Snake Aware

A training program to protect dogs from snakes and snakes from dogs

Snake avoidance training can be a lifesaver for dogs that live in areas with venomous snakes. Learn snake avoidance in this 3-week course using effective positive reinforcement training for teaching dogs to detect, indicate, and avoid snakes. In addition to snake avoidance, you'll learn how to adapt these methods to safeguard your dog from other environmental hazards, including kangaroos, foxes, and other wildlife. Keep your dog safe and prepared with our comprehensive snake avoidance training.

Snake Aware Group Class

Equip your dog with essential snake avoidance skills in a safe, supportive environment. This course is designed for dogs of all ages who are fully vaccinated and comfortable around unfamiliar dogs and people. If your dog isn’t suited for a group setting, you’re welcome to attend as an observer.

Venue: Blackwood Uniting Church

Course Overview: This three-week course combines hands-on training with expert guidance to ensure your dog learns life-saving snake avoidance behaviours. Detailed training notes are provided after the first and final lessons.

Week 1 (1 Hour):

  • Learn foundational behaviors critical for effective snake avoidance.

  • Explore strategies for creating a safe environment in snake-prone areas.

  • Understand what to do during a snake encounter.

Week 2 (30 Minutes):

  • Review and reinforce foundational behaviours to ensure progress.

Week 3 (1.5 Hours):

  • Develop a reliable behaviour chain in response to visual and scent-based snake cues.

  • Dive into advanced odor-handling techniques to prevent contamination.

Tuition

  • Attendance with Dog: $210

  • Observer Spot (No Dog): $100

Course Availability:

  • 13 January 2025 at 5.30pm. Please note that every lesson will be held at Sherwood Forest Reserve in Glenalta. There will be no lesson on the 27th of January. Thus, the course dates will be 13/1, 20/1, and 3/2.

Looking for a private option? Gather 3–6 friends with their dogs, and we’ll organize a private group session. Contact us for details!

Terms & Conditions apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • It absolutely is! There are trainers all over the world who are using these techniques successfully to keep their dogs safe from snakes.

    If we use aversive pain-based methods, such as shock collars, we are hoping that the pain that is inflicted when the dog sees the snake teaches the dog to fear snakes. However, it does not teach the dog which behaviour we want him to do.


    Fearful situations induce the fight, flight, or freeze response. With aversive methods, people are hoping that the dog chooses the flight response. However, it is not unusual for a dog to choose the fight response instead. The dog will then attack the snake instead of avoiding them after such training! The dog wants the scary thing to go away, so they use aggression to try to make the snake go away!

    Furthermore, when pairing a painful experience with a particular stimuli (e.g. snake) we want the dog to fear the stimuli. However, other stimuli are also present during such training, including the dog’s lead, harness, the owner, other people, other dogs etc. It is common for dogs to associate the owner, the lead, and other things present during the training with the pain they feel. Thus, many dogs become anxious around their owners or the presence of their lead after aversive training.

  • If we focus on telling our dog what not to do, they still have a range of behaviours available that they can do. For example, they might freeze close to the snake, run around the snake, or bark at the snake. By focusing on what our dog should not do, we are letting our dog decide what to do instead. They may not make the right decision!

    This course will teach your dog what to do, so that they are equipped with a safe behaviour when they see or smell a snake. Through this training, the snake becomes a cue to tell your dog what to do when they see a snake.

  • No. It is too much of a risk to the snakes and the dogs. Furthermore, the training can be quite stressful for the snakes who would have to be handled and removed from their usual habitat.

    During the training we will use rubber snakes and scent gathered from Snake Catchers Adelaide of various venomous snake breeds.