What to look for in a pup for SAR - Page 1

Hi everyone, I am curious as to what a person would look for in a pup to be a good Search and Rescue prospect. I have some people looking at my litter who think they know what to look for and in my opinion they are not correct. They have never done SAR and are just wanting to get into it. I am wanting to see what the opinion of the 'experts' are :) LOL thanks Peggy

Peggy, First I'm not an "expert" but will offer what I know hoping that it may help you some. when I trained my first SAR dog, I looked for the pup that was "intense" and "Consistant" The pup that "stayed" with an item (ball/toy) not just when it rolled but when caught up to it stayed, stared intense to see if it would move again. don't know if that makes any sense, don't really know how to explain it but I'm sure you get the idea. You need "longevity" from a SAR dog, a dog that is so intense he won't quit no matter what the Terrain,weather,hours, are that are involved. Hopefully others will reply with they're experience I only have trained one, my daugher is training one as well. But that's not the "experts" you might have been looking for but none the less hope it helps some.

I will add that many, many people come to breeders looking to buy a pup because they "think" they are going to get into SAR. The truth is that most do not for a variety of reasons. Foremost among those reasons is that most really excellent SAR teams are very limited in who they will accept and most don't want anymore people. Like so many other endeavors in this country, too many people lack the willingness to make a long term commitment. It means thousands of hours of training. People don't understand this. If it is going to interupt the family life and sitting in front of the TV they will end up dropping out. They teach their children as well that it is ok to go from thing to thing and the kids never learn this quality either. And then there is the issue of whether the dog is the right dog. Though I think many SAR groups miss good dogs, the fact is that there are some dogs who do not make good candidates. But mostly, just like with dog sports, first and foremost it has to do with the people. I find that when I talk seriously to people about this, that they soon realize that no, this was really not what they had in mind. By the way, there is a new RH title available through the sport of Schutzhund. RH means "rescue dog" and there are specific training tasks that must be mastered before earning such a designation. There are not many offering it yet, but we are having a training session on it sometime this year in order to set up the area where people who do have an interest in doing something can learn more and have a good time with their dog. I doubt however that it would help anyone to get on a team. Most teams are very elitist and closed, for good reasons. They do not have time to waste with people who are not really serious. If one has never participated on a real SAR team or otherwise been intimately involved, then your training a dog for SAR, or knowing what to look for is probably not very accurate.

Peggy, Very High Hunt Drive High Play Motivation Good Prey Drive Strong Desire to Retrieve Ability to use nose vs. just visual hunting Low or no Defense Drive & Social Aggression Sociable or Socially Neutral Comfortable on all surfaces Neutral or Accepting of Human Remains Odor If these people are not actually in K9 SAR and are just 'wanting to get into it', they likely have no idea how to select a dog that is truly appropriate for the work. Additionally, there are a number of disciplines within K9 SAR that would steer the selection criteria a little. John Haudenshield

Our team doesn't take a trainee with a dog. We want the trainee trained on SAR before we even consider training them in K9 SAR. It is hard enough to train a new person on all they are required to know before they are certified, never mind adding in the training of the dog. I find a lot of other SAR teams are the same way. WIth that being said, when I look for a pup, I want one that is more interested in people, than playing with other dogs. I want to see determination, and attitude. I like to throw a chunk of food or a highly prized play item into tall grass and see what the pup does. Does it continue to look? does it give up? does it look to the human for direction? When the toy comes out does the pup go crazy with enthusiasm? I do the same exercise with the pup in the same area 3 times in a row, and see if the response changes. Does the pup use memory or does the pup use its nose or eyes to find the same item? Then I actually do a short distance runaway, again three times, and on the fourth time, I am not in the same area the pup has gone to the last three times. I watch the pup's reaction.

High Food Drive High Prey Drive Litter rank - Middle dog (don't get the most dominent. Look for lines with good tracking title or if working line look for narcotics/ cross trained parents. Athletic Medium size (not large or small) High confidence Excellent nerves A Good Sar dog is a top notch dog. I have seen well trained SAR dogs that perform Ok in a controlled environment but could not work well otherwise. same goes for the SAR trainer.. I have seen overweight people who would never make it in a physically demanding search.

Thanks guys, I am happy to hear these things. Just what I was thinking, but I am going to print this info out for the people to read and then really discuss their intentions with a puppy. I appreciate the help. A half brother to this litter is one of my more recently certified narc dogs and is also SAR trained. He had an extremely high prey drive and very social and outgoing temperament. He worked out well, but was trained by a wonderful trainer also, not just someone who wanted to get into it! Peggy @ knightenhaus