What does it take to train a search dog?

Money, time, money, more time, and lots of dedication. Things that we all want and can't find enough of! The average search dog in training will take as much time as a part time job. Evenings, weekends, and vacations are often used in search dog training, especially in the first two years of training when a candidate is working toward operational status. If a person has already purchased outdoor gear for camping, hiking or backpacking, then the outlay of money won't be too drastic; however, if you have to purchase these types of items, it can add up very fast. To get to places to train, a rugged and reliable vehicle is important. You can't have an old beater on the edge of breakdown and get to searches in the dead of winter or in nasty weather conditions on often rough roads. You can travel hundreds of miles roundtrip for monthly trainings, to other states for seminars, and all over the southeast for search callouts and all of the expenses are out of pocket for the handler. The estimated expenditure at the beginning of search dog training is around $2,500-$5,000, depending upon mileage traveled, personal and canine gear required and the cost of purchasing a sound dog to train. The yearly expense to maintain a search dog is around $1,000-$3000, depending on the level of activity and the number of trainings that a person pursues or is often required to attend, this does not include veterinary insurance (which is strongly recommended), or medical costs for vaccinations, and treatment if necessary for your dogs safety and health. Search work is dangerous at times, and though we do our very best to protect ourselves and our dogs, accidents do happen. Occasionally, a requesting agency will reimburse a handler for their mileage to a search, pay for a hotel stay, provide a meal or assist with a tank of gas, but a handler cannot rely on this assistance. Personal time away from family and friends, your job and other obligations can also really take a toll. Many handlers find themselves torn between the obligations of training to competency for emergency missions and the obligation of spending time with loved ones and keeping the boss happy at work. If you are self employed you can understand that the money stops coming in if you are out training your dog or if you are called out on a mission. A handler has to have perseverance, determination and dedication toward the effort of becoming the best resource that they can be for the lost person. Someone's life often depends upon the performance of the search and rescue team, and the dog is only one small part of that team.

To train and operationally certify a dog, there are many considerations. First and foremost, it takes the right handler to become an operational team. A good dog in the hands of a bad handler is not going to be useful on any search mission. Becoming a competent search dog handler takes the ability to listen to others and the willingness to accept constructive criticism and the ability to watch, and learn from others effectively. The handlers that are often the best resource with their dogs are often those that are the best at growing from feedback, positive or negative, and the best at communicating their needs to others. A handler must be mentally tough, and able to handle crisis situations and be able to think clearly and act quickly to life threatening situations. A search dog handler must also be in good physical shape to perform the functions necessary to save lives. Search work is hard work, and teams like ours rarely get called out on pretty days. We train no matter how hot, cold, dark or wet it gets outside, because this is often when people get into trouble. On a real mission, it can often take hours and hours of endless searching to find a single clue, a piece of evidence or hopefully the missing subject, but often, this is not the case. In fact, more often that not, the search efforts are stopped before the missing subject is found, or the subject is found many days later after your team has had to pull out or was demobilized, due to financial constraints of the requesting agency, or the lack of clues or new information, which can be very frustrating. Second, a dog with a "good nose" is simply not enough to make a search and rescue K9, because all dogs have good noses, but not every dog can be a search dog. Getting a dog with the right drives, temperament and intelligence to become a search dog may mean testing litter upon litter of puppies for the right candidate. It might even mean that the family dog that you thought was really smart and who needed a job may not be the right candidate. Would you be willing to get another dog for search and rescue training if this were the case? Do you have the option of getting another dog that could be specifically selected for search work? Lastly, it also takes a VERY understanding and supportive group of family and friends. You will need people to hide and set up problems for you and your dog constantly to remain effective. You will constantly be spending family resources on training, trips and supplies. You will be spending a lot of time away from your family and friends to train at national and regional seminars and group trainings. The training of a search dog is an enormous commitment, and the victim and his or her family deserves only the best that we can offer them in their time of need.

(Original Author Unknown)