Quick response to natural and man-made disasters can mean the difference between life and death for trapped victims. This is a step-by-step guide to training dogs to the FEMA level for this important work.

Professional search and rescue workers consider Susan Bulanda's Ready! Training the Search and Rescue Dog "the bible of Search and Rescue (SAR)," the most sought-after book of its kind detailing canine search and rescue. This second edition, expanded and revised with new color photography, provides readers with the necessary training methods for dogs in various SAR disciplines, including wilderness, evidence, cadaver, water, avalanche, and disaster searches. The author, an experienced SAR professional, details the goals, target skills, and potential problems at each training level of every SAR discipline.Ready! provides descriptions of every type of search, including specific training methods to accomplish each SAR discipline. Professional and volunteer SAR workers will profit from the Bulandas' expertise on training the dog to alert, managing the search mission, choosing and socializing a SAR dog, and how to train dogs for specific commands (such as bar, turn around, go to an object, check, slow, crawl through and others). Readers curious about the fascinating work of the SAR canine will enjoy the general chapters about the history of SAR, an explanation of how dogs use scent to locate people or objects, and the functions of the SAR dog.This highly specialized training manual offers precise direction for SAR workers for every possible kind of mission, identifying the goals, target skills, methods and problem solving for each type of search. Color photographs and line drawings help to elucidate difficult concepts explained in the text. A resources section and index conclude this 254-page volume.

All America is thrilled by Search and Rescue missions, especially when the well-trained dogs are brought in to save victims of earthquakes, hurricanes and man-made disasters. We watch with fascination and horror as these tales unfold across our TV sets. This is one of the few comprehensive books on the training of SAR dogs. It is a complete approach to training for this type of dog.

Hundreds of tips are revealed to help handlers train the Search and Rescue dog. This instructional guide describes the skills needed to lay a solid foundation for successfully training the SAR dog. The reader will examine disciplines such as Wilderness Air Scent, Human Remains Detection (both land and water), First Responder Dogs, Disaster, and Trailing dogs. Learn the skills needed to prepare physically, mentally, and intellectually for SAR operations. Enjoy meeting REAL SAR dogs in over 50 photos. Discover the industry standard for documentation including training logs, evaluations, and certifications. Sample forms for each are included. Explore Sympathetic Alerts, Human Response Alerts and handler Cues to understand why dogs behave as they do. Gain a basic knowledge of Scent Theory and learn how it impacts dog performance. Ethics and professionalism are stressed as SAR dog handlers from across the nation reveal their wisdom through TIPS and BEST PRACTICES.

In "Search and Rescue Dogs: Traning Methods," the ARDA teaches everyone what it takes to make a true canine hero. With emphasis on handler and unit training, the principles of obedience as well as handler readiness and equipment are explored. Of particular value is the detailed information on conditioning and first aid for search dogs. The chapters on organizing and carrying out a search will be of great interest to anyone who may wonder how a dog's mind works and to what extent it can be trained. "Search and Rescue Dogs," in the authoritative voice of ARDA, explores the ultimate experience of the interdependence of Man and Dog.

Lola was a buckshot-riddled stray, lost on a Memphis highway. Cody was rejected from seven different homes. Ace had been sprayed with mace and left for dead on a train track. They were deemed unadoptable. Untrainable. Unsalvageable. These would become the same dogs America relied on when its worst disasters hit. In 1995, Wilma Melville volunteered as a canine search-and-rescue (SAR) handler with her Black Labrador Murphy in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing. At the time, there were only fifteen FEMA certified SAR dogs in the United States. Believing in the value of these remarkable animals to help save lives, Wilma knew many more were needed in the event of future major disasters. She made a vow to help 168 dogs receive search-and-rescue training in her lifetime—one for every Oklahoma City victim. Wilma singlehandedly established the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) to meet this challenge. The first canine candidates—Ana, Dusty, and Harley—were a trio of golden retrievers with behavioral problems so severe the dogs were considered irredeemable and unadoptable. But with patience, discipline, and love applied during training, they proved to have the ability, agility, and stamina to graduate as SARs. Paired with a trio of firefighters, they were among the first responders searching the ruins of the World Trade Center following 9/11—setting the standard for the more than 168 of the SDF’s search-and-rescue dogs that followed. Beautiful and heart-wrenching, Hero Dogs is the story of one woman’s dream brought to fruition by dedicated volunteers and firefighters—and the bonds they forged with the incredible rescued-turned-rescuer dogs to create one of America’s most vital resources in disaster response.

A “haunting meditation on trust, hope and love” by a woman who adopts and trains a Golden Retriever puppy to become a search-and-rescue dog (People). In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Susannah Charleson’s attention was caught by a newspaper photograph of a canine handler, his exhausted face buried in the fur of his search-and-rescue dog. Susannah, a dog lover and pilot with search experience herself, was so moved by the image that she decided to volunteer with a local canine team, plunging herself into an astonishing new world. While the team worked long hours for nonexistent pay and often heart-wrenching results, Charleson discovered the joy of working in partnership with a canine friend and the satisfaction of using their combined skills to help her fellow human beings. Once she qualified to train a dog of her own, Charleson adopted Puzzle—a smart, spirited Golden Retriever puppy who exhibited unique aptitudes as a working dog, but was a bit less interested in the role of compliant house pet. Scent of the Missing is the story of Charleson’s adventures with Puzzle as they search for a lost teen; an Alzheimer’s patient wandering in the cold; and signs of the crew amid the debris of the space shuttle Columbia disaster—all while unraveling the mystery of the bond between humans and dogs. “A riveting view of both the human animal bond and the training of search and rescue dogs. All dog lovers and people interested in training service dogs should read this book.” —Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human

Training a Search and Rescue Dog for Wilderness Air Scent Detection Training a Search and Rescue Dog is a simple, easy to understand step-by-step instructional manual to teach dogs to find live people. It provides a planned curriculum to incorporate a re-find in a wilderness air scent training program first, and then goes on to allow the handler to add a human remains detection component should they desire to cross-train their dog. The program allows for individual differences in dog training methods and reward systems allowing the handler and trainer to custom design the program which best suits their breed, environment, and needs. Also included are related forms such as search training logs, search reports, donation forms, and how to collect an uncontaminated scent article. These lessons are designed for the dog that has already had some general training in basic obedience, agility, and socialization. For dogs without these basic skills, the author has written a book titled, Building a Basic Foundation for Search and Rescue Dog Training. Training a Search and Rescue Dog is an excellent follow up and training regime following the Basics book which lays the appropriate groundwork in order to train a fully functional, certified, and able working dog.

What is a family disaster dog? It is your trained dog to rescue you! The Family Disaster Dog book shows you how easy a pet dog of any age, size, or breed can become your very own search and rescue dog! One of our biggest fears and chores during a disaster is losing or finding a loved one, and every dog has the ability to find its family members or friends. We, as dog owners, only need to learn how to use the natural ability of the dog to the full advantage during emergencies. As disasters and threats increase worldwide, we are asked to prepare for the worst in case rescuers cannot reach us quickly. With a family disaster dog in the household there is no need to wait for outside help to arrive to save your family and neighbors during a tornado, earthquake, or other emergency. This book will show you how to survive the worst and prepare. These fun and easy lessons are tailored for the family to learn rescue skills in the comfort of the home during daily activities by Search Dog Instructor Amber S. Higgins who spent over a decade breeding and training AKC bloodhounds for nationwide Search and Rescue FEMA volunteer work along with German shepherd dogs. Since 1976, Amber has dedicated her life to dogs. She is a certified and accomplished professional dog trainer, award-winning AKC breeder, and a show and pet grooming stylist. She is considered by many to be a dog expert and consultant. Amber currently owns a popular pet grooming spa on the Oregon coast.

Training that works by harnessing your dog’s instincts. Learn how to: Stimulate your dog’s natural hunting drive for effective SAR training. Start your dog’s training program with an easy, three-step process. Develop skills in a variety of search operations, including wilderness, avalanche and disaster scenarios. Dr. Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak have trained search and rescue dogs for more than 30 years and have taken part in rescue operations around the world. They serve as training directors and international judges for the International Red Cross Federation, the United Nations, the International Rescue Dog Organization and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI). Based on their decades of study and experience, their innovative SAR training method is rooted in a firm, scientific understanding of K9 instincts. Step-by-step instructions, dozens of illustrations and photographs from the field establish a professional K9 SAR program to benefit both beginners and experts. Get a free ebook through the Shelfie app with the purchase of a print copy.