Canine Search and Rescue
Finding a K9 that works
for a living saving lives!
Before Starting
Before you can evaluate you need to
understand
• Dog may have evolved from wolves but they are not
wolves
• They can not survive without humans
• We have bred the skills and instincts out of them so
that they will be able to perform a specific task or
serve a function such as being a companion
Before Starting
A labrador can not kill the duck but it’s
function is to bring it back to the human
A border collie herds the sheep but has been
bred not to kill the sheep
The chihuahua is a companion but would be
considered prey in the wilderness
Before Starting
What we are going to be looking for is a dog
with strong primitive instincts (drive) that
bring us back to the days when the dog was
closer to the wolf. The primitive instincts
are what would have allowed it to survive in
the wild.
Before Starting
When it is all boiled down to the very essence
what are we asking the dog to do when we
are asking it to do Search and Rescue?
Before Starting
We are asking the dog to hunt for the prey
i.e. We are asking the dog to find the subject
We are asking the dog to let the rest of the pack
know (we constitute the rest of the dogs pack)
i.e. perform a final response
We are asking the dog to kill the prey
i.e. receive the reward system (this varies for different
dogs, but play tug would be an example)
Before Starting
So if the dog doesn’t have strong
instincts/drive then it will not be able to
survive on it’s own
i.e. the will not be able to find the subject
reliably when we need it to
Team Training Officers
If you do not have a evaluation process in
place for your prospective handlers and
their K9 partners
GET ONE!
Get it in writing and stick to it!
Team Training Officers
It is better for the team as a whole to deal with
the situation of an unsuitable k9 before they
even start training.
It never easy but it has to be done! A problem
that is ignored doesn’t go away!
The Process
• We used FEMA CSST program for a
baseline for this presentation – They had
some good slide!
• But there are other evaluating methods with
other specific tests and criteria that are just as
good!
Good screening eliminates the
mediocre dog
• Always re-fixing the same problems
• Trainers are working harder than the
dog
• Does not want to do the job
We have NO RIGHT
to train a dog unsuitable
for a job that can result in a
person’s life and death!
Screening does not guarantee
success!
It selects canine candidates most likely to
succeed in the least amount of time with a
regimented training program and dedicated
handler
Drive
• K9’s inherited behaviors - relating back to
survival skills
• Hunt – Find the prey
• Prey/Retrieve – Catch the prey
• Tug/Fight – kill the prey
• Toy/Possession – having the prey so it
can be consumed
Drive
• What stimulates this drives?
• Hunt – the nose, smelling the prey
• Prey/Retrieve – the eyes, seeing it run
• Tug/Fight – biting and pulling, catching
and kill the prey
• Toy/Possession – the mouth, chewing
and pulling it apart, eating the prey
What drive do we want in our search
dog?
Hunt – definitely, the nose is what we
have the dog for, they can smell better
then we can
Prey/Retrieve – great for using a
reward system! But our subject are
seldom running away from us!
What drive do we want in our search
dog?
Tug/Fight – great for using a reward
system! But we don’t want the dogs biting
the subjects!
Toy/Possession – great for using a reward
system! But we don’t want the dogs
chewing or ripping apart our subjects
What drive do we want in our search
dog?
A combination of drives works best!
A strong hunt drive is best when combined
with another drive that can be used as part
of reward system!
What drive do we want in our search
dog?
The dog has to want to and have the
skills to find the subject!
The dog has to want the reward
enough to keep on working for it!
Why we need to evaluate the
potential of the dog
Select a canine candidate
– Which will train to the operational
level in least amount of time
– With highest likelihood of success
Don’t waste our time & money on a dog
that will never be reliable!
Rationale for Selection
Process
• Improves Certification Evaluation success rate
• Reduces training time
• Gives objective basis for selecting or rejecting a
canine candidate
• Aids in maintaining a viable canine element at all
times
Puppy Versus
Young Adult
Puppy—Pros
• More options on breed, sex of
dog if choosing from a litter
• Control of early training –
dog starts training already
trained in the basics!
Puppy—Pros
• Early exposure to unusual
environments – this is an
issue with older dogs
sometimes
• Socialization – you control it
so the dog will only have
positive experiences
Puppy—Pros
• Drive and reward building
– but this is strongly a
product of genetics so even
a dog can develop these
quickly
Puppy—Cons
• Low prediction of success based on puppy
tests – The drive just might not be there!
• Intensive training delayed until puppy is 6
to 12 months old – you now have year of
time, money and emotion invested in a
puppy that isn’t up the job!
Puppy—Cons
• Will take longer to train – you already have
a year invested and you haven’t even
started!
• Physical and temperamental problems may
develop as puppy matures – Some problems
are genetic and no matter what you do you
are going to have these problems!
Other then just evaluating at the
Puppy
• Look at success and quality of both
parents
• Look at the success and quality of
previous same parent litters
Young Adult—Pros
• What you see, is what you
get
• High prediction of success
• Reduced training time
• Can screen for physical
problems
Young Adult—Cons
• Limited selection of
qualified dogs and those
available are expensive!
Young Adult—Cons
But when you add it up the overall cost of
raising a puppy for a year, the time you spend
in training, medical expenses, etc. it really is a
not more expensive but the initial cost up front
can be prohibitive.
Young Adult—Cons
• Dog should be at least 12 months old and less
then 3 years old
• Unknown early socialization and exposure
• May not have access to dog’s genetic history
(pedigree) if wanting to breed dog
Breed Selection
Standardized screening
will select best candidate of any
breed or mixed breed dog
Screening and
Selection
Process
Screening Process
• Dog is at least 12 months old
• In good physical condition
• Performed in an unfamiliar area
Selection Process Components
•
•
•
•
Drive
Nerve strength
Sociability
Physical screening
Drive
• Innate impulse that
prompts a canine into
action
• The more instinctive,
the more reliable
• Desire for the reward
Measuring Drive
• Play drive and toy possession
• Prey drive
• Hunt drive
Play Drive and Toy Possession Test
•
•
•
•
Play with any reward and with any person
Initially plays with handler and familiar toy
Plays with handler with unfamiliar toys
Plays with unfamiliar person with favorite and
unknown toys
• One minute observation of dog with toy
Select canine that
• Plays vigorously with toys
• Maintains focus on toys
• Presents toy to play or selfplays with toy
Prey Drive Test
• Assesses desire to pursue and capture
prey
• Repeated ‘retrieve’, toy is thrown 10
times
• Dog is released after toy stops moving
• Dog must hold toy until return to
handler
• May be lured back to handler
Select canine that
• Runs to toy
• Carries toy or returns with toy to handler
• Stays focused on toy, not distracted by
environment
• Maintains or increases enthusiasm with each
throw
Hunt Drive Test
• Assesses dog’s
willingness to search for
non-visible toy
• Performed in the type of
environment where you
want the dog to search
Hunt Drive Test
• Handler holds dog while helper throws toy
• Process is repeated and dog is released after
varying delay times, from no delay to 1
minute
• Start point is relocated at least one time
Select canine that
• Runs up on and navigates rubble with little or no
hesitation
• Hunts out of sight of handler for at least 1 minute
on at least one hunt test
• Will run directly on rubble from any start point
• Maintains focus on search
• Holds toy until returns to handler
Nerve Strength
Emotional stability in uncomfortable and
unfamiliar environment
Surface and Sound
Sensitivity
• Unstable • Lights/sirens
• Rough
• Loud noises
• Slick
Confined Space
• Dark
• Lighted
Nerve Strength Test
• Helper works dog with handler nearby
• Each test is performed twice to measure
recovery and reaction
Select canines that
• Demonstrate no anxiety on each element
• May show some mild anxiety on first
experience but recover and show none on
second pass
Sociability
“A Friend in Need” by Cassius M. Coolidge circa 1870
• Comfort around dogs
and people
• Critical for dog’s
ability to cope with the
pressures of
deployment
Sociability Test
• Around people
– 1 minute tie out with person walking by
– Stranger retrieves dog
• Around dogs
– Person and handler walks by
Select canines that
Attempt to greet or ignore stranger and canine
Physical Screening
• Screen for
– Hips
– Elbows
– Other breed specific issues (such as cataracts in
Labradors)
Other Screening
Considerations
• Trainability of dog
– Focus on handler
– Makes eye contact
– Reacts to handler
commands
Specific Screening Tool
• Disaster Canine Qualification Screening
– Developed by D. Brownell, M. Marsolais, and
P. Kaynaroglu
– Successfully used by many federal and state
US&R teams
– Available on Disasterdog website
(www.disasterdog.org)
Other suggestions
• Stick to breeds or mixes of breeds that are already
successful
• Stick to breeders that have a proven history of
success and know what to look for in a SAR dog
• Have somebody else do the evaluation for you –
especially first time handlers!
Other suggestions
• Take your time and look at a number of dogs.
• Don’t be afraid to walk away if it doesn’t feel
right.
• All puppies are cute, don’t take one home because
you let your emotions make your decision
• You are going to spend thousands of dollars and
countless hours, make sure you are investing in the
right dog!
We want
The dogs that
most people
hate as pets
.
Don’t believe it
There is absolutely no reason to have a dog that is
your “training dog” or a dog that is the one you
learn how to train your next dog on!
This is an excuse for continuing with the wrong
dog or poor mentoring from the senior handler
you are learning from!
Acceptable Excuses for the rest of
the day!
• My dog is not capable of doing this because
he is not a good candidate for being a SAR
dog
• I am an idiot and I messed it up.
• I do not understand what I am suppose to be
teaching my dog.
Rest of the Day
• What skill level are the participants?
Beginner? Intermediate? Certified?
• Trained in other disciplines?
• Particular problems that participants are
looking for help with?
Apologize Up Front
• Participants out number the instructor so one on
one help will be limited
• There is a variety of skill levels here so some of
this maybe too simple for some people and other
parts too advanced.
• We will try to answer all the questions you have in
class so everybody can share but you can also ask
after the class is over.
Next class, you will need
• Your dog
• Your dog’s reward system
• A way to restrain your dog (crate, leave in
car, tie down)
• Water
• ?