What to Do If Your Dog Finds a Snake in the Yard, According to Wildlife Experts

When temperatures rise, snakes become more active, increasing the risk of you encountering them in the wild. It's possible that your dog will also stumble across one of these animals.

While most snakes actively avoid confrontation—especially between themselves and much larger animals—dogs have a natural curiosity that can lead them to force a meeting. Unfortunately, this is often dangerous for both animals, as venomous snake bites can be lethal to your pet if left untreated. Ahead, a snake expert and a veterinarian share what to do to prevent your dog from endangering a snake or itself.

How to Get Your Dog Away From a Snake

If your dog encounters a snake, the safest thing to do is remain calm and create distance between the two as quickly as possible. “Many bites occur when dogs continue investigating, barking at, or attempting to chase a snake,” says Michael Hyder, medical director at VEG ER for Pets in Palm Desert. Call your dog away using a calm, familiar cue, and secure them on a leash if possible.

Never try to kill, capture, or move the snake yourself, he adds. This can increase the risk of injury to both yourself and your pet, and it will only antagonize the snake. “Canids such as foxes and coyotes are natural snake predators, so a curious dog is likely to be viewed as a lethal threat,” says Melissa Amarello, executive director at Advocates for Snake Preservation. “And when their life is at stake, snakes will defend themselves however they're able, including delivering a potentially lethal bite if it's a venomous species.”

However, the most likely loser in a dog-snake encounter is the snake. A playful, curious, or fearful dog can easily injure or kill a snake, she says. On the other hand, most snakes are harmless to dogs.

How to Check Your Dog for Bites

Snake bites can be surprisingly difficult to find. “Owners should look for sudden swelling, pain, redness, bruising, bleeding, or puncture wounds, particularly around the face, muzzle, legs, and paws,” says Hyder. These are the most common bite areas.

Don't rule out a snake bite if there aren't any obvious bite marks—especially if your dog has long or thick fur. If your dog was seen interacting with a snake and subsequently develops swelling, weakness, excessive drooling, difficulty breathing, vomiting, or collapse, then they should be evaluated by a veterinarian right away, says Hyder.

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How to Prevent Another Encounter

Prevention starts with limiting the possibility of these interactions. Hyder recommends pursuing natural methods for keeping snakes out of the garden, including keeping grass trimmed, removing brush piles and debris where snakes hide, and eliminating their usual prey: mice. Supervising dogs outdoors can also help. When taking your dog into wilderness areas, keep them on designated trails and discourage off-trail exploration.

In regions where venomous snakes are common, Amarello recommends training your dog to avoid snakes. If you can't find professional training near you, do it yourself. "Years before snake avoidance training existed, my partner trained our dog to avoid snakes the same way he trained her to avoid other potentially dangerous things like cacti,” she says. “Whenever we encountered a snake, or a snake-like object like a hose, we'd remind her to keep away."