06/23/2023
โฌ๏ธ FAQ: โฌ๏ธ (See INFO Pinned post as well)
โข How do we schedule an appointment? โ Most classes will require you to call the individual location to schedule your appointment time. In some cases, such as private in-home training, you can schedule with the trainer. Youโre welcome to reach out to me directly if you would like suggestions on what would be the closet / soonest classes to your location.
โข How much is training? - Most class locations are $125 per dog for new trainings. Some locations or trainers may have a small price break for multiple dogs. โ In-home private training is $500, more details in the other INFO pinned post.
โข How long does training take? โ Several minutes are spent speaking with each client before training, explaining the process, what to expect and different factors to keep in mind. On average, the course takes 10 minutes to complete; a lot can be learned in that time, no need to stress the dogs more than necessary.
โข Do we have to do this again? - Dogs are individuals and some associate and learn, faster or better than others do. Large majority of dogs do great with training, and one time is enough, but if they need to come back and go through training a second time the following month or year, that is okay! Not all dogs can be a 10-min wonder; several factors can attribute to your dogs learning, such as breed traits, age, attention span, etc.
โข How long will my dog remember this? โ Many dogs remember this training for years; some dogs need a reminder after not seeing any for a year, some dogs had no known encounters for several years, but do great on testing, some dogs simply need to come back yearly for refresher training (small %). Retests are available to check your dogโs avoidance behavior, details in the other INFO pinned post. *Or, if you run into an excessive number of snakes, Q/A below.
โข Why do you use an e-collar? โ A negative association (the shock) is used to teach the dogs to avoid the specific scent, sight and sound of the R.snakes / S.toads through our multi-point course, paired with our specialized trainers looking for unique behavior ques. The e-collars are set as needed to suit each individual dog.
โข What if my dog doesnโt notice a R.snake? โ There are several environmental factors that go into your dog noticing and avoiding a R.snake. Several environmental factors attribute to the dogโs awareness and ability to smell/see/hear the snake. Wind speed/direction, temperature, humidity and camouflaged surroundings all play a role in daily life. But, dogs are smart and will keep themselves safe; when a R.snake is detected, they will remember, and know to avoid the situation, rather than being curious and getting too close. โ Dogs present specific behaviors associated with avoidance, watching your dog during training will teach you what to look for afterwards. Recognizing their avoidance behaviors at home can keep you both safe.
โข My dog went up to a dead snake? โ This doesnโt mean training didnโt work, just that the snake is dead and therefor it is different in everyway than the living ones. The smell is different (dogs love dead stinky things, no matter what it is), it is not moving or making sound either. Simply put, we didn't train them to avoid dead snakes. โ Do still keep dogs away and use a tool to move dead R.snakes, they can still envenomate accidentally after death.
โข Does this work for all snake species or just Rattlesnakes? โ This is R.snake specific training, they have a distinct scent profile to the dog, which their venom is a big part of, they also have a sound (usually), and a posture defense. These three things make R.snakes different than non-rattlesnake species to the dogs. They have shown us time and time again that they do in fact know the difference between R.snakes and non-R.snake species of snake. Dogs are individuals though, some may avoid non-R.snakes as well, while some dogs may still show curiosity towards our harmless species of snake when encountered.
โข We encounter a lot of snakes, my dog stopped avoiding as well? โ Desensitization; when R.snakes are encountered on a frequent basis (avid hikers, field dogs, etc.) dogs can become less fearful of them since nothing bad (the e-collar shock) is happening when encountered. If this is your situation, it is recommended to repeat the training yearly to help upkeep the dogโs avoidance behavior. Keep snakes a bad thing after training, do not stay in the area where a R.snake was spotted, move away before praising your dog for avoiding. Staying in the area of a known R.snake with your dog and acting like everything is fine, taking photos or giving your dog treats, are both ways of desensitizing them to the R.snakes.
โข My dog was bitten in the past, do they still need training? โ Yes! Getting bit does not teach them to avoid if another encounter happens. Bites are not only expensive, physically horrible but also stressful for both dog and owner. Sign them up for training before the next unexpected encounter goes wrong!
โข What if my dog did this training with someone else in the past? โ Avoidance training is not all equal, there are several methods of doing this from different trainers/businesses. If your dog was trained by any of our Animal Experts associated trainers/locations, retesting or refreshers will be accepted but if the original training was done by a completely different trainer/business, the training will be considered โnew, first timeโ, as we can not speak for other trainers methods.
* See INFO pinned post for further details *
