Search and Rescue Dogs: The Best Breeds, Training, and Types of Duties

The best breeds of search and rescue dogs training, how to train them, and what their jobs are In the world of Search and Rescue, dogs play a very important part. Their incredible sense of smell, improved hearing, night vision, endurance, and ability to change have helped find lost, hurt, or missing people over and over again.

Search and rescue dogs have a lot of perks because of how well they can do their jobs. SAR dogs can often cut down on the time it takes to look for a lost person, which increases the chances that they will be found living. Experts say that a single dog team can help find a lost person in the same amount of time as 20 to 30 trained human searches.

Search and rescue dogs can be taught to:

• Tracking

• Trailing

• Scenting the air

• City search

• Wilderness

• Land body

• Water the dead

Some Search and Rescue dogs are taught to do more than one of these things.

Are you ready for SAR training with your dog?

Lives often depend on what Search and Rescue teams can do, especially during emergencies or tragedies. At The Pet Initiative Training Training, LLC, we know how important it is to have the most complete Search and Rescue training classes available.

Our training center has a working pile of rubble, a FEMA-approved agility course, and a pond for training with dead bodies. We also have access to thousands of acres of forest, a number of big bodies of water, and a number of rock piles all within a few minutes of our building.

We can give you the search and rescue training you need to be an effective SAR team, whether you're trying to find a lost child or Alzheimer's patient or helping out after a tornado or storm.

Our training for dogs to find and save people

Our methods for training SAR dogs are step-by-step, and they are taught by people who actually work with SAR dogs. Our dogs were trained in some of the toughest places on the East Coast. Some of these dogs have shown how reliable they are during natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and man-made tragedies all over the country.

At The Pet Initiative Training, LLC, we know that most Search and Rescue trainers and teams work for free across the country. So, we offer dogs and training that are both cheap and meet the needs of most SAR teams. All of our Search and Rescue training classes include a full-fledged course for the trainer. Our goal is to give each team the tools and information it needs to do its job as a Search and Rescue team.  

Our teachers are trained SARTECHs by the National Association for Search and Rescue and handle Search and Rescue K-9s as volunteers. (NASAR). So, we can give you Search and Rescue dogs of different breeds that have been fully trained. Our Search and Rescue lessons and licensing programs are great for people who want to become a teacher for their team, train their own SAR dog, or train SAR dogs as a job. Our School for Dog Trainers has many classes to teach you how to train Search and Rescue dogs.

If you already have a dog that you want to train for Search and Rescue, give us a call and we'll help you figure out how good he or she is. We charge $100 for an exam, and we'll be happy to give you tips and training choices for your possible SAR dog. People who don't work for fire, police, or sheriff's departments also hire us to train their Search and Rescue dogs. Some of our SAR teachers all over the country also teach groups about the basics of Search and Rescue.

If you already have a SAR K-9, we offer in-service training, problem-solving, American Red Cross Pet CPR and First Aid certification, Search and Rescue workshops, and a complete handling school.

Contact us right away to talk about what you or your team needs!

Tracking/Trailing Dog Training

Tracking and trailing dogs can follow the smell of a person over long distances. By far, the most common type of search and rescue dog is one that can track and follow a scent. 

These dogs are taught to track or trail on different surfaces, like grass, dirt, concrete, asphalt, sand, and wooded areas. This is called VST, or Variable Surface Tracking. Tracking dogs can help find lost children, Alzheimer's patients, and other people who have gone missing. 

They can also be taught to do smell line-ups and figure out who the suspect is.

Our Tracking and Trailing handler course usually lasts two weeks. It teaches people about the different kinds of equipment and how to use them correctly. It also teaches people how to handle dogs properly, how to read negative signs, how to understand and control training variables, basic and advanced scent theory, keeping records and writing reports, proper maintenance, K9 first aid and CPR. Our handler schools also give the handler a lot of hands-on training with different kinds of dogs to make sure they can read and understand how tracking and following dogs work.

Search and rescue dog training in the city

Disaster or Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) dogs are taught to look for people who are still alive in different places. After storms, earthquakes, and other tragedies, these dogs are used to look for people in buildings and other structures that have fallen down. Urban search and rescue dogs need a lot of training and a lot of time and effort from their handlers to keep up. 

These search dogs are trained to be happy on roofs and rubble, as well as on the ground where a building has fallen down. Most USAR dogs are trained in agility, obedience both on and off leash, and distance (direction) control. Disaster dogs are able to do their jobs in the difficult and dangerous situations that happen at disaster events.

Our lessons for people who want to be Urban Search and Rescue Dog Handlers teach search methods and strategies, how to understand training factors, basic and advanced smell theory, how to handle crises and critical events, K-9 First Aid and CPR, record keeping, and maintenance. Our classes give the trainer a lot of hands-on, practical training so that they are happy working in the field with their USAR dog.

Wilderness Search and Rescue Dog Training

Wilderness SAR dogs are taught to find people in rough terrain that is hard for humans to find their way through. Wilderness search dogs are usually taught in both agility and training with and without a leash so that they can be fully in charge. 

Most of the time, these dogs find lost or missing people quickly and consistently by sniffing the air. Wilderness search dogs can be taught to bark and stay still or to find something again.

Our Wilderness Search and Rescue Dog trainer classes teach both basic and advanced smell theory, K-9 factors, proper handling techniques, proper search patterns and methods, as well as record keeping and upkeep. These classes give you hands-on experience in some of the most dangerous places on the East Coast.

Cadaver Dog Training

HRD, or Human Remains Detection, dogs are taught to find different kinds of human remains, like flesh, hair, bone, blood, teeth, and so on. Cadaver dogs are taught to recognize the smell of a dead person in different stages of decay.

Cadaver-detection dogs are taught in a wide range of difficult situations to make sure they can be trusted in the field. These dogs can be taught to let you know either by sitting or by scratching. We have dogs that are taught to find dead bodies both on land and in water.