Training of handler and disaster dog

SEARCH AND RESCUE DOG TRAINING EVENT FOR DISASTER SITUATIONS

Training the handler

  • For the handler (again, based on wilderness air scenting experience), wilderness orienteering and wilderness self-sufficiency/survival are essential training skills.
  • Dog handling skills must also be learned during training (eg, recognizing working v. distracted behaviors, differentiating between alerts and finds, and positioning the dog to maximize terrain coverage).
  • Of primary importance is the handler's ability to understand how the dog is working at any point in time, for which the handler will require detailed and intimate understanding of scent theory.
  • Air scenting dogs are trained to find (ie, follow human scent to its source, be it human or traces of a human), but this basic process has been elaborated and improved upon: dogs now are commonly also trained in recall/refind and indication.
  • The entire process may begin with the command "Go find!", indicating that the dog is to search until the find is made.
  • After the find, the dog can be trained to return to the handler (recall), perform a trained indication (often a bark coupled with some form of meaningful touching of the handler, such as a paw placed on the handler's leg or a "sit-stay" at the handler's feet), and return to the subject (refined, sometimes cued with the "Show me!" command).
  • Once the handler is with the subject, the dog is released (and during training, rewarded).

Disaster dog at work  Disaster dog training

disaster dog at training

  • Dogs are trained in the recall/refind shuttle between the handler and the source until the handler and subject are within sight (this builds on the dog's natural pack instinct).
  • This is of greatest use in situations where the dog may be ranging from the handler (wilderness air scenting) or the subject may be concealed or out of sight (eg, at night, hidden in brush), but is less useful for dogs trained for close-quarters searches (eg, cadaver and drowning dogs).
  • During training, the handler must learn to recognize this behavior without cueing the dog (lest the dog learn to "indicate" only when the handler subconsciously prompts him to, a common mistake during the training process), and can complicate early training sessions if the handler (who is learning to read the dog) fails to reward a successful find appropriately because she failed to recognize the dog's natural indication.
  • Thus it is important to train with those having more experience. On scene, the handler must pay constant close attention to the dog, which may be difficult or dangerous in commonly encountered search scenarios (eg, night, hazardous terrain, low-visibility, while navigating off-trail, when fatigued or distracted).
  • Handlers using dogs trained to a natural indication risk missing finds outside of training scenarios, mistaking alerts for finds, or missing finds because a natural indication was not noticed or recognized, however they have the advantage in that as the dog tires or becomes distracted they will still exercise the natural behavior while they may not follow up with the trained response.
  • The trained indication involves an additional step in the search-find process; the dog is taught to perform a clearly recognizable behavior only upon finding the subject.
  • For example, the dog may return to the handler and sit, perform a jump up, bark (either at the handler or near the subject), or grab a decoy or bringsel.
  • Addition of this extra step during training is easily accomplished, has the benefit of being easily recognizable under any circumstance, and can be easily differentiated from an alert.
  • Often, training the dog to perform a specific behavior is easier and more reliable than training handlers to consistently and reliably read a dog's "natural" indication.
  • This takes less training on the part of the handler and more on the part of the dog.
  • An example of a trained response is that, when a distant find has been made, the dog can be taught to repeatedly shuttle between the subject and handler using a refind-return-indicate-refind sequence.
  • When using a trained indication, the behavior must be well-ingrained in the search-find-recall process that a fatigued dog does not skip it.
  • Distractions are still a problem and EXTENSIVE training must be done to avoid this less something as simple as a loud noise or animal prevent the lost person from being found.

disaster dog training    disasterdog at work

  • Advanced dogs can be trained to give different indications depending upon the nature of the find: for example, a jump-up for a live airscent find and a sit for cadaver.
  • A potential problem with this method is that poorly-trained dogs (or those who have been rushed through training) can become distracted before performing the alert.
  • An alert by an airscenting dog can be distinct from an indication (although for a dog that uses a natural indication, the two may not be distinguishable).
  • Both involve being able to read the dog's behavior. Alerts are instances where an airscenting dog detects human scent but has not located the subject or source.
  • Alerts can be recognized by a change in the dog's behavior pointing, following a scent upwind, circling, or following scent up terrain or obstructions, for example.
  • Recognizing an alert is important for any experienced handler, as the location of alerts along with wind conditions, environmental conditions, and terrain can be used by the handler to alter the search strategy.
  • Regardless of whether the dog is trained to perform an indication on find, or whether the handler uses a natural indication on find, all handlers must be able to recognize an alert in order to effectively deploy their dog.
  • Inexperienced handlers who use trained indications may have difficulty recognizing alerts, while handlers who rely on a natural indication may not be able to differentiate an alert from an indication (since the behaviors are essentially the same).
  • Training techniques for search dogs are not written in stone. There are many different techniques for training a dog for this type of work.
  • Anyone interested in training a search dog should contact a reputable search dog organization and discuss the training methods used.

Last modified: Thursday, 7 June 2012, 10:20 AM