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. Our comprehensive snake avoidance workshop in the Adelaide Hills uses effective, reward-based methods to teach dogs how to recognise and avoid snakes safely. 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.

Don’t leave it to chance — equip your dog with life-saving skills today!

Training Paths

  • Small Group Workshop

    Our Snake Aware Workshop is a hands-on, practical training session designed to help dogs learn vital snake avoidance skills in a calm and supportive environment. This workshop focuses on building strong, safe responses around snake-related stimuli and empowering owners with clear, practical skills they can continue at home.

    This workshop is suitable for fully vaccinated dogs of all ages who are comfortable working around unfamiliar dogs and people.

    If your dog is not suited to a group environment, please book private training instead.

    📍 Venue: Sherwood Forest Reserve, Glenalta SA 5052

    ⏱ Duration: One 90-minute workshop

    📅 Upcoming Workshop Dates

    TBA

    (Spots are limited to max 6 dogs to ensure personalised coaching.)

    ✅ Pre-Requisite: Dogs must have completed Paws & Reward’s Rapid Recall Course, or another equivalent recall course.

    If you have not completed our Rapid Recall Course, please contact us before booking so we can discuss your dog’s training and suitability.

    💰 Investment: $125 per dog

    🎒 What to Bring (Essential Equipment)
    ~ 5-metre long line
    ~ Treat pouch
    ~ High-value treats (soft and smelly, e.g. roast chicken or cheese)
    ~ A 5-metre long line and treat pouch are essential for participating in the workshop.
    If you do not already have this equipment, you can purchase it at the time of booking.

    📦 What’s Included:
    ~ Paws & Reward Snake Aware E-Booklet (sent after the workshop)
    ~ A real snake shed to take home for ongoing scent training
    ~ A realistic fake snake to take home for continued practice
    ~ Personalised guidance and coaching throughout the session

    👥 Private Group Workshops
    Want to organise a private Snake Aware workshop?
    Gather 3–6 friends and their dogs, and we can arrange a session to suit your schedule.

    📩 Contact us to discuss dates and details.

    Terms & Conditions apply.

    Make a Booking

  • Private Lessons

    Prefer to learn in the comfort of your own home?
    Struggling to make group class times work?
    Does your dog feel stressed in a group environment—or do you have a cat who needs snake avoidance training too?

    If so, our Private Snake Aware Course is the perfect option for you.

    You’ll receive all the information covered in our group classes, plus personalised guidance and training strategies tailored specifically to your pet and your home environment.

    Venue: In your home, unless otherwise arranged.

    Duration: One initial 45-minute session, and one follow up 60-minute sessions.
    You select the date and time for the first session through our booking system.

    Course Structure:
    Lesson 1:
    We introduce the foundational behaviours of snake avoidance training. We’ll also discuss how to keep your home environment safe and what steps to take if you encounter a snake.

    Lesson 2:
    We build an effective behaviour chain in response to both visual and scent-based snake cues. We also cover best practices for handling odour safely to prevent contamination.

    Tuition: $400

    Optional Add-On: You can purchase a Puppingtons 5-metre recall lead for $25 as well as a good quality treat pouch for $35 at the time of booking.

    Please note: A recall lead and a treat pouch are essential for successfully completing the course, and you will need to bring both to each workshop.

    Terms & Conditions

    Make a Booking

We did the snake awareness training with our 10 month old golden retriever puppy, Margot. Lisa and Lena’s expertise and dedication to their techniques were incredible, and they were able to tailor their teaching styles to suit Margot’s needs and learning style. The hands on workshop allowed us to understand and put the concepts to practice to ensure the correct technique. We are very grateful towards Lisa and Lena for their support and guidance in Margot’s training journey!

— Gaby, Snake Aware Participant 2025

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.