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A search-and-rescue dog is one trained to find missing people after a natural or man-made disaster. The dogs detect human scent [ citation needed ] and have been known to find people under water, under snow, and under collapsed buildings. [1]
Training of a search dog usually begins when the dog is still a puppy. Typically training takes two to four years before the dog passes the required tests. [2] Common dog breeds used for search-and-rescue work include German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever. [3] Individual dogs are selected and trained for behaviours related to successful field work. In training, dogs must demonstrate a willingness to work despite distractions, proper command control, and the ability to learn through positive reward reinforcement. [4] Cadaver dog training requires regular and repeated exposure to target scents. Training aids can include a combination of mock scent chemical formulations, animal remains and human remains. [5]
Human remains detection dogs (HRDDs) or "cadaver dogs" are specially trained search and rescue canines used to detect the scent of buried or concealed deceased human remains, body parts and biological fluids. [6] In Croatia such dogs have been used to find burial sites almost 3000 years old. [7] More recently, HRDD's have been used in Canada and the United States to locate unmarked graves of Indigenous children around former residential school sites. [8] Police, death investigators and anthropologists may work closely with cadaver dogs and their handlers. [9]
Numerous countries, cities and regions have search and rescue organizations using dog-and-handler teams that can be mobilized in an emergency or disaster. Here are a few organizations.
Guide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind or visually impaired people around obstacles. Although dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are red–green colour blind and incapable of interpreting street signs. The human does the directing, based on skills acquired through previous mobility training. The handler might be likened to an aircraft's navigator, who must know how to get from one place to another, and the dog is the pilot, who gets them there safely. In several countries guide dogs, along with most other service and hearing dogs, are exempt from regulations against the presence of animals in places such as restaurants and public transportation.
The Labrador Retriever or simply Labrador is a British breed of retriever gun dog. It was developed in the United Kingdom from St. John's water dogs imported from the colony of Newfoundland, and was named after the Labrador region of that colony. It is among the most commonly kept dogs in several countries, particularly in the European world.
An assistance dog, known as a service dog in the United States, is a dog trained to aid or assist an individual with a disability. Many receive training from an assistance dog organization, or by from their handler, often with the help of a professional trainer.
A retriever is a type of gun dog that retrieves game for a hunter. Generally gun dogs are divided into three major classifications: retrievers, flushing spaniels, and pointing breeds. Retrievers were bred primarily to retrieve birds or other prey and return them to the hunter without damage; retrievers are distinguished in that nonslip retrieval is their primary function. As a result, retriever breeds are bred for soft mouths and a great willingness to please, learn, and obey. A soft mouth refers to the willingness of the dog to carry game in its mouth without biting into it. "Hard mouth" is a serious fault in a hunting dog and is very difficult to correct. A hard-mouthed dog renders game unpresentable or at worst inedible.
Gun dogs or bird dogs are types of hunting dogs developed to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game. The term hunting dog is broad and includes all breeds and skills of hunting canines, but "gun dogs" refers to canines that are trained to work alongside a loud firearm while hunting or retrieving game. Gun dogs are divided into three main categories: pointers and retrievers, setters and spaniels, and water dogs.
A police dog, also known as a K-9, is a dog that is trained to assist police and other law enforcement officers. Their duties may include searching for drugs and explosives, locating missing people, finding crime scene evidence, protecting officers and other people, and attacking suspects who flee from officers. The breeds most commonly used by law enforcement are the German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Bloodhound, Dutch Shepherd, and Labrador Retriever. In recent years, the Belgian Malinois has become the leading choice for police and military work due to their intense drive, focus, agility, and smaller size, though German Shepherds remain the breed most associated with law enforcement.
Dog aggression expressed by dogs is considered to be normal behaviour and various types of aggression are influenced by a dog's environment and genetic predisposition. Dogs commonly display possessive aggression when defending resources or themselves.
A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones. The sense most used by detection dogs is smell. Hunting dogs that search for game, and search and rescue dogs that work to find missing humans are generally not considered detection dogs but instead under their own categories. There is some overlap, as in the case of cadaver dogs, trained to search for human remains.
Tracking refers to a dog's ability to detect, recognize and follow a specific scent. Possessing heightened olfactory abilities, dogs, especially scent hounds, are able to detect, track and locate the source of certain odours. A deeper understanding of the physiological mechanisms and the phases involved in canine scent tracking has allowed humans to utilize this animal behaviour in a variety of professions. Through domestication and the human application of dog behaviour, different methods and influential factors on tracking ability have been discovered. While tracking was once considered a predatory technique of dogs in the wild, it has now become widely used by humans.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind is a non-profit school based in Yorktown Heights, New York that trains guide dogs to aid people who are visually impaired. It also operates a canine development center in Patterson, New York, and a training site in White Plains, New York. It was the first guide dog training school to be accredited by the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped.
Jake was an American black Labrador who served as a search and rescue dog following the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina. Jake served as a rescue dog from 2001 until his retirement because of cancer in 2006.
Service animals are working animals that have been trained to perform tasks that assist disabled people. Service animals may also be referred to as assistance animals or helper animals depending on the country and the animal's function. Dogs are the most common service animals, having assisted people since at least 1927.
The Golden Retriever is a Scottish breed of retriever dog of medium size. It is characterised by a gentle and affectionate nature and a striking golden coat. It is commonly kept as a pet and is among the most frequently registered breeds in several Western countries. It is a frequent competitor in dog shows and obedience trials; it is also used as a gun dog and may be trained for use as a guide dog.
The International Search and Rescue Dog Organisation (IRO) is the worldwide umbrella organisation for search and rescue dog work and partner of the UN organisation INSARAG. It unites more than 250,000 people worldwide with about 4,000 certified search and rescue (SAR) dogs. The headquarters are in Salzburg.
Nosework, also known as scent work or scent detection, is a dog sport created to emulate tasks performed by professional detection dog. In the sport, one dog and one handler form a team where the dog must find a hidden target odor, often ignoring distractions such as food or toys, and alert the handler once the target odor is found.
12 South African Infantry Battalion was a horse, dog and motorbike assisted infantry unit of the South African Army, which provided horse-mounted infantry and dog handlers to the army for defence purposes.
The National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program is a program administered by the Transportation Security Administration which uses law enforcement and TSA-run explosives detection dog teams to detect explosives in transportation environments.
The 1st Canine Regiment's mission is to provide dogs as a force multiplier at times of war and peace to the Kenya Army. The unit was established in 2012 and is based at Embakasi Garrison. Kenya is the only country in East Africa with a fully formed and independent canine unit within its military. The unit is trained in explosive detection, patrolling, search and rescue and road and building clearing. The regiment relies on a variety of dogs from the Belgian Malinois and Labrador Retriever to the German Shepherd depending on the range and type of mission assigned.
In law enforcement work, police dogs are used worldwide for a variety of purposes that include apprehension, detection, and search and rescue.