TRAINING DOGS TO SENSE SNAKES

other animals, but scientists tell us that dogs have a special chamber in their nasal system that can collect scent particles.

The scent particles stay there, in the chamber, even after the dog has exhaled. Dogs have a special organ called Jacobson’s Organ and this extra sensory organ allows the dog to taste the smell. This makes a dog’s sense of smell extra special. They have a memory for smells. Dogs become masters at recognizing the smells in their surrounding area and like to ‘read’ the signs of new smells as they explore and remember the smells of their area.

The first step to take would be some obedience training to ensure your dog pays attention to your command if they should meet a snake. Knowing the command of ‘leave it’ or ‘stay’ would be very important if you like to take your dog on country walks or hiking.

or what is also known as aversion training to stop your dog from going after snakes. It is probably best to get an expert or a behaviorist to assist with this kind of training and it may be hard to go through with shock collars and intense aversion tactics. However, if there is a real danger from snakes in your area, it may save your dog’s life. This would be a personal choice, but aversion training would prevent your dog from wanting to tackle a snake because they remember what happens when they are near a snake.

Labradors have been trained to sense the presence of pythons in the Everglades to solve the Everglades' problem with the Burmese Python. The Auburn University Eco Dog Detection program has trained Labradors to use their swimming skills and their sense of smell to detect the invasive pythons.

Scientists have been impressed by the canine sense of smell and investigations have shown just how special this sense really is. We know that dogs' sense of smell is far more sensitive than many

There are some areas of the outdoors that are more susceptible to having snakes in their surrounds. Find out what to expect from the area you are planning to walk in. Dogs will usually get bitten on their noses and faces as they curiously sniff out the snake they sense.

It is possible to get desensitizing training

The dogs have been trained to approach the pythons safely and their track record is impressive. A 92% success rate and added to that the Labrador can swim for 5 miles before having to stop. They have been top dogs on the team for search and trapping the pythons.