This morning, Kali went to rattlesnake avoidance school. It was a private (no other dogs) lesson.
There were two cages containing Western Diamondback rattlesnakes.
The instructor put a shock collar on Kali and put her near a cage. .
Kali has no fear but she received one shock. I didn’t raise a dumb terrier-all it took was one.
Kali now avoids the snakes
It wasn’t that bad-she wanted to get out of there but was fine in the car and back home. On the 24th, she’ll get her final exam when we take a walk in the wild behind the trainer’s house and there will be a snake in a cage that’s camouflaged and hidden. If she avoids it-she’s good to go. She routinely sticks her nose into every bush and has to investigate every critter. The slight pain she experienced is small compared to what would happen if she got bitten by a snake. Not to mention the pain and heartache that Kaci, the peeps, and I would suffer if we lost her. This won’t cramp her “great hunter” style and is only effective for rattlesnakes, not even for other snakes. The rattlers are the ones that can cause injury and death here. There are other kinds of snakes here, but they’re not poisonous.
kylascott 
I hope Kali will pass her final exam. It’s not comfy for a little doggy to get a shock but to get bitten by a snake would be the worst and much more painful. Please be careful all it would be horrible when something would happen to you… I’m off now to look for my mom who ran screaming away, even the photo was a shock for her ( and she wears no collar) :o)
Hey Mom-it’s in a cage, 8 times away from you.
That ought to calm her down, Easy. However, when your dinner is late, pull out the picture and threaten her.
You are doing what is necessary. Good for you and good for her.
Have a woof woof day. 🙂
She took it like a trooper.
Well done Kali, we rather you have a shock now, than the shock of being bitten by a snake..Treat’s all round 🙂 xxxoxxx
Kali’s mad because Kaci and I also got the treats and didn’t have to go through the pain.
Yeah but youz wize and clever Kyla.. You’d be BBQueing a snake BOL xxxx
Your choices are shock/snake or life. Kali picks life in the desert without parole. Somehow it seems like you should have another choice.
Maybe it should be city life.
Sweet William The Scot
Not Kali-what’s to hunt in the city? Ants? Ants are really challenging.
Oh boy. She’s no dummy that one!
She learned how to use the doggy door with no human help. They were going to give her lessons the next day but she was already going out and coming in.
That’s our girl! Woot!
They should have bufo avoidance classes in FL. We hope that you get your diploma.
She bets her life that she does. I wish all politicians had shock collars that activated when they lied. Scratch that, there wouldn’t be enough electricity left for the rest of us.
Good luck to Kali. I used to live in western Florida near Pensacola so those types of snakes were everywhere. Wish they had classes like that for the public.
You had Western Diamondbacks in Florida? I knew about coral snakes, copperheads and water moccasins.
Yes.
I had no idea this type of school existed! They should offer classes here…there are rattlers around here every summer. You sure know how to raise smart pups!
oxox
Daisy
I bet they do have classes there if there’s a danger.
Glad she passed. Snakebites are bad!
Noodledog
But the final exam is at the end of the month.
That is just fascinating. We’re glad you went Kali – we’d hate for anything to happen to you. Now make sure you review all your notes before your final exam…and ask your peeps for an extra treat or two to keep you going while you’re studying.
Wally & Sammy
There are no notes and no preparation. Without any coaching, Kali will be walked in the desert and go past a snake in a cage that is hidden to her sight. By smell, she should try to go the other way to avoid the snake. Usually snakes don’t strike unless provoked or hunting (Kali is too big for a snake’s dinner).
Well done Kali!
Now if we could just channel that intelligence into something useful.
We’ve been looking for that class! May I asked where you went?
Monty and Harlow
See the post of 3/26, “Kali is going to school”. There’s a link there. The instructor might know of one in your area if you contact him.
I see you’ve put a healthy fear of rattlesnakes in Kali. Stay safe.
We’d rather see her fear them than attack them. One even got into the dog run last August.
Glad she learned so quickly. Just hope she isn’t afraid of crates…BOL!
XXXOOO Bella & Roxy
She is! At least those crates that smell like rattlesnakes.
So glad she is a quick learner. I bet she passes her finals with flying colors.
Aroo to you,
Sully
We do also-one less worry never hurts.
Hi we are new over here and we think that is a necessity that Kali avoids the rattlesnakes so paws crossed it worked and she passes her test with flying colours. See you next post. Have a fabulous Friday.
Best wishes Molly
BTW just to save you time we do not see replies on blogger so no worries. Only saying as we see you make such a kind effort to reply to your comments.
I feel that if someone took the time and effort to read and comment on my stuff, I can acknowledge that I saw it. The best scenario is when a reader learns something from the post and I learn something from the comment.
Let’s see what wins out: The lesson or the Terrier!
Knowing Kali, it’s the terrier.
We’ll have to have Angus talk to her. He can testify first hand that getting bitten by a snake is not as fun as they make it out to be.
[…] this month, Kali took private lessons in rattlesnake avoidance class. Today was the final exam. First there was a camouflaged cage that contained a […]