Amber Schneider and Wendy Timm live in the Arizona desert where rattlesnakes slither through the scrubland. Their dog, Ripley, loves to hunt small animals — which made her a perfect target for a snake that could kill her.

So they brought the 2-year-old blue heeler mix to trainer J.J. Belcher at Sublime Canine in Tucson. There, Ripley met Brian: a 5-foot-long western diamondback rattlesnake with his venom glands removed years ago. When Ripley got curious and crept close to investigate, Brian rattled his tail. Ripley received a quick, mild zap from an electronic training collar — meant to feel like a snake's warning bite. She hasn't gone near a snake since.

"Suddenly, she wanted nothing to do with Brian's textured brown skin or furiously rattling tail," Belcher said. "The single shock should be sufficient to keep her away from venomous snakes that can sicken or even kill a dog."

The training works because dogs remember pain far better than any verbal command. Belcher has spent more than two decades teaching rattlesnake avoidance across the Western United States, training thousands of pet dogs, search-and-rescue animals, and even police dogs. His single-session training costs $125. Owners can bring their dog back in a year for a free refresher.

It's a service that's desperately needed. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, as many as 150,000 dogs get bitten by venomous snakes every year in the United States. Dr. Sarah Carotenuto, an emergency veterinarian at the Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson, says her clinic treats four to six dogs every single day for rattlesnake bites.

But here's the hopeful part: with quick treatment, the survival rate for dogs bitten by rattlesnakes is 94 percent. The treatment can be expensive — depending on how much antivenom is needed — but most dogs pull through. Carotenuto urged pet owners to bring their dog to a vet fast if a bite happens.

"Please don't bring us the snake!" Carotenuto said with a laugh. "It's unnecessary to identify the exact species before administering antivenom, which works against all kinds of rattlers."

Other trainers are offering similar programs nationwide. Mike Parmley in Salt Lake City trains as many as 500 dogs every year, teaching them to avoid Great Basin rattlesnakes in small classes of four to six dogs. He uses the electronic collar on a low setting: "You don't have to shock the hell out of the dog," he said.

Belcher is also developing a gentler alternative using only positive rewards — treats and praise instead of the zap. But the program would require multiple sessions and costs $2,500. So far, no clients have signed up for it.

For Schneider and Timm, the $125 training was worth every penny. "We have an acre of natural desert and respect all the snakes, but she's very curious about wildlife," Timm said. "We are doing this because we want to keep our dog safe."