I don’t know about you guys, but this is my least favorite time of year to be out with my dog on the trails due to the heat and the RATTLESNAKES!! As the owner of Off Road Paws, I am adamant when I take a client’s dog out for a walk or trail run that they stay on leash this time of year unless we are above 9,000ft or at a dog park. My own dog loves to run a bit ahead of me and will run off the trail here and there and I am so concerned he will inadvertently come upon a rattler. I found a couple good articles. The first link is just general information about rattlesnakes in Colorado, which I found helpful. The second is from CSU vet school (pages 10-13) and it goes into detail about prevention and what to do if your dog is bitten. Hope these are helpful and that everyone stays safe this summer out on the trails!
http://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/ResourceStewardship/RattlesnakeManagementPrescription.pdf
http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/Documents/caring-magazine-2011-spring.pdf