| Starting a SAR Dog |
|
| Working dogs will not be your typical
house pet, so be warned.
There are numerous breeds of dogs that are capable
of doing SAR work, though you will see that most are
from working, herding or sporting breeds. Some breeds
are more suitable than others.
Not all breeds of dogs and not all dogs within a
breed have the temperament and talent to do the work
required.
|
Dogs at the extreme ends of the size range, i.e. very small
or very large, tend not to be well suited for this work.
The dog does not have to be a purebred, though you may have
the advantage with a pedigreed dog to look at the parents
as a guideline for temperament and working ability.
If you don't already have a dog, a good idea is to go to
local search dog workout to observe different breeds before
you make up your mind. Talk to different people about the
pros and cons of their breed in doing search work. Certain
breeds may have inherent traits and talents that make them
either easier or sometimes more difficult to train than
other breeds. If you are set on a specific breed, you will
usually be better off buying from a working line and not
a show line.
Investigate genetic diseases of the breed and make sure
you get your dog from a line that has had minimal or no
health problems. A reputable breeder should be able to answer
any questions you have about health problems as well as
working ability. You don't want to put years of hard work
into training a dog just to find out later that it is not
capable of doing the work due to a genetically linked disease.
You want to start with a dog that has as much potential
as possible to do the work. not work size & coat are considerations.
Oh yeah, It takes about 2 years to train and certify a
search and rescue dog. It's a big commitment.
NEXT
(DOG TYPES) >>
|
