Snake Sensors

[owned by toys]

Am moving to rural Vic soon and have concerns about snakes. Thought about getting snake sensors for the dogs yard and wanting thoughts and advice from those who already use them and who are the best suppliers to contact.

Just not sure whether they do actually work.

[Sue Brown]

Am moving to rural Vic soon and have concerns about snakes. Thought about getting snake sensors for the dogs yard and wanting thoughts and advice from those who already use them and who are the best suppliers to contact.

Just not sure whether they do actually work.

Iam convinced they work!

But I am sure others on this forum will tell you they don't.

You will just need to make up your own mind, Personally i wouldn't risk not having them.

What type of snakes will be in your new area?

[owned by toys]

Hi Sue

Thank you for your reply - I understand what you say, just trying to get general feedback and good/bad suppliers.

What prompted this is a 5'brown was killed on neighbours property last weekend. They do have many birds which I know would attract the snakes more than my Toys but it really made me think about the sensors.

Myself and the dogs are city people and I do worry for them but just wondered if these sensors do what they claim.

[sandgrubber]

Try a search on the forum. This was discussed at length last year, including some links to snake forums (where the people regarded the sensors as poppycock). I concluded that it was better to snakeproof through e-collar training than it was to buy some system that may or may not work.

Edited February 1, 2010 by sandgrubber

[owned by toys]

Thank you for your thoughts sandgrubber I searched the forum before posting but couldn't find anything - but I am not that good on computers so probably didn't do it right.

My dogs will be in a large yard and not let run riot around the small acreage so not sure whether the ecollars will suit - think both them and myself are a bit beyond retraining for collars.

[gundoglover]

Yes, I believe that they do work. However they also fail without warning.

[owned by toys]

Thanks gundoglover - that is also a concern - there isn't much too them, they look like a frisbee with plastic film and batteries, doesn't look like you get much for $160 each.

This is why I have asked here to get feedback good and bad.

Was OK until the neighbour found one

[sandgrubber]

Thank you for your thoughts sandgrubber I searched the forum before posting but couldn't find anything - but I am not that good on computers so probably didn't do it right.

My dogs will be in a large yard and not let run riot around the small acreage so not sure whether the ecollars will suit - think both them and myself are a bit beyond retraining for collars.

Here's the previous thread . . . hard to find cause they were talking about snake repellants not snake sensors . . . but I think that's what you are talking about.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...Snake+Repellant

I especially enjoyed the links to the herpetology / snake forums.

Eg

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/austral...ic-fence-117468

mostly snake lovers cracking jokes about what rubbish they devises are . . . someone apparently did some testing . . . copying the post.

25-Aug-09, 11:37 AM

Snake Handler

. . .

We obtained a few of them from people who had tried them in the past, turned them on and observed what our snakes did....over about two hours the snakes moved over them, around them, past them and totally ignored them. In my opinion they are about as useful as chemical repellents!

An e-collar (remote training type) would be best used to teach your dog that snakes are something it doesn't want to get near. This has the great advantage that it should work when you're out on a walk . . . or visiting Auntie Jill. If the dog associates turning its head toward a snake with getting a buzz or a shock it will make a wide circle around them. The problem is that the training requires a snake, and an e-collar.

Edited February 1, 2010 by sandgrubber

[owned by toys]

Thank you sandgrubber for taking the time to send the links, I couldn't find what i was looking for so that's why I have asked here.

Just a wee problem with the collars, I have a few more than one dog and they are toys that have only worn show leads and wouldn't know what a colour was so I think we are all beyond help for training.

They are all well behaved when we walk around the place. The yard is my concern, I wanted the fence to be done in colourbond thought that might help stop the snakes,but OH wanted the dogs to be able to look out so we have a beautiful lattice type fence that looks great but the damn snakes could fit through if they want to.

I have a couple of dogs who are fearless and don't know how small they are - these are city dogs, sorry I am talking myself into paranoia.

Taken a deep breath and feeling better - thank you again will go and read the links, may offer some help.

[Keyarna]

I'm a member of that reptile forum, I would sooner believe the advice given by us snake owners, after all we are the ones with snakes and we know how they react to the devices. I personally haven't tested one but many people have with no effect, the snakes don't care!

[OSoSwift]

I remember reading somewhere you needed colourbond cemented 60cm's into the ground, 6 feet above. All gates closing firmly into angle iron frames. No things at all near the fence to be used to gain entry. Bricks are quite easy for a snake to climb.

When I finally get my fenced house yard it will be fenced as above.

Edited February 1, 2010 by Rommi n Lewis

[gillybob]

If you keep your yard well mowed, no rubbish on the ground or water laying about.

Will help cut down the reasons a snake might come into your yard.

[Sue Brown]

Try a search on the forum. This was discussed at length last year, including some links to snake forums (where the people regarded the sensors as poppycock). I concluded that it was better to snakeproof through e-collar training than it was to buy some system that may or may not work.

Just wondering how the e-collar would help if the snake came into a dogs yard/run?

[Sue Brown]

Yes, I believe that they do work. However they also fail without warning.

You can hear the buzz noise they make so can change the batteries once they go flat. Also use better batteries than the ones that come with the product.

[Sue Brown]

Thanks gundoglover - that is also a concern - there isn't much too them, they look like a frisbee with plastic film and batteries, doesn't look like you get much for $160 each.

This is why I have asked here to get feedback good and bad.

Was OK until the neighbour found one

If you are still looking for them their is places that sell them cheaper than $160, google sentinel snake repeller

[Sue Brown]

Apparently snakes can't climb shade cloth so you could use around fences.

Also Point to note about the snake repellers, you may have problems with resident snakes ( snakes already living in the area, i.e. under house or in a shed etc ) They are best for snakes coming into or through your property, so i guess this could be why pet snakes are unaffected, but i assume it's not pet snakes you are worried about.

Good luck with it all

[Aidan]

Just a wee problem with the collars, I have a few more than one dog and they are toys that have only worn show leads and wouldn't know what a colour was so I think we are all beyond help for training.

I would advise that you hire a professional if you wish to attempt snake aversion training. It is not difficult to desensitise the dog to the collar, but it must be done so that the dog does not come to view the collar as a cue to avoid snakes (the point is for the dog to avoid snakes while NOT WEARING THE COLLAR). Only one collar is required, and the trainer should be able to provide it. You may also require a few "dummy collars" which are not active.

Any training is done in a CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT to ensure efficient and effective learning. Also for the welfare of both the dogs and the snakes used in the training procedure.

If a wild snake comes into your yard, so long as your dogs avoid it the snake will generally avoid them. A reptile expert can advise which snake species and times of year they are more likely to be aggressive in your area.

[sandgrubber]

Try a search on the forum. This was discussed at length last year, including some links to snake forums (where the people regarded the sensors as poppycock). I concluded that it was better to snakeproof through e-collar training than it was to buy some system that may or may not work.

Just wondering how the e-collar would help if the snake came into a dogs yard/run?

If a dog has been properly aversion trained, it will avoid the snake. Snakes will rarely if ever attack and will almost always avoid a dog that is keeping its distance . . . the most likely bites come from putting head down to sniff, or, particularly with terriers, attacking the snake. You want to train out those behaviours.

[owned by toys]

Thank you so much to all who have taken the time to reply.

Will go and have a good think which way to go.

Have got the basics already prepared, no rubbish at all near the dogs, grass is continually mowed. The no water was good advice, I just got some of those sandpit clam shells that I was going to fill with water if the dogs wanted to cool off but I will rethink that one.

Collars not convinced that is right for us, I tried the citronella collar on a couple of them that tended to bark a bit and even though i got the smallest available they were heavy and bulky on the Toys.

Keyarna, as you are a snake owner and I assume a dog owner as well, what do you do to make sure your dogs are safe?

[alpha bet]

It is often the luck of the draw as to whether your house is in the region of a snake territory. Being near a creek is probably the worst problem.

We visited the snake display at the Seymour Farming Festival with great interest and learnt a lot about the life of the snake. Snakes are territorial - many will kill and eat another snake in their area. The snake man told us that the red bellied black snake is considered a good neighbour as it particularly kills others but whose venom and bite is not of a high risk. Also remember some snakes are not at all poisonous..... just hard to tell which is which.

We have boarding kennels and the dogs have access to paddocks for the whole day. Snakes also don't like ground vibrations and tend to avoid high traffic areas. We graze the horses around the paddocks regular as well as using the goats to keep the paddocks mowed down. Goats eat right along the fences and keep the line clear. As an added precaution we have placed avairy wire on the back perimiter fence and folded and pegged down to create a skirt. This is not going to guarantee snake proof but it will reduce the risk.

As others have mentioned we keep lawns mowed and no stacks of firewood or piles of stones near house or kennels. Yet we still have a large garden with pea straw mulch and we also have water troughs in all paddocks. I also use the black ponds with a flat base for the dogs for wading pools and soaker hoses high on the fences and turn them on before feed time to mist out the kennels to cool on hot days.

The kennels have been operating for 13 years and we have had dogs cats horses etc here for 25 years and (touchwood) not had a problem yet. Most people I know who have had repeat problems are near creeks or rivers. Running water seems to be the biggest problem.

Dont loose the enjoyment of living in the country over the risk of snakes.