Hey Ryan

[Wolfer]

Read your Post about attending the tracking seminar. You mentioned your Dog was more advanced Than you let on... then in the same thread you mentioned getting dispatched out to SAR....... Ok are you USING your Dog as a Search Dog? if you are or are traing as such Let us Know about it

[Ryan]

Kyle -

Yes I am a member of of a local SAR group, Campbell River SAR. We have teams trained in Wilderness SAR, Swiftwater/Flood Rescue Operations and High-angle Rope Rescue. We don't have a SAR Dog group, but I have been fortunate enough to work with SAR Dogs on the occasional call-out.

I am teaching 'Cona to track strictly for personal interest. I'm trying to develope my skills as a trainer to be used on future dogs I may have. 'Cona does not have the temperament to make it as a serious working dog. For now we are having fun learning together. I'm hoping that the next dog we add to the house has more working drive and potential. Then 'Cona can retire to be the couch potatoe she so desperately wants to be.

Strangely enough, for the size and ruggedness of British Columbia, we have very few civilian SAR Dog teams. In BC (and all of Canada I assume) civilian SAR Dog teams must be certified by our federal police - the famous RCMP - on a yearly basis if I not mistaken. I would love to see a civilian team in my area or even one for all of Vancouver Island. Without a head trainer with experience and a core group of dedicated members it makes it really tough. Some independent individuals on the Island here (and in BC) have personally trained dogs that have passed the RCMP cert and are actively called out - I can only imagine how hard and time consuming that is without the support of a SAR Dog group to train and consult with.

Alberta has a couple of civilian SAR Dog organisations ( rcmpdog.tgx.com/index.htm and www.sardaa.ca/ ) Karen Clouston has an Airedale named Rio that she is training in Alberta. This is Karens second SAR Airedale. Email me privately if you would like her contact email.

[Wolfer]

Actually Ryan. SOmeone tell me if i am worng....... But you dont need a group. as long as you feel comfortable with the DOg with someone elses Life.... I spent along time with a SAR unit In Wy and spent alot of time with the dogs teams and even became certified as a handler .. big thing it takes is TIME and DEDICATION and someone to tell you the DOG aint cutting it. All the dogs were trained By the handler with the SAR unit as the ever NEEDED helpers. then Off to usally salt lake to become certified as a team.

[alex]

Hello Ryan,

Read your post - very interesting - I'm almost doing the same with my girl (have not joined the SAR group though):
Have a 2.5 years old female now. Train her mostly through AKC UD - will start competing in December. Didnt start schutzhund when she was a puppy for 2 reasons - was extremely busy with kids and couldnt find the club. But not as busy now and new schutzhund club just opened up close by - have a first training session this sunday!
My plan is to get to CDX (hopefully UD) in AKC obedience and in parallel train in schutzhund tracking (she has a very deep nose - at least in my mind). Will do some protection also, but the main goal of mine is to get back experience and knowledge in shutzhund filed and be ready 100% for the new puppy (may be 2006 or 2007).

[Ryan]

wolfer said:

big thing it takes is TIME and DEDICATION and someone to tell you the DOG aint cutting it.

Yeah, I think I should retire first before taking on that endeavor on my own. Only 30 years to go to retirement. LOL

[doitallairedales]

Tracking/trailing enthusiasts will, I believe, just get frustrated waiting for a SAR call-out. Most SAR units are rarely called in time for a tracking/trailing dog to be used effectively. In the ideal world, a tracking/trailing dog can establish a DOT (direction of travel) and other resources (say, air-scenting SAR dogs) can be deployed in that direction at various points. However T/T dogs need to be deployed within 4 hours - something that rarely happens in the volunteer SAR world.