If you have ever seen a search and rescue dog working, you can’t help but be impressed with the display of intelligence and drive. The dog moves, almost without a word from his handler, cutting through brush and trees, first swinging wide and then close again. Suddenly his nose perks up and in a split second he is gone, only to reappear moments later from nowhere. He gives an impatient bark and eagerly leads his handler over the next hill and under a bush where the victim is laying concealed.
Although it almost seems impossible, this amazing animal was once a silly playful puppy. He was born with no more then an eagerness to please and a lot of energy; it was months of dedicated work that made him what he is today. Let’s take a look at the process of training a search dog.
The most important part of the training is to start with the right dog. I have had the opportunity to work with many breeds of dog, and I recommend the German Shepherd for search work. Although many breeds can be trained, the German Shepherd is amazingly suited for the job. These dogs posses intelligence, loyalty, a great work ethic, and a physique designed for hours of running. I have also worked with both male and female dogs and have never noted any difference between them; both make wonderful SAR dogs. For the sake of easier reading, I will simply refer to the dog as ‘he’ in this article, but remember either sex works well. If you are looking for a different breed, I have also seen Black Labs and Rottweilers that have made good search dogs.
Once you have selected the breed, it is important to find a canine with the right mentality. Like I mentioned previously, the perfect SAR dog should be eager to please, and posses a large amount of energy. It is also helpful if he has what is called ‘ball drive’, which simply means he really enjoys playing with toys. It is best to start with a puppy, simply so that he is used to you by the time you begin to train. SAR can be started at around 6 to 8 months of age, although many dogs will not do well until they are at least a year old. There is no upper age limit on training a search dog, but since the training usually lasts a year or longer you must consider how many years of work the dog would be capable of in the future.
Now that you have selected the right dog, its time to start training. The first step is called a ‘Run-away”, and requires the help of another person. To begin, your assistant should hold the dog (one arm under the belly, and one hand on the collar works best), while you stand in front of the dog. Do your best to get him excited by rubbing his face and ears while talking to him, “That’s a good boy! You ready to play? Good boy!” As soon as the dog begins to look excited, run 10 to 15 feet away and quickly drop to the ground.
As soon as you have laid down, your assistant should say, in a loud and clear voice, “Go Find!” and let go of the dog. The dog should immediately run to you (since he can still see you). As soon as he comes to you, praise him and give him lots of attention. If he has a favorite toy, give that to him as well. This should be repeated several times on several different occasions until your dog thoroughly understands and enjoys the game.
Once you have this down pat, start to lengthen the run-aways. Make them a little longer, and also have your assistant hold the dog a little longer before he gives the “Go Find” command and releases. You should only increase one the difficulty of one aspect at a time and if the dog has problems drop back to an easier search. You can also start to look for tall grass or a stump that you can hid behind as well when you drop to the ground.
After the dog becomes proficient with standard run-aways, it is time for the blind run-away. For this to work, there must be a gentle breeze blowing from your position towards the dog. To start, get the dog excited, and then run about 40 feet away and drop down in tall grass. The handler should then turn the dog so that he can’t see where you are. As soon as the dog is turned you should stand and hurry to a new position between where you were and where the dog is, and drop down where the dog can’t see you.
Once the handler turns the dog back and gives the “Go Find” command, the dog will run towards where he saw you last. When he passes your scent (that the helpful wind is blowing), he will suddenly turn and run right towards you! It is an amazing thing to see, but is perfectly natural to the dog. He will instinctively use his nose to home right in on you. Once he finds you, be sure and give him an extra amount of praise and attention. He has just taken the first big step in becoming a SAR dog!
The next stage of the training is to switch your role with that of the assistant. You stay with the dog and have your helper get him excited and run away. Most dogs take well to this and once they have learned how much fun it is to ‘find’ a person, they will gladly search for anyone.
The rest of the training from here is to continually lengthen the run-aways, and finally to skip the run-away part all together and search an area for a hidden victim. Although you are no longer having someone run away form the dog, it is always a good idea for the handler to get the dog a little excited before any search to get the motivation increased.
The training of a SAR dog can take from 6 moths to a year or more depending on the motivation of the team and the quantity of training days. There is a great feeling of accomplishment and pride to have trained a SAR dog. It is both a great way to spend time with our favorite furry friends, as well as to give back to society since the ultimate goal of a SAR team is to find and help lost and injured people.
To be fully certified in Wilderness SAR a team must pass three tests; a 40 acre wilderness search with one victim, an 80 acre nighttime search with one victim, and a 160 acre search with multiple victims. Anyone who is interested in search and rescue should go to www.ardainc.org (The American Rescue Dog Association) for more information, or to see how you can become involved.
