Cautious canines learn about snakes

For many Americans, dogs are beloved members of the family, and one of the best ways people can keep their canines safe is to educate them to recognize danger.

Yumans and their dogs love to recreate in the nearly year-round sunshine of the desert Southwest. But that environment can pose a hazard unless precautions are taken, such as against the western diamondback rattlesnake. The reptile holds a fearsome reputation for the venom it can inflict from its bite.

Jay Smith, a professional dog trainer, has worked with his partner, Web Parton, for the past decade out of Tucson. The pair was in Yuma last Saturday to conduct an event called Snake Safe Training.

"The great thing about training is that many dog owners would have been bit by a snake if was not for their dog," Smith said. "Where people confirm things with their eyes, dogs verify things with scent and they have a great sense of smell. We're very thorough and once we work with a dog, it's trained for life."

For the past five years, Smith has been holding Snake Safe Training for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. He and Parton use venomless rattlesnakes they defang themselves to instruct the dogs.

With the help of two trainers, Smith can train up to 20 dogs per 2-1/2-hour session. With dogs on a long leash, trainers lead them up to the downwind side of snake so they can pick up on its scent and hear its rattle. Once the dog focuses on the snake, the dog will smell the snake and see it.

Then Smith applies a correction collar that can deliver an electrical current that simulates a snakebite but does not harm the dog. Most dogs yelp and back off and then trainers will commiserate with the dogs and calm their nerves.

A second part of training involves taping the snake's rattle, putting it in a mesh bag and hiding it for the dog to find by scent alone, so it will respond in the correct way.

"Most dogs get bitten in their own backyard after dark," Smith said. "If you ever seen a a dog bitten by a snake, they can swell tremendously and suffer horribly, even if they can be saved."

A dog attacked by a snake should be taken to a veterinarian who has the anti-venom serum, which can be very expensive, which is why he stresses the importance of training.

Joyce Sanford with Rescue a Golden, a dog shelter in Tucson, says Smith uses all positive methods and dogs love him.

Sanford, whose own golden retrievers were trained by Smith, said the dogs escort her on hiking trips to the desert and they act like an early warning system, swerving around the path of a snake, she said.

"Jay's fascinating to watch. You can see the dogs figuring it out," Sanford said. "You can see a little light going off in their head. They get to a point where they recognize the snake as something very unpleasant and not go near."

Sanford said one of the joys of having dogs is taking them everywhere she recreates, but she would never want to expose them to danger.

"Jay is very kind to not only dogs but the snakes as well. People think nothing of having shots for their dogs. And this training is just as important as shots."