Well, I had the philosophy for more decades than I will state that it is never too late for a happy childhood! Going B2B is just another form of it?! and Always be worthy of your dog! Dr. L.

RCMP tracking tape clearly defines and shows how it can be ( should be?) done. Worked for my dog. On the night of his 1st B-day found a woman,alive, 14 hours after the search began. I continually refer to it an pic up new bits and pieces all the time. G.

We're getting lots of meat with gravy now, this has been a very informative thread, I see that my goal is trully attainable. I need to start training me to help tranfer what I want to them. I think that they are taking to this training well, they seem to enjoyit alot more then being forced to track, and corrected for not making a corner properly etc...

I've done some research on this subject I need to change the decoy/person being found. From me to another person, then make the find smaller and smaller until it's only a scent item buried under ground. My theroy of air scenting and tracking or trailing is feasiable and pracitcle so I just need to apply the how to, when, where and time in service. I will take the suggestions, like finding a mentor that is already a successful at this type S&R methods. I'm taking all what you each person has to say and I can tell that this is thread is help more then just me.

The Police officer that stated in the future Air Scenting will be the tracking method (forgive my misuse of the terminlogy, but just quoting)of choice. As mentioned its not the method used now tracking or point/sniff & indicate is use to find suspects/drugs. So it would be a revolution to them, just like swichting from revolver to auto pistol (there's a difference).

So a wolf doesn't neccessary use the same method of combining air scenting with tracking? New news.
Dogs seem to do it fairly natural, it seems after they know what you want.

So which form of indicating should I use? I like to be prepared when we get there. By the way my dogs are PP trained is this a minus??? I've heard it could be.

I'd like to be used in Manhunts and S&R activites eventually. GSDs(working dogs) need a mission.

Gooddogu

I'm confused I think, but then I do confuse easily. If you are going to use your dog for manhunts of the running felon type,your dog may track, and then he may air scent. I wish, a fleeing person, often times, unless he knows the area well, will tend to run in circles or at least make turns somewhere along the way, You may be tracking the suspect, but if should happen to find yourself downwind from the suspect the dog should be able to change course and work that airborne scent. The best possible protection for you there is, you should never set out on a track with out a "shotgun man" watching your back. Any way, perhaps I'm just completely missed your question. If so, sorry about that.

DFrost

Dfrost, if you're confused, then I guess I don't feel too badly about being a little confused myself.
Goodogu,
A while back, we had set up a track for my dog that had aged about three hours. Due to a change in wind direction, the subject's location (end of the track) ended up being upwind of us. When I put my dog at the start, he started OK, but then blew off the track and airscented to the subject. Yeah, he made the find, but our intent was to have him work an aged track, not to work the scent cone. This tells me that my dog knows to work the scent cone if that is what is available to him, but that's not what I want to emphasize in training. In training, I want to emphasize ground scent, so normally, when we're thinking clearly and able to do so (sometimes the wind changes constantly), we set up the problems so that he has to track as close to the subject as possible before hitting the scent cone. I'm not worried about him knowing to work the scent cone, but I am concerned that he be able to pick up a 24 hour old track in a highly contaminated area.
Am I making sense?
And, we ALWAYS have a live person at the end of the track. NOT articles. The goal is to find a human being. If there are some articles along the way, yes, I want my dog to indicate them. But, in training, he will NEVER be put on a track that doesn't have a human being at the end.

As far as being protection trained, I would think that in SAR, you would not want that, at least, I wouldn't. The subject is NOT a bad guy. Even if the subject behaves in a combative manner (Alzehimer's disease, mentally ill, or disoriented due to hypothermia or heatstroke or simply the stress of being lost), you don't want your SAR dog doing a bark and hold or biting the poor person, do you?. In police work (TTD RCMP style) the reward is a bite. In SAR, that is not the case.

You don't want to be used for manhunts, that is stupid.

It's totally stupid, unless it's your job! Very dangerous stuff. Volunteers like me will not get called out on that type of thing, thankfully. If the subject is known "despondent" and armed, law enforcement goes, not volunteers. Scary thing is, they don't always know...sometimes the family isn't as forthcoming as they should be.

Thanks for that advice DFrost sounds like you been on a couple bad guy rounds up before. I'll print this one out too. Thanks.

I agreed its stupid to want to be used in a Manhunt situation for the normal citizen, but people with Law Enforcement back ground may want to consider it as continuation in this field.

Like anything if you train and are prepared for it, its becomes more of an reality. Its still stupid, any time you are trying to find someone that knows where you are, and you don't know where he maybe hiding. He has the advantage, its stupid. But somebody gotta do it.

Stealing a line from a Grammy winning movie. My Moma said stupid is a stupid does, or was that the box of chocolate thing.

Topic Protection trained S&R dog????
I've heard that before that a dog that is trained in bite work, is a problem in S&R work. And I can see why in the Aliztimer patiences example that will fight, or a screaming child that they may find (he won't bite (but who knows) the child but he would just go get me or stand away barking). I hope, it is a risk you don't want to take.

Anyway it seems clear that on searches like this they need to leased, so I can be right there. I mean I don't plan to try to untrain them to do protection work. I don't think you can as much as they like it.

Thanks you for your experince if it looks like I'm going the wrong way, a kick in the a** , is better than a bump on the head (that can kill ya).

Gooddogu wrote:"I agreed its stupid to want to be used in a Manhunt situation for the normal citizen, but people with Law Enforcement back ground may want to consider it as continuation in this field. "

I don't know what the hell you are talking about.

Gooddogu,

Well I've tracked and searched for bad guys, lost guys and kids, alzheimers patients, tornado victims, mines, tunnels, tripwires and a six-pack of Bud, regardless of what you are trying to find, training is always the key. If it surprises you in the real world, then you are not conducting realistic training. Regardless of the type of work you do, you should be prepared for any eventuality.

DFrost