VSAR K-9 Training

Training an airscenting search and rescue dog is a long, involved process which must be tailored to each dog. While there are no rigid guidelines to describe your training program, this page is intended to give you an idea of what to expect. We encourage you to speak with our certified dog handlers and ask questions, as they have experience in the training of several search and rescue K-9s.

If you decide to begin with a puppy, take the time to bond with him before beginning any training. No amount of training can fix the fact that your dog doesn't want to work for you. A close relationship with your dog will ensure that you don't have this problem. Spend as much time as you can with your puppy; learn what his body posturing, facial expressions, and vocalization means. Take your puppy with you wherever possible. Play with him often. As you do, you will begin to build the reward system that you will use in search training. Valley Search and Rescue requires all puppies being considered as search dog candidates attend puppy education and highly recommend you contact our training affiliate Trifecta Kennels, (www.trifectakennels.com) for a training class schedule.

Play is the reward of choice for intensive training programs like search and rescue training. As you bond with your puppy, you will learn which modes of play he particularly prefers, and what kind of toy he likes. Your reward system will take advantage of this information.

Take every opportunity to expose your puppy to new surroundings, situations, obstacles, and distractions. During searches you will work in situations of great variety; your dog must remain comfortable and confident. Doing so requires him to be obedient and agile. These are areas of training which you should pursue in combination with search training.

Some individuals recognize high drive and work ethic in their young adult dogs. Many high drive dogs very well suited for search work can be found in local shelters as well. Valley Search and Rescue encourages anyone who believes they have or have found a dog they think would make a good search dog to contact us. Please keep in mind that temperament, no matter the drive your dog possesses, is paramount. Any dog considered for search dog candidacy must not be dog or people aggressive. Valley Search and Rescue also requires a minimum basic obedience course before any dog be considered for candidacy in our program. Our affiliate, Trifecta Kennels, offers a great selection of training classes as well as temperament evaluations.

Your young adult dog must also be outgoing and exposed to all types of terrain, people, noises etc. A well socialized acclimated dog will better be able to focus on his work under adverse situations. Agility skills are also necessary, while speed is not required; handler control is of the utmost importance. Athletic conditioning is a daily requirement. We can not expect our canine partners to perform in the field without the daily exercise required to build stamina and conditioning to avoid sports injuries.

When you do begin search training, keep in mind that the search must be the ultimate game for the dog. Dogs who do not enjoy searching will give unreliable performance. On the other hand, dogs who love to search will perform strongly for long hours. Search training begins with imprinting. It starts with things as simple as walking along and going up to someone (finding them) sitting on the trail. The dog is then lavishly rewarded by the subject. The purpose is to establish subject loyalty. Learning that it is great to find strangers, I will be rewarded greatly. You progress by making this more difficult, sitting off the trail a little, moving farther into the woods, and so on. Run offs are added to the training. In this exercise, the subject runs away from the dog with his toy, while the handler holds the dog. When the subject stops the handler issues a find command and releases the dog. When the dog reaches the subject, he is praised and rewarded with play. The find-refind behavior chain will be developed by using the run off exercise. The process of training individual behaviors and chaining them together will be greatly important in your training.

While it is a bit of an oversimplification, you can think of the entire training program as a process of making the run offs longer and more difficult. Your dog will progress from very simple run-offs to more complex exercises in which the subject is hidden or has not run in a straight line or directly upwind. Eventually, you will abandon the linear nature of the run off in favor of the area problem, in which your dog must search a small area for the subject. Again, your dog will progress to larger areas containing more difficult terrain, vegetation, etc.

Be prepared to deal with the "two steps forward, one step back" phenomenon when training your dog. Training is a constant process of give and take. Do not allow yourself to get discouraged when your dog performs below his ability; dogs have bad days just like people. Your dog will see your disappointment and may respond negatively, with continued poor performance.

Resist temptation to jump ahead in the training process. It is important to make sure each newly taught behavior is deeply ingrained in the dog before moving to the next step. Skipping steps will create a poor foundation for continued learning, and the result will be poor performance. Remember that actual search conditions can be exhausting and frustrating to your dog. In such conditions, behaviors that have not been solidly learned will tend to fall apart.

As you train your dog, you must train yourself. In the field your dog is responsible for searching the area local to you and his nose. You are responsible for positioning the dog in high-probability areas, taking best advantage of scenting conditions, keeping track of your map position, communicating with base, etc. In searches, dog tasks are typically led by the dog handler. Therefore, you will have to acquire the knowledge and leadership skills necessary to lead a team in the wilderness. Valley Search and Rescue requires all perspective dog handlers to have achieved a minimum level of SAR certification before canine field training begins. These certifications include either a PA DCNR FTM or NASAR SARTECH III. Achieving this goal will begin to show your commitment to your decision to become a search and rescue dog handler.