The key to training a dog for Search and Rescue is pretty basic. It is all about teaching your dog to turn his nose on. This comes naturally to most canines, and the rest is up to the handler. Most dogs are highly driven by food, so that is where the basic training for Search and Rescue begins. It does not matter if your dog is a purebred or a mixed breed. It is all about what kind of drive she has.
Things You'll Need
- Harness
- Long leash
- Hot dogs, for treats
- Small ziplock bags
- Fanny pack
Instructions
Begin with Footstep Tracking
Plan on "short feeding" your dog the day before you begin training. Simply feed your dog a light meal of dry food in the morning the day before training, then nothing else but water the rest of the day. He will be hungry the next morning, and ready to work for his food.
Choose a harness that you will use only for tracking. This way, when you put it on the dog, she knows it is time to go to work.
Slice up five or six hot dogs into pieces that are about 1/4 inch thick. Put the slices in a resealable plastic bag, tie your fanny pack around your waist, put the hot dogs in there, and get ready to lay the tracks.
Leave your dog in the house, or in the car if you have taken him to a different location, while you lay the tracks. Wearing work boots, or a solid soled sneaker, create a "scent pad" with your feet by disturbing the soil. Place three or four hot dog pieces in this area. Walk about twenty paces. Make defined steps with the heel of your shoe by digging into the ground, then dragging your foot to continue the scent forward. Go left and right just like you would walk, and drop a slice of hot dog into every heel mark.
Create another "pad" at the end of this track, and either use a pile of hot dogs, some other tasty treat, or your dog's favorite toy for the reward, depending on what your dog will respond to best.
Pump your dog up and get her excited about this "game." Guide her to the start pad, and give her the command as you point her nose to the food on the scent pad. The standard for this is SUK ... pronounced "sook". It is a German command that means "search." Your dog should go for the food, then continue along the track back and forth, picking up each hot dog piece in each footstep. Guide her, encourage her, and remember the idea here is to teach her to keep her nose to the ground. Make it a big celebration when your dog reaches the pad at the end and give her the reward.
Continue this training for several weeks, and slowly begin to incorporate turns in your tracks to you make them longer. Go 20 paces, then make a 90 degree turn, and continue for about another 30 paces, and so on. It is a good idea to leave some small markers or flags at the turns, so that you can remember where they are, and help your dog if needed. Begin to slowly pull the food off of the tracks. Start by dropping a hot dog in every other step, and taper it down from there.
Make the Transition to Hot Tracks
Incorporate the "decoy." This means you need a friend or family member to basically play hide and seek with your dog. There is no food involved in this type of tracking, with the exception of the reward at the end. Locate a park or a large field that has some trees so your decoy has a good place to hide.
Choose a scent article, such as a piece of clothing that your decoy has worn or held in her hands for a while. This will be the starting point for hot tracks. Have the decoy pet and cuddle your dog before he goes to hide, so your dog will pick up a lot of her scent.
Have the decoy drop the scent article on the ground at the starting point, then let your dog watch him run away, just for the first few seconds. Say things like "Where is he going????" Then turn your dog away so he cannot see where the decoy is going, and where he is actually hiding. Make sure the decoy drags his feet and stomps up the ground in some spots to create scent for your dog. He should be out of sight, behind a tree or a bush, at the end of the track so your dog cannot see him. You should know his hiding place, so you can tell if your dog is tracking in the right direction.
Wait for five to 10 minutes to let the scent settle into the ground. Then do basically the same start that you did with footstep tracking. Take your dog to the scent article and make sure she gets a good whiff of it. Then say "Sook." Or at this point, you can even change the command to "Find him!". By now your dog should have learned to use her nose, and she will likely get right into the hunt. Do not talk too much as she is tracking. You can simply use encouraging words like "good girl" when you see she is on the correct track. Be patient. When the dog finds the decoy, even if you had to help a little, praise and reward the dog.
Prepare to move to the next level, if your dog is doing well with the hide and seek game after a few weeks. This would be the time to contact Search and Rescue teams in your area, to see if they are looking for volunteers. At this point, you will need professional training from a team leader to see if your dog really has what it takes to earn certification.