It’s scary and you’re worried they’re going to get hurt: your dog is barking at snakes and you can’t get them away from them! What’s going on here and what should you do? Why do dogs bark at snakes? Do dogs know to fear snakes? Are snakes afraid of dog barks?

Today, we’re going to answer all of the questions you have about this troublesome problem. And of course, we’ll answer what you came here for: how to stop your dog barking at snakes. Soon, this scary issue will all be behind you for good. Keep reading below for our article “Dog Barks at Snakes? Here’s How to Stop It!”

How to Stop Dog Barking at Snakes

To stop your dog barking at snakes, they need to learn to become quiet when instructed. To make this happen, take your dog somewhere you know that they like to bark such as the park, with lots of small dog treats. Keep them on their leash and stay far away from the other parkgoers.

As soon as your dog begins barking, say “quiet” in a positive and calm voice. If they give you their attention, then immediately reward them with a treat and praise. But if they resume barking or never quit, then you should place a treat inside your fist.

Place your hand right by your dog’s nose. Your dog will still be able to detect the treat even within your hand and will stop their barking to investigate it. Once they’ve become quiet and are also giving you their full attention, again give the “quiet” command and then open your hand to reward them with a treat and praise.

If your dog keeps staying silent, keep rewarding them with praise and a treat. But if they start barking again, regardless of whether it’s at you or at someone at the park, repeat the steps of hiding a treat inside your first, placing it right by their nose, and then waiting until they’ve quieted.

Be sure that you’re waiting until your dog has become silent before you give them any rewards. This helps create a positive connection in your dog’s mind with paying attention and getting silent whenever you say “quiet.” Reward them with praise and treats right away when your dog is doing what they should.

With patience, practice, and consistency, your dog will get silent solely by you giving them the command, and it won’t be necessary to place your hand next to their mouth. You should then begin increasing the duraton of time before you give them their rewards. Start with just 1-2 seconds, then move that up to 5 seconds, and so on.

It won’t be long until the food rewards and praise won’t be necessary anymore and your dog will quit barking at snakes or at anything else simply by giving the “quiet” command.

Still, to make real, long-lasting progress you need to ultimately address the problem at its root. Right now, your dog is basically doing whatever they want, losing control of their emotions, and most importantly: not listening to you or your commands to stop an unwanted behavior (barking at a snake uncontrollably).

But before we can do that, we must first talk about what makes dogs tick and has for thousands and thousands of years now. You’ve likely heard before that dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader.

But every time that your dog barks at snakes, they are definitively telling you that they have no trust for you as the head of the family pack.

If they did, they wouldn’t bark at a snake and ignore your commands to stop. They wouldn’t engage in any other types of anxiety or dominance-related disrespect. And they would obey your commands at all times — happily — and they would do so immediately.

Prove to your dog that you are not just their pack leader, but one worthy of respect, and you’ll make all of these wonderful transformations happen.

Obviously, you’ll win. But your dog will be the even bigger winner here because you’ll have freed them from all of the worry and confusion that their anxiety and dominance issues are currently placing on them 24/7.

Sounds like a great thing, right?

“Yeah, of course, but how do I do this then?”

You should watch an excellent free video series which is on this exact subject — how to be your dog’s pack leader — by a renowned trainer named Dan. In the series, he explains everything in ways that are very simple to follow and teach to your own dog, and he gets immediately to the point so that you can start seeing these crucial changes in your dog before things get any worse.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And no, you’re not going to have to be mean or yell at your dog. Dan uses only 100% humane and loving teaching techniques at all times. Not just because they’re the right thing to do, but also because they’re the fastest way to achieve permanent changes in your dog’s behavior.

Why Do Dogs Bark at Snakes?

Dogs bark at snakes because they’re territorial animals and they’re warning them to stay away. Dogs don’t generally fear snakes the way that we do, so you may even see them getting aggressive and going beyond barking. Your dog may even be a bit excited, and sometimes when that gets to be too much, dogs will let it out through barking.

But if your dog is barking at snakes and ignoring your commands to stop, then you have a potentially serious problem developing. This is a clear sign that they don’t respect your leadership, and left unchecked, could grow and escalate. Not only will your dog be barking uncontrollably at many other things, they may also attempt to engage a snake.

While recent science shows that dogs likely can smell the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes, they unfortunately also find the scent of the more dangerous variety interesting rather than interpreting it as a warning to stay away.

And even if your dog doesn’t attempt to engage with snakes, allowing their barking behavior to continue will soon lead to it occurring at all sorts of times. You’ll find that dog is barking at scorpions, barking at coyotes, and maybe even barking at bears. Obviously, this type of bravado could get you and your dog into some very dangerous situations so you can’t allow it to go on.

To learn how to stop your dog from barking at snakes while also teaching them to respect your leadership, go back to the first section now where we’ll give you the exact steps to follow.

Do Dogs Know to Fear Snakes?

Dogs do not know to fear snakes. Most will choose to bark at snakes and even attack them. Those that are timid around snakes are likely doing so because of their own personal temperament, and would likely be hesitant around most animals they’re not familiar with.

Therefore, it’s important to get a handle on your dog’s behavior so that you’ll be able to recall them if they encounter a snake. Dogs that can recognize the smell of a snake will typically be curious, not afraid, even when they’re able to detect that’s a venomous species.

Are Snakes Afraid of Dog Barks?

Snakes are not afraid of dog barks because they are deaf to airborne sounds. They will, however, typically still try to avoid dogs because they recognize them as potential predators. Though snakes have poor eyesight, they can make out enough to pick up on the fact that a dog is in an aggressive posture and will normally attempt to avoid an encounter.

I’m sure you’re looking forward to your dog listening when you tell them to quit barking, so I’ll let you begin now. Best of luck, and thank you for checking out our article “Dog Barks at Snakes? Here’s How to Stop It!.”