Avoidance is
job for dogs in rattlesnake class
By Lori Bledsoe
For The Alpine Sun
LAKESIDE — Lakeside kicked off this summer’s first East County Rattlesnake Avoidance Training for dogs. Patrick Callaghan, of Gameland Kennels Dog Training Center, located in Norco, CA, has been training dogs in rattlesnake avoidance for over twenty years.
His company has already completed eleven weekend clinics in Southern California this year and is endorsed by many, including the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, the Hidden Valley Obedience Club, and the San Diego and Riverside Chapters of Quail Unlimited. The training has earned them the "Best of Los Angeles 2004 Award" for "Best Dog Safety Classes" and has been featured on the television series "Venom ER," and "Animal Planet."
Callaghan offers clinics around the county for dog owners who would like their dogs to have a definite awareness of rattlesnakes.
Last weekend’s clinic, held in Lakeside near Highway 67, was packed with dog owners and their dogs, who had either never been through the training, or had been through previously and were back for refresher courses.
Mike Thometz, of Campo, has been involved in this training for years and said, "I’ve run a lot of dogs through this course and I can definitely tell when a dog has been trained before. The dog knows exactly what is going on and wants nothing to do with it [the snake]."
Callaghan’s training procedures are based on practices that he has been personally employing in his dog training business for over 45 years.
He and his wife, Shirley, take this work very seriously, because what they are doing is helping to prevent injuries, not only to dog owners, but to the dogs as well.
The premise behind Callaghan’s training is to safely and humanely imprint the rattlesnakes scent in the dogs’ minds so that they are very aware of what that scent is, and then make sure the dog will actively avoid that scent. This is a three-step process that has proven successful for years, Callaghan said.
The first phase is a scent, sight and sound recognition stage.
Callaghan uses real live rattlesnakes for his clinics, because, as he says, "Nothing smells like a real live rattlesnake. Dogs need to learn that smell and avoid it."
Drew Pruitt, from Quail Unlimited, said "The rattlesnakes have been milked, had their fangs clipped, and are muzzled."
These precautions ensure that the rattlesnakes are harmless to the dogs and handlers, but they still have the scent and sound that dogs need to recognize them. Callaghan himself handles the snakes, directs the dog training, and has neutral handlers to help with the dogs.
Once a dog has demonstrated that he recognizes the snake, is aware of its presence, and wants to avoid
it, he moves on to the second stage, which is a reinforcement of scent. Once the dog again shows appropriate avoidance behaviors, Callaghan moves him to the final phase.
The third and final phase involves an alerting behavior that will teach the owners what behaviors to look for when their dogs sense a live rattlesnake.
Rattlesnake Avoidance Training is imperative for dogs to actually avoid a rattlesnake. Dogs, by nature, are curious creatures that are jovially interested in everything around them. Unless they are taught that something is dangerous, they will not naturally avoid it.
A rattlesnake’s venom produces delayed symptoms that can take up to five hours before it affects a dog. Because of this symptom delay, the dog doesn’t associate the pain of the symptoms to the snake that bit it. So, even if a dog has been bitten previously, this does not ensure that he will be wary of another rattlesnake. Callaghan’s avoidance training gives the dog immediate association with the rattlesnake and the desire to avoid it.
Callaghan said that, to be successful in this training, experience is a must. He is a dog trainer by trade and works with dogs every day of the year.
Because of his vast experience with dogs, he can ascertain which training method works best with the different personalities and temperaments of the dogs he handles.
He said he has learned over many years how to handle both the dogs and snakes, professionally, effectively and humanely, to deliver the best dog training possible, so his clients can be assured that their dogs will avoid rattlesnakes and alert owners to its presence.
Callaghan’s wife, Shirley, said, "Be careful of amateur herpetologists saying they can train your dogs to avoid a rattlesnake."
Both Callaghan and his wife agree that it is the ability and experience to train dogs that is important here, and not interest or ability in handling snakes.
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