Hi, I am new to these boards and I have a year old German

Shepherd female who I have been obedience training myself, no

formal training. I want to locate a great obedience training

here in North Texas but I am having no luck. I am interested in

SAR work and I want to take my GS into this direction. She is ok

at obedience, but the SAR group requires that she be excellentin

obedience.
Any suggestions?

Advice.
Thanks,
Elaine

Where in Texas are you? If in the Dallas area maybe I could find out something for you.

Why do they want her excellent in Obedience?
I only ask because I only put very basic obedience on my dogs that I am using for SAR. The only thing I want from them is that they are controllable and wanting to work. As they get older and know what I want them to do as far as work, that is when I start putting in tight obedience. I think that if your dog is too obedient before it learns to range away and search that it is alot harder to get them to "go away" and stay away in order to search. In other words....the dog is a "velcro" dog
We require our handlers to have their dogs "under control" when out and if they are not training then the dog has to be crated or in a vehicle with no chance of escape.
I firmly believe in evaluations and would have your dog evaluated so that you can make sure she has what it takes to do SAR work.
I am not trying to burst any bubbles here, but as founder and president of my team, I have watched a lot of people come and go because 1) they realized that it was too expensive 2) they realized they were not physically fit enough and did not want to work at it any longer 3) they could not follow rules and bring proper gear or wear proper clothing to training 4) they were abusive to thier dogs (ie kicking and hitting) and I DO NOT tolerate that 5) the dog they were using was a wash out and they did not want to get another dog
This is just my opinion, but I would ask why and also check around with other groups to see what they offer and have as far as standards and regulations. I think that people interested in SAR need to know up front that it takes hard work, dedication and some changes in your lifestyle AND your dogs lifestyle in order to become and effective and reliable resource. Good luck to you and I think it is great that you want to explore the SAR world.

I am located North of Dallas and have not found anybody who does

obedience training.

Thanks for the advice in searching for a SAR team, I am aware of

the cost, and if my dog does not "have what it takes" then I can

always use another dog. SAR work is something I have always be

interested in and now I have an opportunity to do something I

have always dreamed of.

Elaine

Hi Elaine,

I'm East of Dallas, and do training. How far are you interested in traveling? If it's to far, I can recommend someone.

I don't mind traveling anywhere just to find someone who can

train me and my dog properly. I just want to learn

Elaine

Joanne Reitz has done FEMA for 10 years in the Kaufman, Texas area. She has a website but I don't know if I have permission to put it here...moderators, what's the ruling on this one?