I have been interest in K-9 SAR for a few years now. I knew that my older dog was not a good candidate due to some temperament issues. Although her ball drive is awesome.

I recently got a second Border Collie - a male that will be 2 y/o in December My primary reason for getting him was for a working farm dog (I raise sheep). He is showing great natural talent for sheep work - can “read” the sheep, responsive, and learns fast. Everything I want in a stock dog. But I am also thinking about K-9 SAR again.
So far his play drive is only so-so. He will chase a ball, but loose’s interest after a couple times. He likes to tug a bit better, and gets pretty excited at first when I bring it out. He is a bit shy in new situations, but is curious and does not seem intimidated by it all. He has had a lot of new experiences since I got him, has taken it all in stride, and is becoming my little buddy.

I want to order the “building focus and drive” DVD in the next few weeks and work through that. But what else can I be doing with him if I want to pursue SAR work? From this limited explanation, could he be a possible candidate? What characteristics do you like to see in a SAR dog?

Mara:
The best advice you can get is to find a reputable, local SAR group and work with them. They'll be able to tell you whether or not your dog and (more importantly!) you are suitable for SAR work. Most of these groups require that you spend some time with them without your dog before you can officially join. You'll also be able to get a good idea of whether or not you really want to volunteer for SAR before you invest a lot of time training your dog for it. The ideal scenario is that you decide you really want to volunteer for SAR (after spending lots of time working with a local team) and then purchase the right tool for the job (aka the appropriate dog).

The wife of a SAR teammate once said, "Gee, you said you were looking for a hobby and instead you found a 'lifestyle' for our entire family!"

Perhaps some of us on this forum can help you find a SAR group. Where are you located?

Mara,

Like Konnie said, try to find a local SAR group that has dogs and start there. The primary things to consider in evaluating a SAR prospect is strong hunt drive (the willingness to search & search & search for a 'lost' ball, toy, etc..) and a solid temperament. There are also a number of different disciplines within K9 SAR, but generally speaking the dogs do a lot of searching, but not always a lot of finding. So, in training, you have to have a strong hunt drive to extend training scenarios from short problems into ones that are sometimes hours long.

Hi Mara,
The advice you have already gotten is good advice.
Find a local group and see if you can volunteer to help out and see what actually goes into training and handling a SAR dog. It is definitely a change in lifestyle so to speak.
Currently I have a Bloodhound for Mantrailing and a Malinois for Human Remains Detection.
Totally different dogs to handle. My husband told me if I get the dogs I have to commit to it, so I did and now he is realizing that it has also changed his "schedule" as well.

The local organizations should have a certified or qualified evaluator so that if and/or when you make the decision to dive into this, they can look at your dog and tell you what their opinion is.

What I look for when I go and evaluate dogs is first and foremost a good attitude, wide open and willing to range out and go away from me (the recall comes later). I usually bring a variety of toys, balls ect to test the dog with (I also bring some treats) since dogs can actually have a preference to certain toys/balls.

For instance, my Malinois is tug driven and the BH is food driven. I have not yet seen a BH that plays with a toy for reward but I have a Redbone Coonhound and a Dutchie/Mal cross right now and they both will do anything for a tennis ball. (no other ball works although they do play with other toys)

I will hold onto the dog and throw a toy or ball into tall grass or something that hides it from sight and then release the dog and see how long the dog will hunt for it. The more the dog struggles and pulls me around because they want to be released to find the object the better in my opinion.
I do not care if the dog finds it, I want them to look for it and not want to quit looking for it. Once I have decided to take the dog and put it in the program, the dog is not allowed to have the reward that drives them bonkers except for training time. This way the dog learns that the reward is associated with performing a task that I want them to do, in this case it is finding the person or remains.

Please know that this is a quick explanation and there is so much more involved with how we select and keep dogs in the program.
There are people I work with that will take a dog with low/medium drive and try to build on that, sometimes it works but most of the time the dogs wash out.
I prefer HIGH drive dogs, (the BH is high drive for food when working or at feeding time but other than that is lazy, but most people would probably agree that BH are not actually dogs, they are four legged trailing creatures who really could care less about doing anything other than sleeping or following a trail) <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> He was my first dog and although I love him to death and he works very well, I will probably not train another BH.
I really like the Malinois, second is a GSD and third would be any dog with HIGH drive, a stable temperment and willing to learn regardless of being purebred or not. These are my personal preferences and I have seen several different breeds in action and when any dog has the drive and focus and the handler has the committment, time and money to obtain the correct training then the dogs work very well. I hope this makes sense to you and helps with your decision process.
Take Care. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thank you for the replies.

I live in southwest MI - right next to lake Michigan, and about 1 hr from the MI/IN border. I’ve looked around on the internet a bit, but so far have not found anything closer than 3-4 hrs away - to far for me at this point. I understand that lots of travel time may be involved, but I just can’t swing that much right now. It would be nice if I could find a closer group.

My other big hurdle at this time is the time requirement. I’m currently working as a nanny, which does not give me a lot of flex time. I’ll probably will be doing that another 6-8 months.

I realize that I’m not working with an ideal scenario. And another dog is not an option for me right now. But I do want learn the process of training a SAR dog - and more about training working dogs in general. The other scenario I’ve thought about is working with Kipp on my own, more for my benefit of learning more about the process. Then get a dog that is better suited in a year or so if I decide to pursue it. Kipp is smart, and learns fast (10-15 repetitions and he’s got it down), but I’m not sure that his play drive will be strong enough for serious work. I will try some other toys and see what his response is. I wish he had my older BC's play drive - she will do anything to get her ball, and is always finding those balls that got shoved under/behind things.

Are there good books or online articles that can help me learn? I do have the newest ARDA book that I’ve read a couple times. If I follow the outline they have should that help give me a good feel for the process?

Why, oh why do I have to so intrigued by this? I mean, I could do competitive herding with him, and I’ve already got sheep. But nooo, I want to try something different <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />.

Mara,
I do not really read a whole lot of books that have to do with training SAR dogs, I much rather prefer to be out working with them, but here are some that have a place on my shelf forever:


The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell PHD

The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson (This is okay reading)

Dont Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor

Guide to Search and Rescue Dogs by Angela Eaton Snovak

Search and Rescue Dogs, Training the K-9 Hero by American Rescue Dog Association


The Cadaver Dog Handboook by Andy Rebmann, Edward David and Marcella H. Sorg

Also any of the Syrotuck books are very good also. I cannot remember titles and I am at work so I cannot go look. I will get them and send them to you by pm.

I think it is absolutely wonderful that you have an interest and are willing to see what it takes.
Good Luck and keep us posted on how things work out for you.

Thanks Konnie! South Bend would be close enough for me! In fact, my grandparents live 20 min from there, and I've been thinking about taking some college courses at the college near them. Now the wheels in my head are turning...
I'll try contacting someone from that group.

Thanks for the list of books, Carol. I also prefer to learn by doing, but I'm an avid reader when it comes to something dog related. I'll head over to half.com to see what I can find.