IMPROVING POD WITH THE AIR SCENTING SARDOG:
TRAINING FOR CONTROL AT A DISTANCE, RANGE, AND SEARCH PATTERN
Tom Osterkamp © 2002
Part 1 of 3
INTRODUCTION
Probability of detection (POD) for the air scenting SAR dog depends on a host of factors that are rarely stated and only partially understood. However, it is clear that detection of the lost person requires that the dog enter the scent cone of the person. This scent cone is small compared to the search area. For a given pass through the search area, the area covered by the dog is a swath of variable width that depends directly on the distance that the dog ranges from the handler, the search pattern of the dog and other factors. A dog that walks almost at heel or searches only directly in front of the handler will cover a narrow swath through the search area so that the handler will have to range considerably farther herself or make many passes through the search area to reach the desired POD. This uses valuable time and can strain the physical resources of the handler. It may also be difficult, dangerous or time consuming for the handler and dog to enter or pass through certain segments of the search area. Examples include swampy areas, deep streams, heavy brush, steep hillsides and deep water along shore when searching for drowned subjects. These considerations indicate that a SAR dog that ranges out from the handler in a good search pattern, can be controlled at a distance and can be directed to search specific areas will be of great value to the team effort. FEMA recognizes the importance of these abilities and incorporates them into the certification process. While some teams eventually develop these abilities on their own, training can reduce the time required and can significantly improve their performance.
* A modified version of this paper was published in SAR Dog Alert, Spring 2001.
CONTROL AT A DISTANCE
Control at a distance means having the ability to direct the dog along a line of travel (lining), to get its attention (stopping), and sending (casting) the dog to search in a specific direction. Retriever and stock dog trainers routinely train their dogs to accomplish these tasks. These essentials of control at a distance (lining, stopping and casting) can be taught separately and chained together. Retriever and stock dog training books have methods and drills for teaching these fundamentals but most are designed for older dogs and some methods use force unsuitable for young dogs. The method I have developed and describe herein uses positive reinforcement consisting of food, toys and praise with lots of repetition. It has been used with dogs of all ages including two puppies started at less than 7 weeks of age.
Lining
Lining to the food bowl: Do this at feeding times.
Kneel down and hold the pup in a sitting position in front of you and facing away from you. Place the food bowl with a portion of her meal in it a few feet in front of her. Restrain her with your right hand on her chest between her legs, put your left hand about six inches above the nose, command "back" and release her. A hungry pup with an interest in food will go to the food bowl to eat. If you break her meal into 2-4 portions, which seems to be about the right number, you can get this many "backs" at each feeding. Don't do so many repetitions that the pup gets tired. Gradually move farther away from the bowl and slowly increase your standards for sitting over a period of a week or more until the pup will sit for 5 to 10 seconds and then line to the food bowl on your command. Now work to get into a standing position with your pup sitting at your left side waiting for your cue (hand) and command (back) to line to the bowl. Gradually increase the distance to the longest straight line you can get in the house.
Move outside to the yard and repeat with the food bowl just a few feet in front of the pup. Keep the food bowl in the same place and move back with the pup over a period of a few days until the pup is lining to it from a distance (10 to 20 yards or more). Leave the bowl in the same place and repeat this sequence of moving back along a different line. When she will line to the bowl from two or three directions, move the food bowl and repeat the sequence for one line. Now move it all over the yard repeating the sequence for one line each time it is moved. Do not try to run the pup through or near a former position of the bowl. Next, leave the pup in a fixed position and move the food bowl back along a line.
If the pup fails at any stage you are probably trying to progress too fast. Go back to the last stage where she was successful and progress more slowly from there. Make sure that she can always see the bowl. You are trying to build confidence in moving away from you. Once the pup will sit quietly at your side and wait for your cue and command, work to get her spine and head in a straight line pointing toward the bowl since her first leap will take her in the direction that she is aligned. It is not necessary to move the hand forward since its presence acts as the cue.
Next, take her to the yard, insist that she sit and stay, walk out 10 paces, place the bowl where it is visible, return to her side and send her to the bowl when she is looking at it. With the bowl in the same place, back up along a line, increasing the distance gradually. Some young dogs will go out 50 to 100 yards but many hit a "wall" at some 10 to 30 yards. When this happens, work slowly through the wall, increasing distance by 1or 2 paces at a time until they run freely through it.
Now go to different places where the ground cover is short and the bowl can be seen from where the pup is sent. Repeat again in places where there is varying terrain enroute to the bowl such as a bit of cover (say, up to her belly), then ditches, ditches with shallow water etc. Now add distractions in the distance such as people, dogs, and vehicle noise in the background. Be sure to shorten the distance when introducing a new element. Take a walk around new areas before training there to familiarize the pup with new surroundings and determine if there are some things that are scary or too distracting.
At some point, it is desirable to replace the food with the dog's favorite toy(s). This is straightforward with dogs that are enthusiastic retrievers. Just start at short distances with the toy visible and obvious and proceed as above when using food. Use lots of praise when the dog returns with the toy and do only 2 to 4 repetitions. It is desirable to stop at just a few repetitions with good performance.
Older dogs can be taught lining the same way. They progress much faster than most puppies and some can be lined from your side to a food bowl 50 yards away during the first session by building the concept starting at 1 yd and then moving to 2, 5, 10, 20, and then 50 yards over a period of 10 to 15 minutes. However, there is still a need for repetition, introducing new places, cover, adding distractions and making the change to toys.
K-9
Specialty Search Associates
