By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY
Senior Writer
Located in nearby Dart Canyon, Crestline’s own Double Dog Ranch will be offering a rattlesnake avoidance training event for dogs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 21 at their ranch, located at 575 Dart Canyon Road.
This dog is wary of a nearby rattlesnake. (Photo by Douglas W. Motley)
According to ranch Manager Kelly Holcomb, there are still a few openings available at a cost of $80 per dog. Call (909) 338-8383 for more information or to reserve a spot for your dog.
This will be the only training event at Double Dog Ranch for this year. If it turns out they are sold out, contact Natural Solutions Wildlife Enterprises at (760) 464-6792 or (760) 464-6793, as they have other training events occurring throughout Southern California.
The training, which is expertly performed by experienced trainers from Natural Solutions Wildlife Enterprises, begins by introducing your dog to a small, live, muzzled, juvenile rattlesnake native to the mountain area (usually the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake). This allows your dog to make the proper association of the danger involved with the snake in a non-threatening or intimidating introduction to the process. This facilitates more curiosity and less initial concern of the new animal in their environment, putting your dog in a better psychological state for learning.
The trainer then installs a low-level electronic stimulation collar to make the dog think that the interesting creature they’re staring at, smelling or wanting to pick up causes an uncomfortable sensation whenever they are near the snake, thereby beginning the aversion process. The dog soon realizes that the snake is making them uncomfortable, not the human. This way, a dog is more likely to avoid snakes when alone or out and about.
All snakes used at an avoidance training are safely muzzled. (Photo: Dou
The next step involves using a freshly shed rattlesnake skin kept in with their snakes to retain the live-snake odor. This helps the dog identify the scent-based aspects of rattlesnakes, apart from seeing the snakes in the wild. The dog is then introduced to the sound of the rattlesnake’s warning rattle, again independent of seeing the snake. A real rattlesnake rattle is mounted on a remote device and hidden inside a false rock. When the trainer triggers the sound and your dog exhibits interest in it, a low-level electronic stimulation convinces your dog that the sound causes discomfort, which causes the dog to make a safe retreat.
The final step in the aversion process involves introducing your dog to a safely muzzled, adult rattlesnake that has been placed in the return path in as natural a setting as possible and encouraged to behave naturally. The trainer then will try to guide your dog toward the adult rattlesnake. Your dog may identify the snake from a distance, using what it has learned from the other steps in the process. The trainer will ask the dog owner to call for it. When the dog identifies the snake and recognizes the danger it poses and retreats from it, your dog has successfully passed the training.
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