? re cross species effect of rattlesnake aversion training
I am currently a desert dweller (foothills north of Phoenix AZ) and am going to have my newly adopted dog rattlesnake aversion trained locally, since multiple rattlesnake species abound in all parts of Arizona.
I will also be travelling with my dog to the SouthEast (the Carolinas) where we will encounter other pit vipers specifically copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) and cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorous).
I would like to know if the shock aversion therapy using several species of Arizona rattlesnakes will also make my dog unwilling to go near the non-Crotalus pit vipers found in the US South. The aversion is both sight based and scent based and my dog is very much a scent dominant dog.
The essence of my question is do all pit vipers smell alike or will I need to have her retrained in Carolina.
Thanks for any input--the snake aversion trainer here has no experience with Agkistrodon spp.
Caroline
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