Un-Chase! Snakes
Teach your dog how to avoid rattlesnakes
Snakes can be scary! Teaching your dog how to avoid them keeps you and your dog safe
This training provides you and your dog with skills to respond to the presence of a snake, with a goal of preventing an encounter. During a workshop at the Canine Learning Center and subsequent 1:1 outdoor coaching sessions you will teach your dog a special alert behavior and an amazing recall, which will be put together so that when your dog encounters a rattlesnake they come running back to you and give you an alert.
The Un-Chase! Snakes class is taught in a positive, low-stress environment without the use of live snakes or shock collars. We cannot guarantee your dog will never be bitten by a snake (because there is no way to guarantee the behavior of another living being!). We do, however, give you and your dog the tools necessary to help minimize negative encounters with rattlesnakes along with the knowledge of what to do in the event you or your dog experience a snake bite.
New and improved for 2025!
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New and improved for 2025! •
Learn in person in Fort Collins!
Step 1
3-hour workshop at the Canine Learning Center
Price: $200
Teach your dog a rock solid recall and a new target behavior!
During this workshop you will use clicker training to teach your dog a new target behavior and an instant recall. During the workshop these will get put together so that you have a trained response if you see a rattlesnake. You can then work on these skills using the free app.
You will also learn about:
Snakes present in Colorado
Snake behavior and how to avoid encounters
Emergency first aid and what to do if the worst happens.
Class limited to 4 students.
Workshops repeat monthly on a Saturday from 2-5pm:
February 22
March 29
April 26
May 31
June/ July TBC
August 23
September 27
Step 2
6-8 weeks refining your skills using an app
Price: FREE
Follow along with daily videos to perfect the skills you learnt in the workshop before joining the 1:1 sessions
Free access is provided to the UnChase! Snakes course on the UnChase! app at the end of the in-person workshop. By using the app as a training guide your dog will be ready for the cue transfer sessions in 6-8 weeks.
Step 3
1:1 sessions in real-life situations
Price: $42 per session, or $200 for 5 sessions
After perfecting your skills, you can join weekly 1:1’s on Wednesday evenings. These 1:1s will teach your dog to come to you and give you your trained alert when they detect:
Snake movement
Snake odor
Snake movement + odor.
Each week we will cover movement or odor as a cue for your dog to come back to you and give you the target behavior (using rubber snakes and odor humanely gathered from captive snakes), or a combination if the dog and handler are ready for that step.
Each student will have a 20-minute slot in which they are coached with their dog in outdoor, real-life situations. We will meet in parks around northern Fort Collins.
Typically students need two sessions at each of the movement and odor steps, and then one bringing everything together (5 sessions total).
These 1:1s will be ongoing through the summer so are a great way to refresh your skills with your dog at any time.
Learn remotely from anywhere!
Purchase the UnChase! Snakes remote package and everything is included!
At the end of this 8 week course your dog will have a super stellar recall, and know to come to you and give an indication when they detect a rattlesnake, all taught using positive reinforcement and without causing harm to any snakes.
For $515 you get:
An initial 60 minute Zoom call:
Learn about what we will cover
Get important information about snakes and how to avoid them
Get started with training!
Free access to the UnChase! Snakes 8-Week Training Program on the UnChase! app. You will follow the video lessons in the app to teach your dog skills such as an emergency stop, emergency recall, and a new target behavior.
PLUS you have the opportunity to send a video for email feedback at the end of weeks 1 and 2, and you get ongoing email support.
Five 30 minute zoom sessions in the last weeks of the online course where I coach you through teaching your dog to give the trained response to snake cues.
You receive a snake avoidance teaching kit including a rubber snake and real rattlesnake odor to practice your new skills safely and teach your dog to give the trained response when they see snake movement or detect odor.
Why do you need snake avoidance training?
I am not afraid of snakes, but I have a healthy respect for rattlesnakes. Their venom can easily kill or seriously injure your dog.
Throughout the warm months your dog may encounter a rattlesnake whenever you are walking in natural areas.
Teaching your dog to come to you and give an alert when they detect a rattlesnake means you can be pro-active in avoiding a dangerous and expensive encounter.
In the photo I am handling a captive bullsnake brought to a Wilderness First Aid course for demonstration purposes. I do not condone handling wild snakes.
If you go hiking with your dog, you need this!
FAQs
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Yes. Attending a workshop is the pre-requisite for joining the 1:1 sessions. At the workshop you will learn the target and recall skills needed for a snake alert. The 1:1 sessions are where you are taught to transfer the cue for these behaviors to movement and/or odor of a snake.
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No! This training does not involve harm to snakes or dogs. It uses positive reinforcement based methods to teach your dogs the skills they need.
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Sadly not. But at the very least you will learn a rock solid emergency recall, so that if you see a snake before your dog does they will come to you and stay out of trouble.
It is considered professionally unethical to guarantee training results, as how can you guarantee the behaviour of another living being? We do guarantee that you will work with a highly credentialed instructor motivated to help you reach your training goals. We guarantee we’ll use only the most humane, modern, and scientifically proven positive reinforcement-based training methods to reach those goals. And we guarantee training with us will be a fun and positive experience for both you and your dog.
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I am a qualified biologist with a lot of experience working in areas with snakes, including rattlesnakes (all rattlesnake photos on this page were taken by me). I have also undertaken further training to become a licensed Un-Chase trainer, so I can teach the Un-Chase Snakes protocol developed by Alexis Davison. This protocol has been repeatedly tested and proven effectve in Australia, where dogs have to avoid many deadly snakes!