Training a search dog requires patience, determination, people to search for, a dog who's willing to work, and a good mentor. For the uninitiated, the task can be daunting, especially if it's just a "part time thing". It's easy to push the dog too fast, or not progress fast enough, finding a balance which maintains the dog's drive, and your own is important.

A good dog will learn quickly, a good handler will train a good dog even quicker. It will take a qualified, experienced handler about a year to bring an adult dog up to the standard necessary to become operational and longer for a new handler. This includes 4 to 5 training sessions a week. Each session can take anywhere from one to many hours depending on the complexity of the search problem, and the amount of time available. It's quite a commitment, however it can be quite rewarding when your dog assists in finding a missing person.

Early Training

I'll bet your dog is really a joy! It is amazing the natural ability that canines have for sniffing things out! Truly they are a wondrous thing to watch. Many dogs love to dig around in the water, some find rocks thrown by their owners into the water and actually dive under and retrieve the very same rock with the owners scent on it!

You can teach your dog lots of scenting games and it will be fun for just about anyone in your family. Try this with your dog. You rub a stick in your hands, put the stick among other sticks that look almost the same. Ask your dog to get the stick. When he picks up the stick with your scent on it praise him/her and give lots of pets and hugs. After practice your dog will go right to the stick with your scent on it.

Sure you can teach your dog to find you in your yard or at home. Your dog must be VERY friendly, not afraid of you or strangers in order to play this game safely. Don't play this game if your dog nips at the legs of people running by it or if your dog is scared in anyway. Children should have an adult supervise the game at first, and read these instructions so that it's done correctly.

Teaching your dog to find you starts with a hide and seek game. A person who is familiar or a friend of the dog holds your dog still (gently) while you run away, a very short distance, holding your dog's favorite toy or treat. Before you run, you show the toy or treat to the dog, calls its name and runs away from the dog, all the while calling the dog's name and jumping up and down enthusiastically. You hide behind a tree or the couch if you are playing inside. The person holding the dog says to the dog "find-em" and then releases your dog. The dog is excited and runs to find you. As soon as the dog gets to you the dog gets its favorite toy or treat and it has learned that fun things happen when it finds people. After your dog is used to finding you, you can show it how it can find others too, by playing the same game while you hold the dog still and your friend runs and hides.