December 9, 2008

Training Labrador Rescue Dogs

by Brooke Sunderland

Rescue dogs, also known as search-and-rescue dogs, are typically large dog breeds that have been specifically trained to find and extricate human beings from disasters. Common rescue dogs include Burmese mountain dogs, Saint Bernards and Labrador Retrievers. Labrador rescue dogs, in particular, are an invaluable part of many law enforcement requests to locate missing persons. Training a successful rescue dog requires hard-working animals as well as competent and dedicated handlers.

Burmese mountain dogs, Saint Bernards and Labrador Retrievers are among the most common breeds favored for search-and-rescue training. Their roles may include all or some of the following: wilderness rescue, avalanche searches, drowning searches, natural disasters, and in some cases, corpse retrieval.

Law enforcement and disaster response are the two most common applications for Labrador rescue dogs, and may include the following: wilderness rescue, avalanche and drowning searches, corpse retrieval, and natural disasters.

Because every dog is different, the training is as important to the handler as it is for the dog. The handler needs to become familiar with the dog’s body language, so as to be certain that he has indeed made a find. When the rescue dog follows a scent or trail to its end, for example, the dog may return to the handler and give him a certain look.

During the dog’s training, it is essential the dog and the handler become comfortable with each other and learn each other’s eccentricities. This is the reason why dogs change partners very rarely because a bond develops during training.

For the typical Labrador rescue dog, obedience, socialization and agility should be trained daily, between two and five times, for anywhere from ten minutes to one hour. Scent training can be conducted slightly less often, three to seven days per week, for five to thirty minutes.

If the Labrador rescue dog has a competent trainer, it is expected that the dog’s skills will improve very rapidly, and often daily. Still, the many skills required of a search-and-rescue dog are essential and should be drilled routinely. Some of these skills are obedience, socialization and agility. Each of these skills should be trained daily for anywhere from ten minutes to one hour. Scent training is also an essential skill, and should be trained from three to seven days per week for five to thirty minutes.

As training sessions become fewer, however, duration should increase to between twenty and sixty minutes. Focus sessions, such as scent discrimination, should become frequent as well, but only after the dog has proven its proficiency in the training area.

About the Author:

About the author: Brooke Sunderland is an avid lover of the Labrador and owns a popular website that can show you how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Labrador. Among other topics there, you can also learn all about Labrador Adoption plus a whole lot more.