Search dogs are the elite among service four-legged assistants. But without proper preparation and training, even a purebred animal will not be able to perform search functions. It is necessary to approach training with full responsibility. If you want to teach your dog to pick up a scent, the specialists of the KINOLOG canine center will be happy to help your pet acquire the necessary skills. It is recommended to send your dog for training at the age of up to 3 years.
For training, it is very important to make the dog understand that it needs to use its sense of smell, for this the dog is placed on a “trail spot”, where it learns to sniff and look for pieces of treats. The best breed for search work is rightfully considered to be the German Shepherd. But Great Danes, Dobermans, Rottweilers and Airedale Terriers also cope well with searching by scent.
The goals of tracking training
Track training of dogs is carried out with the purpose of teaching the animal the skill of searching for a person by the smell of his track. The four-legged assistant must be able to track a person in any territory under any weather conditions. Time should not play a big role either.
In addition, trainers teach dogs to select a person by the smell of an object. This skill is basic for the search service. Also, the dog is instilled with the character traits necessary for this work:
- Distrust of strangers.
- A pronounced prey instinct.
- Loyalty to the owner.
- Instant response to commands.
- Fearlessness.
As for the physical training of the animal, the emphasis is on developing the sense of smell, practicing running, training in escorting a detainee, guarding an offender, training in protecting the owner. All of these skills are brought to perfection in our canine center.
In addition, tracking dogs are used to detect explosive and narcotic substances, as well as any other specific smell.
Training a dog to follow the track command is carried out in different ways. The choice of the final training method depends on the degree of preparation of a particular animal, its age, as well as individual characteristics of its character and breed.
The classes are based on the development and management of the dog’s innate instincts. Among them, the leading role is played by the pursuit instinct and the olfactory-search reaction. All exercises are practiced only after the dog has become familiar with the space and local irritants.
The trainer conducts the initial classes without an assistant. It is important to teach the dog to identify the track. Training is carried out using pieces of meat. The dog trainer carefully watches the dog’s progress, notes how quickly it learns the material.
At the next stages, an assistant is brought in for training. He acts as an additional irritant. The dog is taught to track this person, hold him, protect the owner. Here, the skill of protection and escorting is also practiced.
Preparation nuances
Please note that the dog must be trained in a number of commands before starting to work on the trail. The following preparation must be carried out:
- Establish contact with the dog (it must immediately respond to its name, visual contact with the handler, desire to work, follow commands, play with the handler, not be distracted by irritants.)
- Teach the animal basic commands (Stand, Sit, Come, Beside, Fas, Fetch).
- Develop endurance (for this, run with the dog daily for a distance of up to 3 km).
- Teach distrust of strangers.
- Develop anger towards strangers.
- Teach to work at any time of the day.
The training of the trainer is as important as the training of the dog. Only an experienced dog trainer can effectively teach the animal search skills in a short time. All trainers of the KINOLOG dog training center have professional education and many years of experience. Our trainers:
- They know how to smoothly control a dog with a long leash in a variety of terrain.
- They themselves are well oriented in the terrain and in urban conditions.
- They always take into account the individual characteristics of each dog.
- They easily cope with multitasking: they control the dog, assess the environment, control assistants during training.
- They have excellent physical fitness – they can easily accept a dog on a sleeve or cloak, they fight with an animal without causing harm to the health of dogs.
