# can i teach



## Condo (Nov 29, 2009)

how do i teach my dog search and rescue my self ? is it possible I would like to give her a job so o speak. she is 2 years old 
GSD and she loves to look for things Me or her toys dosent matter.
she has owsem ball drive and lots of energry


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

Do you mean teach your dog to find things for you or family members as a game or do you mean train your dog to search for people who are genuinely lost? 

If the former, yes, definitely. If the latter, not a good idea.


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

Yes, what pupresq said!

For a fun game definitely for real work definitely NOT by yourself.


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## ShatteringGlass (Jun 1, 2006)

You can try tracking also, although most people recommend beginners to train with someone or a club, you can do it by yourself, I am with my dog and he is doing fantastic and it is lots of fun.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

You can take a look at the "Search and Rescue" part of the board. There are several posts of people asking the same than you that could give you some light to start.

I specially like this thread
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=885199&page=1#Post885199


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i taught my dog "find it". i can hide various
things indoors or outdoors and have my dog
find them. my GF can hide in the woods and i can
send our dog to find her. i taught my dog these
things. if i wanted my dog to do serious search
stuff i would get a trainer.


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## Condo (Nov 29, 2009)

thanks everyone. its for fun and her enjoyment. I am curious why should i not train her myself if it were for search and rescue?


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Because SAR is not an activity to do with the dog to have fun and let the dog burn some stamina. Agility, tracking, even Schutzhund are for that.

The first and main purpose of SAR is to save lives or to offer comfort to the families finding the body if the victim is not alive. In SAR the purpose is not dog training, you are a rescuer, one that in his toolbox happens to have a dog but a rescuer first and foremost.

You cannot make mistakes in SAR. Mistakes cost lives, lives of the victims, life of thirds, the life of your dog and yours. If in tracking your dog doesn't find the article, well, he will do best tomorrow; if in SAR your dog doesn't alert the presence of the child in the forest and he has to spend another night in the wild you'll find it tomorrow... dead.

There is SO MUCH to learn in SAR, and not only about dog training , that one person cannot do it alone, in most teams the applicants work for more than a year, only learning, before touching a dog, mine included.

And finally, SAR is a team effort, you need to be part of a team. Not only to earn the respect of police, firefighters and authorities before they even start considering you in case of emergency but because you need a lot of other people, beside your dog, to take care of camp, communication, Incident Command and all the stuff that spins around a search.

ETA: And before even considering SAR you need your dog evaluated for knowledgeable people. Ball drive is good, but not nearly enough. In your other post you say that your dog is aggressive against other people. No matter the reason, that can NEVER happen in SAR.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

if you train her for SAR do it for fun. don't use her in
a real search and rescue. someones life is depending
on your dogs training. LicanAntai explained it. do you
know how to train for SAR?? you need a team
of experienced pros.



> Originally Posted By: yoyothanks everyone. its for fun and her enjoyment. I am curious why should i not train her myself if it were for search and rescue?


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