Search & Rescue Dogs

I have just started teaching one of my dogs Cadaver work. He seems (well to me anyway) to be doing really well.

I am currently completing short searches lasting only a few minutes at the most which is going really well.

One area that I am having trouble with is his alert. He has never barked, and I don't really want to start teaching him to do it now.

If we bury the scent tube under rocks or logs he will do a sort of stare, but will also try to dig it out. If we leave the scent tube in plain sight he will try to retrieve it. If I tell him to leave, he will come away from the article and wait for his reward (which isn't a bad thing), however if I try to send him back in again he tends to go and look for the next one rather than go back in to the item that he first found.

So - what alerts are acceptable, how do I start training it?

I'm thinking a 'sit' alert.....


.....thoughts?

daryl,
when we trained our dogs we used the tennis ball method,
start with a small piece of FRESH flesh put in a wall / under a stone etc and as soon as he puts his nose on it throw the ball at the hide so it bounces off, the aim is for the dog to think the ball flew out of the hide,
continue with this but very gradually increasing the time before you deliver the ball, you want an intense stare at the hide by the dog.

dont allow any form of contact with the hide as this will cause problems for the forensic science services, plus there's nothing worse than your dog eating the training aid!!!!!

you will be amased at how quick the dog will pick it up.

mike

Thats cool mike - that's what I am already doing!

Guys....is it recommended to start with Pigs Flesh, rather than trotters or bone etc?

TB

Pig Skin that can be taken from a trotter - although I used a complete Trotter last night which worked well

just use the skin, cook the trotter in a bbq sauce, very tasty

Does anyone have any guidelines re Storage/Handling of pigs flesh etc etc please ?

thanks

tony

This was something I wrote, dont take it as gospel it's just what I work with.

Any comments from seasoned handlers would be appreciated.....

Pete.