If you suspect your dog may have an aptitude for SAR work, how would you go about looking into it?

Also, do most SAR dogs start training very young, i.e. would 5 years be "old" to start?

If it is, but you still think this type of work might be rewarding for your dog, are there courses or events you could look into doing with them?

Edited to add: Having done some more reading here on the board and online about SAR, I think I'd like to rephrase my question. I also need to include my most sincere awe and appreciation for those engaged in SAR :ibow:

Grip is at the peak of engagement when playing games we devise that engage his desire and aptitude for seeking and retrieving (as opposed to just retrieving). Does anyone have any suggestions for how we can incorporate more of these activities into his life?

If you suspect your dog may have an aptitude for SAR work, how would you go about looking into it?
There are many different types of K9 SAR work; disaster SAR, wilderness SAR, tracking and trailing, cadaver/recovery, water recovery, etc. When considering SAR training, contact your local sheriff for information on K9 SAR groups in your region, and contact them for details.

Also, do most SAR dogs start training very young, i.e. would 5 years be "old" to start?
Typically, yes, 5 would be considered too old to begin SAR training in most disciplines. Most training programs take roughly two years, and, statistically speaking, most dogs retire around age 10. Many groups consider a three year working period too short for the time and money spent training the dog.

Now, having said this, I have never worked SAR outside of the northwestern US, so my direct knowledge of K9SAR considerations in your area may not be accurate. If this is a discipline in which you're interested you should check with your regional groups!

If it is, but you still think this type of work might be rewarding for your dog, are there courses or events you could look into doing with them?
I know of no courses or events that are open to the general public, no. If you'd like to engage in SAR training, however, for the enjoyment, I would be happy to communicate with you in great detail regarding training techniques and such. PM me any time and we can talk!

Grip is at the peak of engagement when playing games we devise that engage his desire and aptitude for seeking and retrieving (as opposed to just retrieving). Does anyone have any suggestions for how we can incorporate more of these activities into his life?
It sounds as though the SAR discipline that most interests you is "area search", meaning the dog is not scent specific (as with trailing dogs), but is taught to detect any human scent and follow it to its source (this is the SAR discipline in which Joe is trained). If I'm right about that, then there are four parts to the activity; find (dog locates hidden subject), recall (dog returns to handler to alert), alert (dog performs some trained behavior like barking or jumping to indicate to handler someone has been found), and refind (dog takes handler back to the subject). There is no retrieving in this acivity, rather, the dog locates, then leads the handler to the subject. There are some great games to play to enhance this idea of leading the handler in as opposed to retrieving, and I'd be happy to talk with you about them in detail if you'd like to PM me.

Kelly ::who is always excited to hear about folks interested in engaging in SAR work::

There are some great games to play to enhance this idea of leading the handler in as opposed to retrieving, and I'd be happy to talk with you about them in detail if you'd like to PM me.

Kelly ::who is always excited to hear about folks interested in engaging in SAR work::


I'd be thrilled to hear of some of these ideas also. There is an area here in RI where we go to do field training with our dogs where they also do SAR training. Although our schedules are pretty full with obedience and field, I am fascinated by the SAR training. At doggie camp last year, we sat thru a little into class, demo kind of thing. The guy who ran the demo put all our dogs thru a little test thing (the owner layed out a scent track and then hid) It was really interesting to watch the dogs who actually used their noses.

I too seem to have acquired my "nosiest" labrador ever and am wondering if this is something we should pursue. His nose is always in the air and he will go in circles on the trail of something. These are behviors I have not seen with any of my previous labradors.

Also, now that the birds have returned, he chases them at a full out run, I recall, he stops mid-flight and returns, sitting patiently at my feet waiting for his piece of kibble. I'm so impressed with his level of discipline. This morning he did it with a herd of deer. 6 or so strides into chase, I executed a recall and he literally did a 180 in the air, and came flying back to me. I was so proud. However, I'm wondering if I need to somehow harness this and use it for a greater good. If not SAR, maybe field work? I'm sort of clueless at the moment, but I feel as if I have never owned a dog with such potential to do great things.

Any advice?

Kelly, thanks so much for the offer to PM you! I will take advantage of this offer soon (hubby is going in for surgery tomorrow so I expect my attention span to be about this long --><-- for the next few weeks while he recovers.)

Our interest in this, and our awareness of Grip's aptitude, arose when our boa constrictor escaped last year. My husband taught Grip Three's (the boa) scent using a small piece of snakeskin from Three's habitat saying "Find the snake, Grip?". Very quickly Grip could find the snakeskin wherever Tom hid it, and finally Tom returned the snakeskin to the habitat and sent Grip off through our 3000 sq ft house to "Find the snake", which he did, very quickly, in a wicker trunk. When he found him (which must've been by scent, as he couldn't see the snake inside) he stood very rigidly, fixedly staring at the trunk. He didn't try to paw at the trunk or otherwise get at it.

We play hide the ball all the time, too, but I keep thinking we could do more, especially - as you mentioned - leading us back to the found item rather than retrieving it.

Off topic but there are tracking classes in some areas- much like people go to agility or obedience class. A friend of mine had a doberman that LOVED scentwork and tracking. Altough he was over the age of 5 they really enjoyed this activity together.

:thumb4:

You can download a free Disaster Search Dog Training Manual at
http://www.duckhillkennels.com/libraries/PDFs/TrainingDisasterSearchDogs.pdf

THe manual covers selection and the importance of excellence in a dog used for search in structural collapse disaster situations.

Best Regards,

Robert Milner
www.duckhillkennels.com (http://www.duckhillkennels.com)