HOW IS THE TRAINING DONE?

Reliability is paramount for a safety-based behaviours such as snake avoidance.

To discourage dogs from engaging in dangerous behaviours, consequences must be associated with their actions so that they are less likely to repeat those behaviours in future. Since constant supervision is impractical, Snake Avoidance Training should not be dependent on the presence and interference of a human. A remote training collar (E-collar) is required to provide a correction (consequence) that the dog can associate with the snake, rather than the dog trainer.
 
Live snakes, under strict safety conditions, are essential for effective snake avoidance training; anything else is simply not suitable. For a dog to generalize the avoidance behaviour, understanding it should avoid all snakes in all locations, exposure to at least 8 different snake species in 8 different locations is required. This aligns with canine learning principles. Additionally, training should address snake odour and movement avoidance separately and combined for comprehensive understanding.
 
Our training program consists of two sessions. The second session is essential to avoid overwhelming your dog, test retention of the prior lesson, and change location. It is possible that a dog may learn to associate a snake with a consequence in 1 session, however it is best practice not to rely on this outcome.

WE TAKE YOUR DOG'S SAFETY SERIOUSLY

Snakebite stands as the second most common cause of violent death in Australian dogs, behind road trauma. In Australia, around 8,000 dogs are treated for snake bites annually. Sadly, many incidents occur when owners are not present, and this number doesn't account for those that never make it to the vet. Without proper training, 95% of dogs naturally engage with snakes out of investigation, playfulness, or prey drive. Unfortunately, snakes perceive this approach as a predator attacking and may strike in defence. Our program aims to teach dogs that snakes aren’t fun to engage, making it more likely they will choose to avoid them in future.

Reliable snake avoidance training is crucial for your dog’s safety. Using inferior methods can undermine the effectiveness of the training. That’s why our program employs the most up-to-date, scientifically sound techniques to achieve reliable snake avoidance. Our program works on the principal that your dog learns to make its own decision to stay away from snakes, so that it will avoid them even when you’re not around.

ABOUT

Our training program was developed by expert dog trainer Seth Pywell. Seth is widely considered Western Australia’s best dog trainer and has been training and reconditioning dogs for over 20 years, specialising in canine behaviour modification, scent detection, protection training, and obedience training. The program was originally developed in the late 90’s for Working & Hunting dogs, then later modified to suit Search & Rescue Dogs. The program has been continually refined over the years to ensure it uses up-to-date, scientifically sound methods which maximise your dogs’ potential for learning. Field testing of the training has also been used to eliminate any weaknesses and produce the most reliable snake avoidance training system available today.

A dog owner’s understanding of snakes and their behaviours shouldn't be overlooked as a component of the training. Fundamentally, snakes will try to avoid dogs since they do not see them as food, but as potential predators. Ultimately, snakes do not want to get into confrontations; it compromises their survival by potentially leading to injury or death. Snakes will try to get away from your dog and use the time provided by the avoidance training to leave your property or find somewhere safe to hide. 

FULL TERMS AND CONDITIONS