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Is a dogs reaction when encountering a snake instinctive?

Seems every dog I've had goes on alert when they come across a snake.

My Border Collie, which screws with everything he finds ran into what I believe to be his first snakes yesterday.

I have a tide pool 25ft from the backdoor that he swims in everyday.
Yesterday I heard him barking, which happens seldom, I look out and he's on a rock by the edge of the pool staring intently down into the pool.
If he barks it typically means there is sumtin going on I need to check out, so I go take a look.

There were two Banded Water snakes involved in love or war, I couldn't tell which.
Half their bodies were knotted up underwater, their heads were above water and they kept biting at each other.
One was around 30 inches, the other about 45 or so.

I sat on the rock with my hound and watched, the snakes were about 3 to 4 feet away from us.

The larger snake was really going at it, every time it'd get a good hold on the smaller snake my dog would glance up at me.
Other than that, he never took his eyes off the snakes.

It surprised me he didn't jump in and grab them, almost anything that crawls, wiggles, flies or scampers falls victim to this dog.
You could tell he had no plans of screwing with these snakes.

I just find it odd for him to react that way.

After about 15 minutes of watching, the larger snake started eating the smaller one.
My dog spun and just stared at me with this 'I ain't believing this schit' look on his face.

Took the larger snake about another 15 minutes to completely woof down the smaller one then he swam away. I guess it was war, territorial or something, the ponds full of minnows and Banded Water snakes eat minnows.....and each other, apparently.

About halfway through the encounter, after the eating started, I ran in and grabbed the camera. The pics nor the video I took worked out very well, would've been great if I'd caught the battle.

The dog goes after everything in that pond, big fish come after the minnows, he chases them, blue crabs as well, he's hell on wading birds, never catches them but runs them off every time.

I did catch his first Fiddler Crab encounter on film, he learned straight away they bite but it don't stop him, how's he know the snakes can be harmful?

I my dad had lab / something mix rescue dog.
Apparently, where he was rescued from was very abusive.
He’d would cowar down if you tried to pet him.

Gone now, cancer got him. Lived his best life after dad took him in.

Any hoo,

He’d sniff out snakes. A certain type bark. Never got bit. He knew enough to stay outta reach.

Cool spectacle.

My grandfather’s doberman got into it with a 6ft Indigo Snake in Central Fla when I was a kid. They are harmless snakes (non venomous) but like you surmise, the dog alerts and in my case attacked and killed that big heavy snake. Just defending our barn area like a good dog. Shook it to and fro, quite a memory. Went on for 20-30 minutes as I seem to recall.

I think almost all dogs will alert on snakes, some like to kill them.

My brother and I have litter mate brothers that are half Rat/half JR terriers. Both are certified killers. His is a snake killing fool. He's killed three copperheads in my brother's yard and been bit twice while down at the creek below his house. I thinks he's gotten more snake crazy after he was bit.

His family are safe from snakes when they are in the yard and garden.

Nice lookin' dog you have there.

Once pulled in to deer camp parking by the spring. Got out saying my hellos to the crew when my labradoodle starts barking and jumping around. Big ol rattlesnake right next to my truck. I had to grab her collar to hold her back. I think she'd have got bit if I let her go. Too many rocks to shoot it but somebody had a shovel. Told the boys I ain't camping here next to a rattlesnake den. Over 5 feet long with 10 buttons.

Still have the rattle.

In Arizona, it's common to send your dog to "snake school", where for a slight fee, they will teach them to not confront snakes. A confrontation with a Mojave Green seldom works out well for the dog, I'm told.

well, that is true. and i have a private war agains diamondbacks, one of which killed my golden retriever.
you need a belt fed shotgun if you spot a buzztail

For the most part all we have around here is garter snakes. My old Setter wouldn’t really bark he’d do more the butt in the air head down thing and then dart in and kill them. It was more of a playful thing to the dog like a cat with a mouse.

Had a bunch of fun when we were in school picking up junk laying out in the field that might have a snake under it. Barney, blue heeler mix, would rush in and kill anything that was hiding under it. He got a hold of a pretty sizable snake one day and ended up splattering my buddy and I with parts/goo as he violently shook it. Never a bit of fear in that dog from anything!

Good times!

should’ve made yourself a hatband 🤠

Had a American bulldog/boxer rescue. Loved everything and everyone....except snakes. He killed at least a dozen garter snakes in the yard. I think it’s an instinctual thing for dogs

Doesn't do a human all that good either. It's venom is both a hemotoxin and a nuerotoxin..

Unfortunately, dogs feel the need to fight snakes and all they have is their mouth.

Neighbor's German Shorthair got bit in the face by a big rattlesnake last summer.
They administered Benedryl throughout the night and kept him fed and watered.
The swelling and fluid accumulation was horrible, but within 3 days he was back to normal.
I don't think a smaller dog would have fared as well.

My grandfather saved 3 different dogs,after rattlesnake bites,with bacon grease.If I hadn’t seen it,I would never had believed it...

I snake train my dogs myself.

Bandit got bitten in the face by a copperhead before he was old enough to train though.

Now, at least once a year, I catch non venomous snakes to refresh their training.

I guess I do alright at the snake training... You cannot run fast enough to touch either dog with a snake now.

They know the word "snake!" too. I associate it with their training.

If they are snooping in a thicket, I say "You better get out of there, there may be a snake in there!" and they promptly leave that area.

Had a Shepard mix that was pretty snake savvy that ended up getting into a mess of Water Moccasins.

I identified 6 bites, all in the neck and head.
Her head swelled to basketball size, she laid on the back porch for three days, never moved but kept breathing.

I'd have put her down if she appeared to be in tremendous pain but she didn't, she just laid there looking at me.

Swelling started going down on the afternoon of the third day, by that evening she was up and about.
Fourth day she was 100% back to her rambunksious self.

Go figure.

Both times my brother's dog got bit, he gave it a steroid and Benedryl. Within a couple of days, swelling was down and the dog was getting back to normal.

A rattlesnake bite is a much more severe bite and the chances don't favor the dog.

My last lab took a copperhead hit to side of the head. Benadryl and steroids and he was back tearing around 4 days later. Getting sprayed by the skunk was WAY worse.

well jeff a sorry to say i wouldnt want to be your dog.how about the vet,unless you were 100 miles away.