Search and Rescue Puppy Training

Dogs are one of the most common household pets and are highly regarded for their loyalty, affection and strong bonds that they develop with their owners. While a number of people will house dogs primarily for their company and – to a certain extent – their security, dogs also play a very significant role in a number of other walks of life. For example, dogs are regularly used as to provide assistance to the blind, their keen sense of smell helps them become very important members of bomb and drug detection squads all over the world, and they have also been used extensively in hunting, and in wars, among various other activities. They are also regularly used in search and rescue missions to retrieve missing explorers or trekkers, and people lost as a result of natural calamities. While normal dog training is focused on curbing the animals natural instincts, to promote better character that is more consistent with what is socially acceptable, when search and rescue dog training is imparted, you want to be able to retain as much of the natural instincts as possible. Search and rescue dog training needs to be imparted at a very early age in order for the animal to become an accomplished search and rescue dog. A dog is usually assessed between the third and seventh week of its life to identify if it will make a good search and rescue dog. This stage of their existence is known as the imprinting stage primarily because of the fact that they start to gain the capability of recognizing other animals and people as well as develop their communication skills.

Search and rescue puppy training requires a lot of exposure of the animal to interesting and fun experiences right through this imprinting stage and any activities must be focused on enhancing the animals natural instincts and senses. When the puppy is between five and six weeks, the handler must encourage socialization between other dogs and humans – especially with people that are going to be working with the animal in the future. Just as with any other type of training, it is important to let the puppy know that the handler is the one with the authority in order to prevent the alpha male syndrome from taking over and allowing the dog to assume that it is in charge. There is no golden rule that stipulates a certain breed of puppy is better than another at becoming a search and rescue animal, but the limitations in size of breeds such as a yorkshire terrier or even the mastiff may play a significant role.