Search And Trace Dogs, Do You Know All About Them?
It was the Swiss who made their debut in the field of training search and tracking dogs, something natural since the disappearance of people in the Alps is very common. Here we give you some information about these animals.
Search and trace dogs in history
Although search and tracking had always been associated with the dog, specifically in hunting activity, it was with World War II that its full potential was demonstrated.
The use of the German shepherd, as well as other dogs to search for survivors in the rubble, opened a door to the use of these dogs in catastrophes and disappearances.
Starting in 1950, after the hardest part of post-war Europe, several specialized schools for training search and tracking dogs emerged, especially in Switzerland and Germany.
In Spain the first units were launched in the 1980s, based on the method of the Hamburg Red Cross. This plan consists of four phases:
- Cage with helper.
- Drawer or container.
- Helper in zulos.
- Chained search.
How to track and search the dog
There is a belief that the dog looks for a trace, that we show a garment of the disappeared person and the dog follows his scent until he finds it. However, this is not possible when the identity of the disappeared is unknown or when there is simply no personal object.
What is taught in tracking schools is to distinguish the smells of people who are present and the dog can see, and those that the dog can smell but cannot see. That is, those that may be buried under rubble or hidden.
When the dog detects the person or object it is looking for, as is the case with anti-drug or anti-explosive dog training, the animal barks . This happens because during the preparation sessions the dog associates the fact of finding someone or something hidden with receiving a reward, that is, positive reinforcement.
Which dog is best suited for tracking
The answer to the question is simple, the one who has been properly trained. Sometimes we think that search and tracking dogs have to be German Shepherds or Bloodhounds, however there are hundreds of examples of other breeds that can play the same role, such as Albatross, the antivenom dog.
Therefore, if the breed is not decisive for this type of search and tracking, we must consider what qualities are necessary in a dog with these characteristics:
- The dog must be attentive, highly responsive to motivation.
- The animal must be decisive, it must have initiative to solve problems; this is achieved with experience and patience.
- The dog must have a desire to please the master or the handler. That is, in addition to the search for positive candy-type reinforcement, she wants to please the man.
- The dog must be constant. Sometimes locating an object or person can be difficult and therefore frustrating. The dog must persist without lowering the intensity of the search.
- The animal must be resistant and robust. A search and tracking dog, especially in rescue cases, must be very resistant and with a powerful and powerful physique.
