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Dogs have some serious physical advantages over us humans. They're equipped with an amazing sense of smell that allows them to track stuff down from far away. Most canines have strong legs that enable them to move fast through brush or other terrain. To top it all off, pooches come with a keen ear.
These traits make puppers the ideal helpers in a search and rescue. A dog may be able to quickly find the person in need-- long before a team of professionals.
When someone goes missing, especially in the wilderness, it can be hard for rescue teams to know where to start. A dog is able to easily pick up on scents left in the area in the last day or so. Once the pooch finds the scent, he can follow it through the rough terrain, either bark or run back to his handlers, and potentially save the missing person!
The best breeds to use for search and rescue are smart and eager to learn. Labrador and Golden retrievers, Border Collies and German shepherds can make excellent trackers. If possible, start training the pup as young as twelve weeks. Youngsters catch on quicker, but older mutts can learn to perform this important task as well.
Once you've decided to help your pooch become a hero, you're going to need to prepare. Some key things to have include:
- A Helper: Training a search and rescue dog is so much easier with two! Pick a family member or friend who won't mind coming along for numerous sessions.
- Treats: When the dog makes a find, you're going to want to fill him with treats to let him know that's the point of the exercise.
- A Toy or Other Object: During practice, a toy replaces the missing person. The dog will be required to seek the toy, often without having seen where it went in the first place.
- Some Outdoor Gear: Search and rescue dogs are used no matter the weather, so both you and your pup will have to get used to the elements.
- A Harness and Lead: This lead should be at least 20 feet in length, but no longer than 30 feet.
While your young pooch is learning how to rescue, they should also be tuning up their obedience skills. A fully trained search and rescue dog can use location directions from vocal commands alone!
Below are some of the best methods for teaching a doggo how to be a hero. Keep in mind that the order you teach certain skills will impact how the dog uses them. Trailing and tracking skills should be taught before air scent training.
The Air Detection Method
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Most Recommended
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Hide out
Have your assistant retain your dog, while you get his attention and then run and hide. Make sure to take his favorite toy with you, and keep it simple at first.
Introduce the command
The assistant then lets go and says the verbal command.
Locate
Reward your dog and make a really big deal of him when he finds you.
Teach a signal
Tell the dog to “speak” every time he finds you, and make sure he gets treats if he obeys.
Increase difficulty
Begin hiding outside of your dog's view, and gradually increase distances. Leave more and more time between when the person hiding takes off, and when you allow your dog to search. Work up to three hour long searches with over a day since the hider has left. Go in all types of weather and vary the land you cover.
The Right Track Method
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Effective
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Prepare your dog
Put your pooch in the harness and attach the lead.
Start scent path
The assistant then should drop one piece of clothing that they have worn, and wipe their feet a few times over one patch of ground.
Leave an unmistakable trail
The assistant then walks a short distance away and hides, but leaves a trail of treats behind them.
Introduce command
Give the dog a verbal command like “search”, and let him follow the treats.
Locate
If the dog finds the assistant, give him tons of praise and a few more treats.
Increase difficulty
Keep increasing the distance, and add some twists and turns. Decrease the number of treats left on the ground and work up to scent trails that are over a day old with no treats on the ground.
The Follow Trail Method
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Least Recommended
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Prepare your dog
Attach your dog's harness and lead.
Choose a spot
Go to an area that is more populated, such as a park or street.
Introduce the scent
Give the dog an article of clothing from the assistant and say your command.
Sniff and Search
Allow the dog to sniff around and find the scent trail from the assistant. It's okay for the dog to take brief short cuts as long as they're headed in the right direction.
Distract
Arrange for a second assistant to create a distraction.
Teach focus
Teach your pup to ignore all other scents but the one of the first assistant. If the dog finds the first assistant, reward him like crazy!
Written by Amy Caldwell
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 09/20/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
More articles by Amy Caldwell
Training Questions and Answers
How old should Bear be to start training him in search and rescue? We live in NJ. Where or what group should we look into to start?
Nov. 1, 2023
Bear's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, I would google "search and rescue NJ" as well as search that on social media. I would then contact the groups that pop up and ask then if they could connect you with their volunteer base with dogs. That will likely be a list of emails you can reach out to. Generally, you can start search and rescue training in game form as young as six months, so you can start right now. You will also want work on intermediate and off-leash level obedience. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Nov. 29, 2023
Hello there, Ember is just over a year old. When I let her out for free roaming around my property. She will on her own lock onto a scent and then track it, it’s normally a cat, raccoon or bunny scent. And she never finds it but question is. Is this a good base for a search and rescue dog?
Aug. 31, 2023
Ember's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, The tracking interest is one very important piece of a dog being good at search and rescue work. The dog will also need to be handler responsive and willing to work with you so that you can channel that scenting ability and pup track what you want them to and not just be distracted by every random scent they come across. I definitely begin practicing some tracking games and see how pup respond to you. That scenting ability is a good sign. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Oct. 4, 2023
He brown hair and brown eyes
July 30, 2023
Rex's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Could you please explain what question you have or what you would like help with for training further? Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Aug. 3, 2023
I would like some help training her to be a Search and Rescue dog.
May 20, 2023
Roxy's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, That's wonderful. What state are you located in? A great place to start is to find others in your state currently doing search and rescue and get to know some people in your area. You might even find you can meet up with them and train together. Get connected for future missions, and perhaps find a mentor to help guide you when questions come up as you train. A good search of search and rescue dog training can connect you to local organizations who you can reach out to and ask for contact information. Facebook also sometimes has state based rescue groups you could join and introduce yourself in. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
May 24, 2023