Dogs Trained To Search For People

Dogs have always been part of our lives. And not only as  pets,  but also as beings who  are capable of developing tasks that only they can do splendidly. This is the case with dogs trained to search for people.

Despite technological advances,  dogs have always been one of the best allies to achieve good results in the search and rescue of people.

Dogs trained to search for people receive exhaustive and very hard professional training,  but which translates into great results. Would you like to know what types of dogs are trained and how they do it? We’ll tell you all about it!

Is it forced labor for them?

There are many people who feel that using animals for work is not beneficial to them. However,  dogs trained to search for people are well taken care of. Besides, the work these furry ones do, for them, it’s more of a game.

We must take into account that animals do not think and that there are many situations beyond their control. Of course, when they meet a person, these dogs know they’re hurting, but the whole operation itself is a game for them.

They struggle to find something or someone, but they don’t know why. That is, they only allow themselves to be guided by instinct and their developed senses. They make their greatest effort thinking mainly about the prize that will come later. Obviously, when they realize they’re a person they’ve helped, they feel good about it.

These dogs do a splendid job. Therefore, they should retire early, as walking through inhospitable terrain is extra wear and tear.

In fact,  there are cases of dogs that had emotional problems due to the 2001 attack in New York. Many of them felt the sadness of their colleagues and others, as well as the stress of not finding survivors.

What are the characteristics of dogs trained to search for people?

While there is no particular breed for this type of work, it is true that there are several common characteristics that all search-trained dogs should have. For example,  your senses of smell and hearing must be very well developed. But there is more:

• They must be resistant and agile at the same time. This allows them to withstand difficult paths and terrain and, at the same time, be able to enter places that are difficult to access. This is why small animals are not usually used for this work.
• However, very large dogs cannot be used either, as their size may prevent this function from being performed.  A very large or slightly obese dog could cause problems when it’s time to slip through certain places or to be transported in boats or helicopters. That’s why breeds such as the São Bernardo and the Great Dane are not allowed for these jobs.

Author: Brian George

• They must have great motivation.  A dog that is dedicated to the search should feel motivated to continue its task for long hours, even under very unfavorable conditions. Hunting dogs that are obsessed with their reward and finding the victim are ideal.
• Must be well socialized.  Both with people and with other animals, since the dog will always be part of a team of people and possibly other furry ones. Of course, he should be used to keeping calm in the face of stressful situations so that he doesn’t make the search difficult.

a very special job

There are different types of work that search-trained dogs perform. It is the case of tracing, searching for corpses, searching in water or in natural disasters…

These dogs do exceptional work, both on land and in water. Many lives have been saved thanks to them and we must all say THANK YOU!

Main image source: North Carolina National Guard