Training A Dog For Search And Rescue OperationsOwners whose level of training and camaraderie with their dog has reached a sufficiently high plain, and have the desire to take their relationship to higher level, can volunteer themselves to assist in search and rescue operations. By giving of themselves in this way, the owner and the dog are providing a most important service to the community. However the level of training and commitment required by the dog and its owner is significantly higher than any day to day dog/owner relationship, requiring a bond that will need to be almost telepathic at times. The levels of training required are very high, and although the local authorities will provide a general set of guidelines, of what a search and rescue tea, may come up against in a typical search and rescue operation, it is really down to the dog/ handler team to organize themselves and their own training schedule. The aspiring search and rescue team must learn to be capable of handling themselves in a variety of terrains under various weather systems some of which can be pretty extreme. The handler will have to map out different scenarios providing physical conditions where they can train together. Each of physical area where the dog and handler go to train should have its own physical characteristics and preferably during the course of an annual training program, every type of weather conditions should be encountered on a regular basis. The key to success and failure as dog rescue team is how far the search dog is prepared to go. It should be willing and physically able to maneuver through the toughest of terrains, through thorns and thickets, retain its composure and footing in potentially life threatening situations. The type of dog ideally suited to be a search and rescue dog should have a very strong sense of smell to help seek out the person in distress through their particular scent, amongst maybe hundreds of other residual scents and dozens of distractions. In addition dogs used in search and rescue dogs have to be exceptionally well trained, obedient and restrained. With all the best intentions in the World are appreciated, they are not enough. In order to be accepted as a certified team, the authorities responsible for controlling search and rescue teams will require that the team meet a certain set of criteria training wise in order firstly to protect themselves, and not to hinder the efforts of other search and rescue teams in an emergency situation. The dog must be able to carry out the following commands, in order that the team will be considered for search and rescue operations. The dog /handler team must be capable of completing the following exercises individually and together with other teams. The only form of communication allowed between the dog and its handler are hand signals. The tests are as follows.
This stringent profile displays only the levels of obedience required to part of a search and rescue team. The agility and tracking skills required are equally high and indicate the seriousness of the responsibility set on the dog/handler team. The skills acquired during its search and rescue training will help to bring the dog to maximum physical levels, and deepen the bond between dog and owner to levels rarely encountered. |