Rattlesnake Detection
An innovative, niche method of quickly and safely locating rattlesnakes for removal.
NCF is offering rattlesnake location, removal and prevention services.
Specialty rattlesnake removal services available for large property owners throughout Southern California.
If you have a large property in Southern California, chances are you have rattlesnakes that can be a threat to homeowners, visitors, children and pets. Traditional snake removal services focus on examining known habitats of rattlesnakes. But large properties would take months to search by foot and rattlesnakes are masters at remaining concealed. We utilize highly specialize canine teams to narrow down the location where rattlesnakes are present.
National Canine Facility has developed a niche service to quickly and efficiently cover large properties - using highly trained specialty canines. NCF has two teams that are two of only four dogs in the world, all trained by NCF, to safely locate rattlesnakes for removal. Properly trained canines are able to efficiently cover large areas with difficult terrain to identify areas where rattlesnakes are residing. They consistently identify areas and locate snakes that are undetectable through traditional snake hunting methods.
Handler / canine teams’ mission is to establish and maintain a secure area for your event or property. Our teams are deployable throughout the Unites States but work mostly in Southern California areas of Los Angeles County, Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Calabasas and Agoura Hills.
Do not confuse this with rattlesnake aversion training - an effective method of training pet dogs to avoid rattlesnakes when they encounter the odor of rattlesnakes. We use the ability of the canines to detect the scent of a rattlesnake not to avoid the rattlesnakes but to lead the handler to the general area.
First rattlesnake detection / location / removal for our California clients
Ron Penna, founder of Quest and Legendary Foods
"We own a 60 acre property in Thousand Oaks, California that consists of steep hills, ravines, tall grasses and nearly impassable thick underbrush. We use our property to take long hikes with our dogs, host guests and host large events such as weddings. We worry constantly about our dogs or guests having an encounter with a rattlesnake and have undergone extensive prevention measures, such as installing a costly snake fence around the entire property. We wanted an added layer of knowledge about how safe our property is regarding rattlesnakes and came to the conclusion that hiring a traditional snake hunter would not be practical...they focus on visually inspecting high probability habitats and removing them - this is simply not practical on a 60 acre ranch.
I read an article about dogs out of Auburn University's Canine Performance Services department who were trained to locate the highly invasive pythons in the Florida Everglades and wondered if that same idea could be applied to rattlesnakes. One of my staff began researching the python detection canines and got in contact with Robert Noziska of National Canine Facility. After learning of his 25 year background of training and deploying canine search & rescue teams for the U.S. Border Patrol and in building training protocols for canines to engage in highly specialized military operations, I knew I found the person who would be up for the challenge. He has successfully trained hundreds of canines for highly specialized missions and treated this no differently. He quickly trained four black labs to locate the unique scent of rattlesnakes and to safely indicate their location to the handler to within 10-20 feet. It was remarkable that this was possible.
Since they began working our property they have cleared nearly 100 rattlesnakes from nooks and crannies that would never have a human lay eyes on them. They are able to very quickly identify areas that contain a rattlesnake from up to half a mile away using the dogs and then narrow it down to the precise location with continued use of the dog, weather conditions and terrain - it was quite remarkable! Now in combination with the snake fence I can feel more at ease about using our property as we intended and in providing a safe environment for guests. Our property is frequently rented for outdoor events, such as weddings, and last summer a canine team located and removed a rattlesnake that was hanging just at the edge of the guest parking lot, inside the snake fence. This has been an amazing learning experience and I highly recommend that you add the National Canine Facility's rattlesnake detection canine teams to your list of strategies to help secure your property and events from rattlesnakes."
Rattlesnake Training - location, safe distance and reward.
How does it work?
We are all familiar with explosive or narcotic detection canines - using a canine’s exquisite sense of smell to locate scarce amounts of a unique odor such as gunpowder or cocaine. Rattlesnakes also have a unique scent that highly specialized canines are able to distinguish from other species of snakes. Rather than smelling the odor of a rattlesnake and retreating - as is taught in rattlesnake avoidance training - the NCF canines are trained to alert to the handler and slowly and safely move towards the area where the rattlesnake is located. This method allows large acreages to be searched efficiently and effectively.
National Canine Facility K9 Teams arrive on location and conduct an initial sweep of the entire property to identify possible areas that need further investigation. The canine teams are used to help narrow down the location of rattlesnakes that are most likely not visible to on-foot hunters or are in atypical habitats. The canines work to pinpoint the location of the snake to within approximately 10-20 feet, after which the snake is removed by the handler and the canine is safely rewarded for a job well done.
This is particularly effective and efficient on large properties and acreages with difficult terrain features, such as livestock operations, paddocks, film sets, event venues and personal residences.
Read this Example from 2024 Deployments
Canine teams were deployed during the summer months on a 60 acre property in Southern California that consisted of wooded area, ravines, steep terrain and heavy tall grass cover. A snake fence has recently been installed surrounding the entire property. On day one there were three different areas identified by a canine where a rattlesnake was present but not readily visible. After ongoing work with the canines, the first snake was located, 250 yards away from the first canine alert, up a steep hill in tall grass cover. The second area identified was a small ravine adjacent to a guest parking lot. After an early indication from a canine and continued searching, the second snake was located on the lip of the ravine just inside the snake fence. Two more snakes were located on the property, several of which were breeding size. Over the course of three days the NCF canines were able to locate four rattlesnakes on a 60 acre, fenced property. This property would take weeks to thoroughly search by foot.
Images below show K9 Q at work easily clearing a long winding driveway - a critical strategy for ensuring safety for properties hosting events and guests. Also shown is K9 Yak at work on the Southern California steep and rugged terrain - areas that are not conducive to thoroughly searching on foot but that can be cleared in minutes by a property trained canine.
Map image showing where canines alerted, how the handler used terrain features and weather to narrow down the area, and where the snake was located: 250 yards from the initial alert. This area was approximately 15 acres of steep ravines, waist high grass and harsh underbrush - it would have taken weeks to thoroughly search visually. The canines quickly narrowed the area down to a manageable 0.25 acre search for the handler.