Training The Disaster Search Dog

Quick response to natural and man-made disasters can mean the difference between life and death for trapped victims. This is a step-by-step guide to training dogs to the FEMA level for this important work.

Professional search and rescue workers consider Susan Bulanda's Ready! Training the Search and Rescue Dog "the bible of Search and Rescue (SAR)," the most sought-after book of its kind detailing canine search and rescue. This second edition, expanded and revised with new color photography, provides readers with the necessary training methods for dogs in various SAR disciplines, including wilderness, evidence, cadaver, water, avalanche, and disaster searches. The author, an experienced SAR professional, details the goals, target skills, and potential problems at each training level of every SAR discipline.Ready! provides descriptions of every type of search, including specific training methods to accomplish each SAR discipline. Professional and volunteer SAR workers will profit from the Bulandas' expertise on training the dog to alert, managing the search mission, choosing and socializing a SAR dog, and how to train dogs for specific commands (such as bar, turn around, go to an object, check, slow, crawl through and others). Readers curious about the fascinating work of the SAR canine will enjoy the general chapters about the history of SAR, an explanation of how dogs use scent to locate people or objects, and the functions of the SAR dog.This highly specialized training manual offers precise direction for SAR workers for every possible kind of mission, identifying the goals, target skills, methods and problem solving for each type of search. Color photographs and line drawings help to elucidate difficult concepts explained in the text. A resources section and index conclude this 254-page volume.

Hundreds of tips are revealed to help handlers train the Search and Rescue dog. This instructional guide describes the skills needed to lay a solid foundation for successfully training the SAR dog. The reader will examine disciplines such as Wilderness Air Scent, Human Remains Detection (both land and water), First Responder Dogs, Disaster, and Trailing dogs. Learn the skills needed to prepare physically, mentally, and intellectually for SAR operations. Enjoy meeting REAL SAR dogs in over 50 photos. Discover the industry standard for documentation including training logs, evaluations, and certifications. Sample forms for each are included. Explore Sympathetic Alerts, Human Response Alerts and handler Cues to understand why dogs behave as they do. Gain a basic knowledge of Scent Theory and learn how it impacts dog performance. Ethics and professionalism are stressed as SAR dog handlers from across the nation reveal their wisdom through TIPS and BEST PRACTICES.

A “haunting meditation on trust, hope and love” by a woman who adopts and trains a Golden Retriever puppy to become a search-and-rescue dog (People). In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Susannah Charleson’s attention was caught by a newspaper photograph of a canine handler, his exhausted face buried in the fur of his search-and-rescue dog. Susannah, a dog lover and pilot with search experience herself, was so moved by the image that she decided to volunteer with a local canine team, plunging herself into an astonishing new world. While the team worked long hours for nonexistent pay and often heart-wrenching results, Charleson discovered the joy of working in partnership with a canine friend and the satisfaction of using their combined skills to help her fellow human beings. Once she qualified to train a dog of her own, Charleson adopted Puzzle—a smart, spirited Golden Retriever puppy who exhibited unique aptitudes as a working dog, but was a bit less interested in the role of compliant house pet. Scent of the Missing is the story of Charleson’s adventures with Puzzle as they search for a lost teen; an Alzheimer’s patient wandering in the cold; and signs of the crew amid the debris of the space shuttle Columbia disaster—all while unraveling the mystery of the bond between humans and dogs. “A riveting view of both the human animal bond and the training of search and rescue dogs. All dog lovers and people interested in training service dogs should read this book.” —Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human

Winner 1991 Maxwell Medallion Best Special Volume ABOUT THE FIRST EDITION "...the techniques and the case studies here are so interesting that a read will prove rewarding to ordinary trainers and fanciers alike." --Publisher s Weekly From the devastation of the World Trade Center to earthquakes in Central Asia, search and rescue dogs have proven invaluable in helping to find victims of disasters whether man-made or natural. First published in 1991 to critical acclaim, this newly expanded and revised edition of Search and Rescue Dogs: Training the K-9 Hero, contains original, updated content. Chapters describe cutting-edge training techniques used for wilderness, disaster, cadaver dogs, and water searches, and by state and federal disaster organizations such as FEMA. Search and Rescue Dogs: Training the K-9 Hero, 2nd Edition provides: * Clear, step-by-step lessons on training your dog for a variety of search and rescue operations * Ways to keep your dog and yourself safe in the face of disaster * Practical information on procedures and equipment for dogs, handlers, and human volunteers * The ultimate experience of the interdependence of Human and Dog Extensive photographs illustrate real-life missions, including images of Ground Zero and the Pentagon taken by ARDA volunteers after September 11, 2001.

Describes a kind and effective method for encouraging dogs to walk without pulling. Simple steps with informative photographs which aid understanding, includes tips on equipment to use, reasons for pulling and trouble shooting, along with case studies.

This book on the training of scenting dogs explains the composition of scent, how it works in the dog's nose, and what affects scent. It contains chapters on the sense of smell, anatomy and physiology, the human as scent source, the transmission of scent and factors that influence the working with scenting dogs.

In "Search and Rescue Dogs: Traning Methods," the ARDA teaches everyone what it takes to make a true canine hero. With emphasis on handler and unit training, the principles of obedience as well as handler readiness and equipment are explored. Of particular value is the detailed information on conditioning and first aid for search dogs. The chapters on organizing and carrying out a search will be of great interest to anyone who may wonder how a dog's mind works and to what extent it can be trained. "Search and Rescue Dogs," in the authoritative voice of ARDA, explores the ultimate experience of the interdependence of Man and Dog.