Search and rescue dog training

Satyr_The_Great

Ok, i got an English Springer Spaniel, im thinking of getting him trained up for search and rescue. He is from a strong working background and has a great nose for scents.
I already work with scents with him in garden and fields, by hiding stuff and letting him find it. sometimes i lay out a trail of scent for him, other times i dont and he finds the prize every time,, and rather quickly i might add.
Anyway, im having trouble finding information on getting him trained up for it. I have tried the SARDA site but it doesnt seem to work on my laptop.
Is there any people on here who have done it or know of any information i can get.
All replies appreciated. He is a dog that wants to go all the time, and willing to work so I wanna atleast give him a chance to do stuff outside his home and outside his usual play routines.

star-pants

The site is working for me.

Would you be looking to work with your dog? As the site says they don't take dogs independently from their owners.

Satyr_The_Great

hell yeah,, i wanna work with the dog...where ever the dog goes, i go..

star-pants

Well I can copy and paste from the site?

How are dog teams trained?
* Acceptance for training with SARDA
* Reward based searching
* Air Scenting
* Indicating the find
* Handler training

What sort of dogs are suitable?
Character and conformation
Trainable and intelligent
Friendly and sociable
Agile and energetic with good stamina
Start Young

Qualification and Testing
Dog teams
External unbiased assessors
Covering Irish terrain
Mountain specialist dog teams
High standards

Steps to becoming a Dog Handler
Subscribe to the ethos of Search and Rescue
Dog's body for 6 months
Dog training knowledge and ability
Fit and active with good personal commitment
Team contributor
Take responsibility for your own dog
Do you think you already have a suitable dog?


These are all the headings on the pages of the italic'd topic. Each of the little headings have a paragraph explaining/describing. If you can get the site to work (I've linked it in my previous post) you'll be able to read more.
To contact them - they say to contact the Secretary Catherine Kelly secretaryATsardairelandDOTcom

Satyr_The_Great

Cheers thanks,, il try it on my sisters internet tomorrow when im down at her place. He is VERY energetic and wants to be WORKING all the time, sometimes gets frustrated cause i have to go in and do other stuff but hoping that when and if i do the search and rescue training itl be something for me and the dog to work on and keep workoing on so work off some of his energy, and
hopefully help out some people in need should the situation arrise.

star-pants

It's a great idea

By having a quick glance through the site, ye will be put through your paces, and it takes quite a while. The 6month period of dogs body applies to you and not the dog, you have to be a dogsbody for 6months before your dog is accepted.

Satyr_The_Great

site still wont work, iv tried it with internet explorer ans with firefox,,,played around with my settings and i still cant get into the site. Dogs body? whats that mean for me?

boodlesdoodles

A friend of mine works for a living with a dog, I won't say where but suffice to say its not in security. When you have a working dog like this he ceases to be a pet, he becomes a worker whose wage is only earned when he does what he's trained to do. My friend loves the work they do and the dog is a complete dream of a doggie, he's going to make a brilliant pet when he retires but the dedication my friend has put into the job is beyond belief. I'm proud to call them my friend because of it. Its very hard work and my friend has to do exercises with him rain or snow, therefore, if you consider yourself dedicated and disciplined then go for it. If your dog is now a family pet you'll have to think really hard about changing his position in the family etc.

star-pants

Means you have to work for SARDA, training for 6 months before your dog can even begin training.

Dog's Body for 6 months

You are required to act as a dog's body for a minimum of six months prior to being accepted for training with your own dog.

The bodying period allows you to experience the way different dogs find you in relation to the wind and where you are hiding. This time is well spent while you decide whether or not being a Sarda dog handler is for you.

Requirements and recommendations

You will subscribe the ethos of Search and Rescue, giving of your time freely and willingly in the interest of others.

You will need to be over 18 years of age, physically fit, enjoy outdoor activities and provide your own outdoor waterproof clothing and walking boots as footwear.

You will have your own transport.

It goes without saying that you will be a person who likes dogs and is comfortable interacting with them. Bear in mind that SARDA's dogs are very friendly and you may be in for a good licking when they find you!

If you are willing to help us in this way then please contact us by clicking on the 'contact' menu option.

You will have fun, and learn about working a search and rescue dog at the same time

Children and Family

Children do not enjoy long periods of helping with the dogs - they get bored! So if your family wants to come along make sure that another responsible adult is with you to look after any children during the day. They may be happiest going away to some other activity

Dogs

You should not bring your dog with you when you start as a body. You will need to body for six months before you would be considered for training with a dog.

What You Have to Do

Each handler will give you full instructions as to what is needed for their individual dog

Experienced dogs

Initially you will be asked to act as body for experienced dogs. These dogs will find you and return to the handler to indicate their find. Likely all you will need to do is keep still until the handler joins you after which they will instruct you as to how to reward the dog.

Novice dogs

As you become an 'experienced' body, you will start to take a more active part in training. You will be rewarding and encouraging the novice dogs by play or food reward when they find you, and handlers will ask for your feedback on how the dog behaved. You will start to learn how the search dogs are trained.

Satyr_The_Great

boodlesdoodles wrote: »

A friend of mine works for a living with a dog, I won't say where but suffice to say its not in security. When you have a working dog like this he ceases to be a pet, he becomes a worker whose wage is only earned when he does what he's trained to do. My friend loves the work they do and the dog is a complete dream of a doggie, he's going to make a brilliant pet when he retires but the dedication my friend has put into the job is beyond belief. I'm proud to call them my friend because of it. Its very hard work and my friend has to do exercises with him rain or snow, therefore, if you consider yourself dedicated and disciplined then go for it. If your dog is now a family pet you'll have to think really hard about changing his position in the family etc.

Not totally true. Iv seen numerous working dogs, both gun dogs, sheep dogs who were both family pets and working dogs and perfomed at their best in both situations.....what you say may be tru for some dogs but not all. No need to change the dogs position in the familly at all..all the dog needs is a cue word for what he is about to do or train for, and if trained right then the dog can diffrenciate between different activities.

boodlesdoodles

Satyr_The_Great wrote: »

Not totally true. Iv seen numerous working dogs, both gun dogs, sheep dogs who were both family pets and working dogs and perfomed at their best in both situations.....what you say may be tru for some dogs but not all. No need to change the dogs position in the familly at all..all the dog needs is a cue word for what he is about to do or train for, and if trained right then the dog can diffrenciate between different activities.

I'm not talking about gun or sheep dogs, I'm talking about dogs working in the public domain. And I can only go on what my friend has told me...not looking for an argument about anything and was only giving an alternative point of view.

Satyr_The_Great

I know boodles....gun and sheep dogs were just an example,,iv seen gsd's being used for both, working with the public and as familly pets,,its alot of work yeah to have them as both but it can be done.
As i said my dog is an English Springer Spaniel from a working background, ( championship huinting trial winners ), he is a GREAT familly pet, and tracks scents great both air and being shown an item to sniff, well he does it good at home and at friends houses. Loves kids, can be full of energy alot of the time alright but once he has something to keep him occupied then he is happy, he loves being out in the fields running around, and isnt bothered by cows, horses, sheep and the likes.
I just want to get him some form of official training for it, The local fire brigade do similar work when needed, they dont just do fires and accidents so im thinking of asking them if we can get a group together for training with SARDA,.where i live is surrounded by forrestry, and im only a 45 minute drive from mt leinster so alot of oppertunities for training missions there.
From what i gather from the SARDA site, if you can get a group together, they will travel to our or your area providing all members are willing to put in 100% effort and are 100% dedicated to the programme.
Gonna look into it over the next month or so and see if i can get a group organised. I am unemployed at the moment so might aswell be doing something with our time, since alot of my time is actually spent with the dog.

Paul91

Satyr_The_Great wrote: »

Ok, i got an English Springer Spaniel, im thinking of getting him trained up for search and rescue. He is from a strong working background and has a great nose for scents.
I already work with scents with him in garden and fields, by hiding stuff and letting him find it. sometimes i lay out a trail of scent for him, other times i dont and he finds the prize every time,, and rather quickly i might add.
Anyway, im having trouble finding information on getting him trained up for it. I have tried the SARDA site but it doesnt seem to work on my laptop.
Is there any people on here who have done it or know of any information i can get.
All replies appreciated. He is a dog that wants to go all the time, and willing to work so I wanna atleast give him a chance to do stuff outside his home and outside his usual play routines.

hey Satyr - i'd just like to thank you for bringing this up on the boards, will be looking into it myself now - not sure if my dogs will suit (German Shepherd (she was rescued) and her pup German Shepherd x Newfoundland (although Newfies where bred for water rescue)) but will have fun reading up on the site, and even if the dogs can't help I may be able to.

Diogenes

Satyr, I have two Springers, and while I appreciate your enthusiasm you need to understand, no matter how keen your dog is, you also need to make a serious commitment.

Back where were used to live in North London there was a fireman who was training a springer as a search and rescue dog. He and his dog were in training for serious search and rescue, including being sent into disaster zones around the globe (earthquakes etc..) to search for bodies and survivors. The training and testing lasted days, and was seriously demanding on both dog and training.

However I understand from the SARDA site that this is a volunteer organisation to assist in search and rescue organisation in Ireland. I think this is really interesting, and bravo for considering to do it, but keep in mind, you're probably going to be asked to go out in fairly horrific conditions at inhospitable times often for very little satisfaction or reward.

As the site says

You will be willing to expend your mental and physical energy, and financial resources to assist others as an unpaid volunteer.

Your personal circumstances must be such that you are able to respond to emergencies. Operational SARDA dog teams are on call round the clock, every day of the year.

You will be a cooperative but self-motivated person

You will need to accept that a call out may occur, and you may drive many miles to reach the incident location, only to find that your services are no longer needed, perhaps because the person has been located. You need to be able to accept this apparent waste of time without complaint, recognizing that you are team contributor and that the main thing is the rescue of the person

So you're asking to expend time, energy, and money on your dog. You say you are unemployed at present, will you still be able to give this commitment when you are employed.

I only ask because about 15 years ago, my young brother was part of a young boy scouts troop on a long hike on the Wicklow Way on a Saturday night, bad weather came in hard and fast, and their troop leader had a heart attack and died on the mountain top. There was a faulty battery on their walkie talkie and they weren't able to give their location. They were on the mountain for 8 hours in howling winds and freezing rain before being found.

If you like the idea of cancelling your Saturday night, wandering around in torrential weather in the pitch black, and more than likely never even catching sight of the people you are searching for, than this is what you are signing yourself up for. I know your springer will be up for it, but will you?

If that sounds okay, well done, fair play and I wish you and your dog all the luck. If you're in any doubt, perhaps maybe, agility or fly dog, or even gun dog training?

Paul91

Diogenes wrote: »

If you like the idea of cancelling your Saturday night, wandering around in torrential weather in the pitch black, and more than likely never even catching sight of the people you are searching for, than this is what you are signing yourself up for.

sounds like my regular saturday night to me at the moment

on a serious note, i've contacted them to express an interest and i like the idea of being a "body" for 6 months, basically working as an apprentice for this length of time really will show if you can commit to the time and conditions