So you've been assigned to work with a dog and handler. There are many things you can do to make this a very powerful and effective search resource.

First, ask before interacting with the dog, especially a dog on a down-stay, tied out, or in the back of a vehicle. That means no food, no petting, no toys / sticks without permission. Some dogs don’t like the attention; others find it hard to get back to work once they are in ‘party mode.’

Things to know before you accept an assignment with a dog team: K9 handlers often devote the vast majority of their attention to their dog, and so *can* be a bit less aware of the rest of their surroundings. You will need to be extra aware, both for clues and for hazards.

Meet & greet the K9 before your assignment starts. Are you comfortable with this dog? Dog teams tend to cover a lot of ground. Only accept a flanker assignment if you are physically up to it.

Before starting an assignment: As always, decide who will be responsible for: radio comm, land nav, documentation, etc. Know your skills and limitations. Don’t take a job, like land navigation, if you are not expert in it.

Communicate with the handler what your strengths are. Are you a man-tracker? How can you make best use of your combined expertise? Ask what the handler needs from you, as a team member. How close should you stay to the handler? Some handlers want you stay right with them. Others want you to act more an another member of a ground team and search beside them (usually within sight.)

Ask how the K9 works (what kind specialty, how they work, alert, etc.) and what the search assignment & strategy is. Work out a communication system with the handler (handler may be in front of the flanker and may not hear the flanker clearly. (Work out a signal like, 'thumbs up if you heard me' or 'wave if you heard me.')

During an assignment: Record where you went AND where the K9 went, as well as times, temperatures, wind direction and strength. ]

Watch out for K9 specific hazards:
* heights - dogs have bad depth perception
* poisons - rat bait and others contain an attractant, radiator fluid is sweet and deadly
* cars
* other animals - snakes, large carnivores, other dogs, etc.

In some situations you may be asked to act as a safety barrier between the dog and a hazard, for instance between the dog and a road. Ask / know what to do if the dog gets into danger (Should you call the dog? Grab hold of a long line? What?)

Stay with the K9 team, behind the handler, if possible (depending on the agreement you have worked out this the handler beforehand.) . There’s no need to jump out of the dogs way; if you are on a narrow trail, step to the side, otherwise just stand still and the dog will go around you. If the dog is on-lead avoid getting between the dog and handler, as you may get tangled in the lead.

What Did You Say?

Occassionally the handler may give the dog a command. You should be aware of a few: "Halt", "Stop", "Wait" mean stop motion. "Come", "Here" mean go to the callers location. "Off" means get off that. "Down" means "lay down". (So if a dog is jumping on you, say "Off".) "Drop", "Release" mean spit out whatever is in your mouth. "Heel" or "With Me" mean different forms of stay with the person giving the command. And the often load "Aaaaaaaaaaachk" is a very general "that’s bad", "knock it off" command.

When In Doubt

Ask questions. Most handlers will tell you what their dog is doing and what it may mean. The more you train with a dog and handler the more you will see that the dog is often smarter than the handler (freely addmitted by most). So you can learn a lot from just watching a well-trained dog at work. Remember, they have often been trained that this is a game to be played and finding the missing subject leads to their getting their rewards.

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