# SAR/nosework, what it takes?



## DotsNSpots (May 14, 2014)

Hi everyone, 

Firstly, I hope this isn't a completely laughable question. For years, I have been interested in having a dog that would be suitable for SAR/tracking. I recently adopted a Bully/Heeler mix, and have zero expectations he is the dog for the job. He has some generalized anxiety (but he is new to my family, as well...) and some medical issues. He starts HW treatment tomorrow actually (adulticide injections) and then needs knee surgery. My vet/surgeon feels his prognosis for both is super and he will be able to tolerate heavy exercise once he is properly healed. 

SAR is important to me as I work in public safety and would love to be able to volunteer services for my community to assist with missing persons, etc. It also seems like a darn pleasurable hobby. Again, I didn't assume Butch would be right for this and I selected him because of his friendly and affectionate nature as a pet... but he IS handler oriented, alert to me, and does he ever have a nose on him. Watching him wander through the acreage we have and scent out a treat or tennis ball is actually pretty impressive. What is less impressive is his ability to catch a scent of a dead crow or deer and track it down in two seconds flat, lol yuck!

Anyway, I know he is 1) probably too old, roughly 4. 2) Not of typical breeds used, I see more Mals, DS and GSD for this sort of thing. 3)Anxious. But could it be participating in basic nosework, and hopefully someday SAR, may help curb his anxiety and give him a job? I know this is all a distant dream as between HW and knee surgery he's not going to be able to tolerate it... but I wonder if someday? Is there a gentle way to break a dog into the sport and see if he's a candidate? I'd hate to show up at a nosework club (he's still not confident enough yet anyway) and be laughed out of the place for showing up :-/ 

I don't want to push Butch into anything that isn't right for him and damage our bond, your thoughts and opinions are appreciated!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

First, K9 Nosework is a sport and completely different than SAR. Any dog can do Nosework and I highly recommend it! It's designed for average owners with regular dogs and isn't very taxing for dogs with disabilities or health issues. It's also fantastic for building confidence in dogs. I've seen every dog from wild and crazy youngsters, to calm older dogs, to very anxious dogs, etc all really enjoy it. Your don't doesn't need any previous training or skills. 

Another thing to look into is AKC tracking. It's a sport like nosework and involves the dog tracking your scent or another person's scent through a field (at first) and across various terrain (at the higher levels). You can go at your dog's pace and just do it for fun and he would probably enjoy it. It can be a little harder to find groups who do this, but they are around. It can also be long days because laying tracks and letting them age takes longer than putting out some hides in nosework. 

SAR is a very different things. There are dogs who track/trail, but many work off leash using air scent. Being on a SAR team involves long long days training and working, and isn't really suitable for dogs who aren't very fit and fairly high drive. If you're interested in it for the future, I would look for a local group and see if you can come out and observe their training practice. There are probably ways you could be involved without having a dog at first. Being on a SAR team is really like a part time job for both you and the dog, and not something you can be involved in lightly. It's awesome that people put in so much time to help others.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

elrohwen said:


> First, K9 Nosework is a sport and completely different than SAR. Any dog can do Nosework and I highly recommend it! It's designed for average owners with regular dogs and isn't very taxing for dogs with disabilities or health issues. It's also fantastic for building confidence in dogs. I've seen every dog from wild and crazy youngsters, to calm older dogs, to very anxious dogs, etc all really enjoy it. Your don't doesn't need any previous training or skills.
> 
> Another thing to look into is AKC tracking. It's a sport like nosework and involves the dog tracking your scent or another person's scent through a field (at first) and across various terrain (at the higher levels). You can go at your dog's pace and just do it for fun and he would probably enjoy it. It can be a little harder to find groups who do this, but they are around. It can also be long days because laying tracks and letting them age takes longer than putting out some hides in nosework.
> 
> SAR is a very different things. There are dogs who track/trail, but many work off leash using air scent. Being on a SAR team involves long long days training and working, and isn't really suitable for dogs who aren't very fit and fairly high drive. If you're interested in it for the future, I would look for a local group and see if you can come out and observe their training practice.* There are probably ways you could be involved without having a dog at first*. Being on a SAR team is really like a part time job for both you and the dog, and not something you can be involved in lightly. It's awesome that people put in so much time to help others.


Our local SAR group requires you to have several months of experience of doing SAR work yourself before you can even begin participating with a dog. If you're up for it that's fantastic, but it does require a lot of physical stamina and endurance from -you- as a handler on top of the dog's skill.


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## SDRRanger (May 2, 2013)

My suggestion would be to start with a nosework course and a basic obedience course. Both of these will show you his interest and provide him an opportunity to build confidence. 

There is a woman with a gsd in my nosework class that is hoping to do SAR with her once she's ready. The dog is a rescue and nervous (left to roam the woods for 8 months until she was captured), but when she's working nothing else matters.


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## Finkie_Mom (Mar 2, 2010)

My job is to train dogs for SAR and detection work. To do SAR, your dog REALLY needs to be high drive for something, preferably a ball/toy. Food is not practical as a reward. They should not have a problem in any environment and be temperamentally stable. We have a dog we are training who is the slightest bit afraid of some things (mostly kids surprising him, metal ladders, and some dogs). While he is working he is phenomenal - yet we WILL NOT sell him as a SAR dog because of his few fears. You need this dog to live for the job and you need to also live for it - as others have mentioned it really is like a part-time job for you, probably taking over your weekends for training. They have to be able to be OK with strangers, and strange dogs while on leash, as well as being totally confident on various types of agility equipment (ladders, moving planks, obstacles 10 feet tall, all types of surfaces and tunnels, etc.).

I'm sure there are SAR groups that are not as intense as the ones I am most familiar with around here, but I think that the intensity is a good thing. The dogs get regular training and practice, as do you. 

Oh, and we train mostly Labs for this, though our patrol DS and GSDs start out with the same basic training as the SAR dogs. The Training Manager where I work had a Bull Terrier who I think was on a FEMA team but she said she was probably more of an exception than a rule 

Nosework and tracking are really accessible to anyone and I think they are great sports to try with any dog. I do Nosework just at home with my dogs, and they love it.


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## DotsNSpots (May 14, 2014)

Thanks, everyone, for the thoughtful replies! SDRRanger, the woman you speak of with the GSD is basically what I invisioning  It sounds like nosework is the way to go for us, if only to build confidence and give him a job. Butch won't be fit for quite some time... and he is a pretty soft guy with low/moderate drive. I also work 12 hr shifts and don't have much free time, so it sounds like SAR might not be appropriate for either of us. 

The AKC tracking sounds really interesting! Sounds like I need to do more research as to the differences in the three, local clubs, etc. If anyone has any good links about what each involves and what the dog is capable of doing when trained, I'd love to read them. Can a dog who is involved in nosework ever be of assistance to the community? I'd love for our activity to be beneficial as well, but if it just builds him up and strengthens our bond that is wonderful too.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

A dog who does nosework or tracking as a sport can't really be of assistance to the community. SAR and working dogs are so highly trained (and high drive for that reason) that it is a part or full time job to get involved in that way. It's kind of sports on your own for fun (and competition), or full on joining a SAR team. You can certainly join a SAR team without your dog though and see how it goes. The difference in SAR vs the two sports is basically like being a volunteer firefighter, and playing a local intramural basketball team - not really similar at all and no crossover.

As far as tracking and nosework, since they are sports you basically train and compete in trials to get a title. The top level titles in both sports involved quite a bit of work and training so you can be kept busy doing those for quite a long time.

Check out the nosework thread for more info - a couple of us do it regularly and talk about training and trials. I took a tracking seminar last month so I know a little bit, but I haven't really trained in it beyond a couple times.


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## DotsNSpots (May 14, 2014)

Finkie, I replied just before you did. Thanks for the reply! Okay, sounds like Butch is probably not a SAR candidate. While he is quite sound with other animals and people, he doesn't do well in inclement weather, surprises, etc. He reacts with no aggression, but with strong flight instinct. He is also praise/food motivated, not toy motivated. He'll run after a ball about half the time if it doesn't go too far but loses interest pretty quickly. I didn't know if they needed a different skill set/drive than K9 units, etc. 

Looks like nosework for recreation is more up our alley


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

We were at a dog event yesterday (grand opening for our new Animal Shelter building) and the local SAR team was there doing a meet and greet as well as demo. Now our local team is all volunteer and made up of all types of dogs. Present yesterday were two yellow labs, a GSD, Mallinois, Bloodhound and Weim. Freyja made friends with the Bloodhound, Mal, and Weim. They did give us contact info so we could get more information. I don't know if we have that kind of time. I don't drive (I have epilepsy and while I'm technically legal I gave up my car early on in the diagnosis process) and hubby has a full time job and a super involved hobby already. It is still something we are going to look at. Right now Freyja is very solid temperament wise and I certainly want to take her beyond basics.


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