TRAIN YOUR DOG TO DEAL WITH THAT INEVITABLE TERRITORY SNAKE ENCOUNTER
Ihad an unpleasant confrontation with a snake on my veranda during the week. I startled it and it slithered under my beer fridge. That kept me dry until I made other arrangements with the Esky. But it did make me consider what I would do when my new pup Duke encounters a “wriggler”, as he inevitably will on our goose-hunting trips.
Google was my friend and should be yours. There are plenty of sites with instructional tips and videos. There are even snake avoidance trainers in Australia. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any in the NT.
So I began to teach Duke the “leave it” command. I showed Duke a treat in the palm of my hand, saying “leave it,” then closed my hand into a fist around the treat. When Duke stopped trying to get at the treat and looked up, I said “good” and gave him a treat from my other hand. I have been repeating this exercise for 10 minutes daily and Duke is beginning to respond to it.
From there I will put Duke on a leash, making the “leave it” exercise harder by placing a treat or a favourite toy on the floor and only rewarding Duke with something tasty if he leaves it alone on command.
I’ll repeat this exercise for up to 10 minutes per day, using the leash when necessary to stop him from approaching the toy or treat on the floor, until he consistently leaves high-value treats and toys alone on command.
Next I will place a rubber snake on the ground. With Duke on a leash, I’ll walk him by the snake, close enough so he can see it, but not touch it. I’ll point to it and command him to leave it. If he doesn’t try to pull away from me toward it, I’ll reward him with a treat. If he does try to approach it, I’ll say “no” and walk him in the other direction. This will become another daily training exercise added to his retriever training.
Some time in the future I will tie a piece of monofilament around the rubber snake, approach the rubber snake with Duke on a leash and have a friend pull on the snake just a bit so it moves, mimicking the real movement of a snake.
When I encounter the snake I am told to audibly gasp (see scream, ha-ha) as loud as I can and quickly walk with Duke away from the snake. I will continue to repeat this until Duke reacts with fear around the snake and goes out of his way to avoid it.
Other tips I have read are to find a local snake keeper and see if they are happy to store my rubber snake with some live ones to impart a little “eau de Joe Blake” that Duke can begin to recognise as a smell that is out of bounds. Another website also recommended annual refresher courses. I think this will become part of my training in the lead up to each goosehunting season.
My dog run has been snake and cane toadproofed with 10mm bird mesh. The wire also overlaps the gate jamb gaps, so nothing gets in.
If the worst happens and your pet is bitten by a snake, the first thing you should do is try and quiet the animal down.
If you can, identify the snake, but don’t spend time looking for it and don’t waste time trying to kill it. Time is of the essence. Take your pet to the nearest veterinary hospital immediately. Some of the symptoms of snake bite include: • Extreme weakness and collapse • Twitching and/or shaking muscles • Vomiting • Paralysis in the later stages of snake bite poisoning
Your pet’s survival will depend on its size, how much venom was injected into its body and how quickly you seek treatment. While you cannot control the first two factors, if you act fast and get your pet to a veterinary clinic, you can maximise its chances of survival.
The NT Field and Game range at Mickett Creek Shooting Complex, Brandt Rd, Knuckey Lagoon will be open from 3pm on Fridays for those who plan ahead and pre purchase ammo and tokens. The sales desk normally opens at 5pm. The next competition is the State of Origin 75T handicap event on May 21.