How can you keep your dog from being bitten by a venomous snake? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer and there are no guarantees. But there are wise choices you can make to keep your dog safe.
1. Seal your yard
Neither your family nor your dog is safe from venomous snakes. Many snake bites to dogs occur on their own property. There are no spray or scatter products that have proven to be effective. Instead, consider these measures for your yard.
Remove food sources, such as:
- rodents,
- birdseed,
- crickets,
- open pet food and unsecured garbage cans.
Remove habitats where snakes may hide, such as:
- woodpiles,
- vegetation,
- underbrush
- and rocks.
- Seal holes and block entrances under your house.
Install rattlesnake safety fencing.
2. Choose where to exercise
Don’t allow your dog to walk or roam in known snake-infested areas. Some dogs have an inborn aversion to snakes, others do not and are fascinated by them.
The San Diego Natural History Museum herpetology research center advises, “Common sense is the best defense. Cultivate an attitude of alertness. Never let a dog run loose; always keep a dog leashed no matter how good it normally is.” Keep your companion animal safe and happy by providing exercise in safe environments such as an agility class, swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, dock diving, paddle boarding, shopping with you, or joining a flyball team. Use a puzzle toy, play upstairs fetch, chase a lure toy, or have your dog fetch your tennis serve into the pool! Remember, it's against the law to have your dog off-leash in many areas.
3. Treat bites as an emergency
If you live in or frequent areas where rattlesnakes roam, you might be tempted to get the vaccine. However, a retrospective study found that vaccination did not improve survival rates in vaccinated dogs that sustained moderate or severe rattlesnake bites. The greatest danger of bites overall was to dogs with lower body weight and those that received more severe bites.
Bites should always be treated immediately as a veterinary emergency. Make sure your vet carries antivenin.
4. Snake avoidance training
What’s really best for you and your dog? Many snake bites occur by inadvertently disturbing a snake. No amount of training can prevent that. Still, promotional claims, anecdotal reports, and unverifiable statistics abound about the benefits of shock training for your dog. However, there is no empirical data to support the efficacy of this training--that it does what it promises to do. It may give people a false sense of security. It may have serious and permanent side effects. Behavior experts tell us that shock is easily misapplied and can traumatize animals. The San Diego Humane Society and SPCA do not endorse rattlesnake aversion training for companion animals. According to Stephanie Shain, Director of Outreach for companion animals, "If people choose to work with a trainer, they must be sure that the trainer's methods are safe. Trainers should never use electronic aids like shock collars which will hurt your dog and can damage your bond with him."
The good news is that alternative, less aversive, training methods have been developed to meet the need to find another, safer way. Positive reinforcement-based courses can teach your dog to alert you immediately upon encountering a snake, similar to basic service dog training and real-life scenarios of an outdoor hike. For example, trainers Lynn Webb of The Proficient Pup and Ken Ramirez of Karen Pryor Academy offer positive reinforcement-based snake avoidance programs that incorporate rattlesnake recordings and recall cues.