so the dog is curious about it and how dogs investigate
everything is they smell,” says Ansley.

Once the dog gets close to the snake, Ansley hits the
shock collar.

“So they’ve got that pain association with that smell,”
says Ansley.

He says it usually only takes one time for the dog to get
the message.

“This is simple because all we do is associate a sharp
pain with the smell of a rattlesnake,” says Ansley. “Once
they do it, that dog is pretty well good for life as far
as avoiding rattlesnakes.”

Ansley tests the training, by hiding the snake to
see how well the dog can pick up the scent. He also does
this so the owner can see how the dog reacts.

“I want the owner to see how their dog demonstrates fear
of something dangerous,” says Ansley. “Some dogs will just
flat sit down, some will run away, some will just lick
their chops and look away. They all have different
reactions.”

Knowing the dog’s reaction helps the owner too.
If he or she notices that reaction in the wild, they know
a rattler is nearby and they can go in a different
direction.

Snakes don’t just bite dogs. They bite humans,
too. About 8,000 people are bitten each year in the U.S.