Avoidance class looks for to change interest with a healthy sense of worry
A dog approaches a coiled diamondback rattlesnake on Saturday throughout a rattlesnake avoidance training program hosted by the Durango Kennel Club and carried out by expert dog fitness instructor Terry Chandler, at Sky Ute Fairgrounds in Ignacio. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
IGNACIO – As Pam Leisle led her Parson Russell terrier Razzle into the sparsely vegetated dirt premises of the Sky Ute Fairgrounds, a rattlesnake sounded its early caution system. As Razzle neared the snake, the snake’s body started to coil and the rattling magnified, growing in volume and frequency. Just as the snake started to lunge, a screeching yelp pierced the air and the terrier pulled back, shocked and upset.
Durango Kennel Club, in collaboration with expert dog fitness instructor Terry Chandler, hosted an encounter-based dog avoidance rattlesnake training Saturday. The $100 course exposes dogs to live rattlesnakes with the intent of teaching them to fear the snakes.
To prepare the snakes, Chandler says he clips their fangs and milks their venom.
“Dogs get bit by rattlesnakes because they’re curious. In our clinic, (we) replace curiosity with fear,” he said. “The next time they come across one, they’re not curious; they’ve seen it, they’ve smelled it, they’ve heard it. They know it’s dangerous and so they get away.”
During the hourlong session, each dog is exposed to a rattlesnake two times: when to teach it to fear the snake, and when to familiarize the owner with their family pet’s caution signal.
This diamondback rattlesnake is utilized for a rattlesnake avoidance training class hosted by Durango Kennel Club and carried out by expert dog fitness instructor Terry Chandler on Saturday at Sky Ute Fairgrounds in Ignacio. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
In the very first encounter, the snake is positioned outdoors, enabling the dog to come throughout it as it would on a walking or in a lawn. When the snake strikes, Chandler gently promotes the dog with a shock collar to provide it the impression that the snake is the important things that caused discomfort.
Class individual Marcy LePique said both of her dogs approached the snake on the very first encounter, driven by interest.
“They both got stricken immediately,” she said. “This is really good – they’re having real strong negative reinforcement. Now when they go up to a (rattle)snake, they’re afraid, and I’m glad they’re afraid of it.”
Professional dog fitness instructor Terry Chandler, in addition to his spouse, Janet, and granddaughter, Athena Terre, lead a rattlesnake avoidance training on Saturday at Sky Ute Fairgrounds in Ignacio. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
The 2nd time the dog is exposed to the snake, the snake is transferred to a brand-new area. Chandler calls this encounter the “retest.”
This time, he says, it is vital owners observe their dogs’ habits.
“Some dogs will jump up on the owner and kind of scratch at them, other dogs will just turn and go the other direction at a rapid pace. Some dogs will sit down and bark,” he said. “Each dog reacts different.”
Once an owner acknowledges their canine’s caution signal, they can associate it with the existence of a rattlesnake.
“Someone from my last clinic said their dog was barking in the backyard – they remembered that’s what it did in the training,” he said. “They’d lived in the desert for 25 years (and) never had a (rattle)snake on their property – they found two in their backyard.”
Banksy, owned by Jennifer Payne, approaches a coiled diamondback rattlesnake on Saturday throughout rattlesnake avoidance training hosted by Durango Kennel Club and carried out by expert dog fitness instructor Terry Chandler at Sky Ute Fairgrounds in Ignacio. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Leisle said Razzle was bitten by a rattlesnake 6 weeks back. She said the class is better than the option.
It took Leisle about an hour to see swelling in Razzle’s face, at which point she took him to the veterinarian. When the veterinarian figured out the swelling was the outcome of a rattlesnake bite, Razzle was offered antitoxin.
Claire Lodahl, a veterinary professional at Kindness Animal Hospital, said the procedure for dealing with a dog that has actually been bitten by a rattlesnake consists of an intravenous catheterization, administration of antitoxin, IV fluid assistance and blood work.
She said dogs that are available in can show a range of signs, consisting of limited breathing, and extreme and fast loss of skin, swelling and flow issues.
Rattlesnake venom attacks red cell, nullifying their capability to carry oxygen and interrupting flow, said Don Schwartz, a retired veterinary professional.
Antivenin works by binding to and reducing the effects of the venom, Schwartz said. It avoids additional damage however does not reverse any damage that has actually already been done.
Depending on the quantity of antitoxin required and the duration of stay, Lodahl said treatment can cost an owner numerous thousand dollars.
Leisle said it cost her $3,800 to save her terrier. She registered both her dogs in the rattlesnake avoidance course.
A diamondback rattlesnake is utilized for rattlesnake avoidance training hosted by Durango Kennel Club and carried out by expert dog fitness instructor Terry Chandler on Saturday at Sky Ute Fairgrounds in Ignacio. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Marcy LePique leads her dog towards a diamondback rattlesnake to make certain the puppy hesitates of the snake throughout a rattlesnake avoidance training on Saturday at Sky Ute Fairgrounds in Ignacio. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
“My goal is to avoid more snake bites,” she said. “The $100 fee for this is way worth it.”
Chandler alerts that veterinary treatment and the administration of antitoxin is not ensured to save a dog that has actually been bitten.
“I was out training in the field in Arizona, and I had a 6-month-old puppy that got bit by a rattlesnake,” he said. “I walked less than 250 yards, I put the dog in my arms to keep it calm. That 6-month-old puppy went into a death thrash in my arms and died.”
Once a dog has actually been bitten, Lodahl said it is a race versus time.
“If you think your dog has been bit, immediately rush to the vet, no matter what,” she said.
Rattlesnake vaccines are available for dogs however they do not obstruct the venom from assaulting red cell. Instead, it slows the procedure, possibly purchasing more time for treatment. Regardless of vaccination status, Lodahl said antitoxin and a fast action for getting the dog treatment is crucial.
The treatment is avoidance, Chandler said.
“Every time someone asks me, ‘Is this going to be uncomfortable to my dog?’ I say, ‘Well, it will be a little uncomfortable, but it’s a whole lot less than watching a dog go into a death thrash and die from a rattlesnake bite.’”
Professional dog fitness instructor Terry Chandler, right, discusses a rattlesnake avoidance training to class members Saturday at the Sky Ute Fairgrounds in Ignacio. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Professional dog fitness instructor Terry Chandler reconsiders a dog to make certain it hesitates of a rattlesnake throughout rattlesnake avoidance training on Saturday at Sky Ute Fairgrounds in Ignacio. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
