Saturday, December 23, 2017

Discovering K9 Search And Rescue Training For Pets

By Donna Schmidt


Some people are cat people, others dog people. When it comes to a dog being mans' best friend, nothing could be further form the truth. For, when it comes to K9 search and rescue training, these animals are often taught a number of life saving techniques. Whereas, while cats make great pets, most would run away when asked to dive in a pool or other waterway.

When working with a family pet, the animal is often taught the basics of sniffing to locate an owner, handler, trainer or family members. In some cases, pets can also be taught how to alert a family member if someone or something is in danger. For example, the television show Lassie shows a Border Collie that is trained in this manner.

In most cases, these training courses are provided by volunteers and can either be taught by an individual or through a certified course. When it comes to getting a dog involved with working with first responders, it is often advised the animal complete all courses in an official program. Whereas, when training a pet, most any type of training is adequate as long as it teaches the basic commands along with scenting techniques.

For those looking to get a pet involved in actual search and rescue, it should be noted that the dog will be involved in rescuing people during natural disasters, man-made attacks, and are often used in missing person cases. In many cases, the animal can provide irreplaceable, life saving service of all kinds whether working with law enforcement or other first responders.

For a dog to become a SAR dog, the animal and handler must go through a number of rigorous training exercises. These exercises work to put their determination, stamina, agility and intelligence to a test to see if the animal has the potential to work in such capacity. After which, once the dog reaches adulthood, and passes an associated test, the animal can become licensed to provide SAR services.

Search and rescue missions work to locate and provide aid to people on an immediate basis. In addition, these animals are often taught how to alert individuals when imminent dangers are present. The missions can occur on land, in water, over rugged terrain, and in suburban and urban areas. As such, the dog and handler must be able to work in a number of different landscapes, waterways and often mountainous terrain.

While most pets can be taught how to alert based on scent, there are three basic types when it comes to professional search and rescue dogs. These are, trailing, ground disturbance and air-scenting. As one might imagine, air-scenting is often related to natural disasters, ground disturbance when looking for areas where bodies or other items might be buried, and trailing when looking for missing individuals or other items.

Most SAR dogs are trained in all types of scent work. As a result, these dogs can work everything from a missing person case to accidents and natural disasters. In some cases, these dogs are used to find survivors of airline, bus and train crashes. Whatever the case, it is important the dog and handler, owner or trainer and first responders work together in as calm a manner as possible.




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