2013-02-15 vol 7 no 2.pdf
TRANSCRIPT
SAR Dog News February 2013 Published by the National Search Dog Alliance Vol. 7, No. 2
The Voice of K-9 Search and Rescue @ n-sda.org Founding members: K-9 Thor, Eileen M. Nobles, Susan Bulanda, K-9 Roo, Leslie Godchaux, Brian R. Hendrickson,
Continental Kennel Club, Inc., K-9 River, K-9 Persha, Jan Thompson, K-9 Cali, Peggy Ann Buchman, K-9 Geist
FEBRUARY MEETING SYNOPSIS
NSDA’s FaceBook page has been reactivated.
PODCASTS are to be started up again.
Sherry Scruggs and Frank Hancock are
running for the Board. More applicants are
being sought for other regions.
Projects and priorities for Education were
discussed.
Instructors and costs for Atterbury Seminar
noted.
The complete minutes can be found on the
website at www.n-sda.org
BOARD MEETING DATES March 21 - Quarterly Meeting (date change) April 4 May 2 June 6 - Quarterly Meeting (seating of new Board Members who wish to attend, contact the NSDA Secretary at [email protected]
PUT THIS ON YOUR
CALENDAR
October 21-25, 2013, NSDA Seminar, Camp Atterbury,
Indiana. See more information in this newsletter and on the
website.
www.n-sda.org
ATTERBURY PARTIAL LIST
OF INSTRUCTORS
Following is a partial list of instructors for the Atterbury Seminar in October. Instructor’s bios and resumes will be in future editions of SAR Dog News.
TRAILING: Mark Holmes Corbin Hodges
LAND HRD: Lisa Higgins Paul Martin Norma Snelling
LIVE FIND DISASTER: Lillian Hardy Julie Gibson
HRD DISASTER: Diana Hudgins
AREA: Deb Palman More instructors are being sought for some of these disciplines and for Area Search.
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 2
Costs for the Atterbury seminar will be $275 for members and $325 for non-members. Save $$$ and become a member!! Membership is only $40 and you can join on our website www.n-sda.org. It is important to note that no one will be allowed on the grounds at Camp Atterbury unless they are on the NSDA attendance list. This is a National Guard post and abides by Homeland Security protocol.
While some rooms will be available on base, arrangements for a special room rate have been made with local motels. Below is a list of those motels and who to contact for the special rate. Be sure to mention NSDA. Best Western Horizon 11780 N. US Hwy 31 Edinburgh, IN., 46124 Phone: (821)-526-9883 Contact: Jenny Patel Rates: Queen (single) $64.99 + tax (12%). Up to two (2) adults. NO PET FEE Queen (double) $69.99 + tax (12%). Up to four (4) adults. NO PET FEE Amenities: Full hot breakfast, eggs, sausage, waffles, biscuits & gravy, juices, cereal, fruit, muffins & danishes. Free wi-fi, 24/7 coffee, business center & gym. Indoor heated pool. Located 5 miles from Camp Atterbury.
Red Roof Inn 10330 N. US Hwy 31 Taylorsville, IN. 47280 Phone: (812) 526-9747 Contact: Vicky Larrison Rates: Queen (single) $64.99 + tax (12%). Up to two (2) adults. NO PET FEE Queen (double) $69.99 + tax (12%). Up to four (4) adults. NO PET FEE Amenities: Continental style breakfast, cereal, fruit, yogurt, assorted pastries, orange & apple juice. Free wi-fi. Each room has a micro-wave & coffee maker. Located 4 miles from camp Atterbury. Comfort Inn 11711 N. US Hwy 31 Edinburgh, IN. 46124 Phone: (812) 526-9899 Contact: Rikka Booth Rates: Standard: $84.99 + tax (12%). Double queen beds, up to 2 adults ($99.99 for 3 adults). Executive $94.99 + tax (12%). Suites $104.99 + tax (12%). Executive & Suites have kitchenettes. This hotel usually does not allow pets but Ms. Booth is making an exception for NSDA K-9s. NO PET FEE. Amenities: Hot breakfast, bacon & eggs, waffles, omelets & sausage (hot food changes daily), fresh fruits, orange, mango & apple juices. 24/7 business center, free wi-fi, indoor heated pool. Washers & dryers (located on first floor. Monday – Thursday, 1800-2000 hrs. free cocktails & appetizers in business center. Hotel was completely remodeled 2 years ago. Located 5 miles from Camp Atterbury.
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 3
All the above hotels offer coupons and are within walking distance to local restaurants & the Outlet Mall.
For those who will have family members travelling with them or will be arriving early, there is the Timberlake Golf Course and the Edinburgh Premium Outlet Mall. The Mall
consists of nine buildings with approximately 150 stores ranging from designer clothing to specialty items.
EVALUATIONS are being offered before the seminar on October 19-20, 2013. There will be a place on the registration form to sign up for them. There will be a limited number of testing slots that will be reserved on a first come, first serve basis. Seminar attendees will be given preference over non-attendees. Standards being tested will be Area, Trailing and Land Human Remains Detection.
NSDA K-9 CERTIFICATIONS By Norma Snelling
NSDA is having a positive influence on other SAR K-9 certification agencies by encouraging them improve their service to the canine community A major SAR K-9 certification body in the U.S. has reduced their certification fees as of January 1 of this year. Could this perhaps be
because NSDA recognizes the financial strains in its volunteer members who are serving their communities daily and tries to charge the most reasonable fees possible? Peer pressure; competition? Are you aware that NSDA does not require a full pack check, including those items that will never be used in your particular area of the country? We require you to carry what YOU deem necessary for the area you search. However, you will be failed on a test if you run into a problem and are not prepared, i.e. a bad cut but you don’t have any medical supplies or a hot day and you forgot water. Do you search in a densely forested area or a
Louisiana swamp? How about at elevation or in the desert? Maybe the wind is blowing 20 miles per hour on test day. By using some common sense, NSDA does not require a full 160 acre area test for all states and all conditions. We have a sliding scale for our area search test which deducts acres for more extreme conditions. In search and rescue one size does not fit all. As searchers we have learned to be flexible. Why not be flexible when we test searchers? We are here for the volunteer K-9 handler. Join us!
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 4
Congratulations!!
Congratulations to the following Handler/K-9 Teams who have achieved NSDA certification: AREA Georgia Baker & K-9 Zoe, Louisiana Mary Bellew & K-9 Boo, Texas Vynn Stuart & K-9 Gordi, Arkansas Susan Veith & K-9 ChicoDog, Illinois JoMay Wyatt-Pescador & K-9 Kodiak, Montana BACKTRACKING Isaac David & K-9 Teddy, Texas Jason Hughes & K-9 Bowie, California Oscar Miramontes & K-9 Solon, Arizona Adan Sanchez & K-9 Belia, Texas Eric Wells & K-9 Bikkel, California LAND HRD Wade Boyd & K-9 Buddy, Washington Terry Crooks & K-9 Beacon, Montana David Forker & K-9 Loki, Idaho Pamela Harding & K-9 Caymus, Washington Jan Meyer & K-9 Jake, Missouri Rogelio Pescador & K-9 Friday the 13th, Montana Vynn Stuart & K-9 Lacy, Arkansas Andrea Sawyer & K-9 Beau, Idaho Jennifer Smyth & K-9 Woody, Missouri Susan Veith & K-9 Bib, Illinois Susan Vieth & K-9 Nook-n-Cranny, Illinois JoMay Wyatt-Pescador & K-9 Kodiak, Montana
WATER HRD Jan Meyer & K-9 Jake, Missouri Julianne Reid & K-9 Tucker, Georgia Susan Vieth & K-9 Biba, Illinois Susan Vieth & K-9 Nook-n-Cranny, Illinois Editor’s note: If I have missed anyone who tested after July 2012 or the above information needs correction, please contact me at [email protected]
ALLIANCE DEPOT
FEATURE OF THE MONTH
Gildan, 9.3-oz 50/50 blend
Nonmember Price: $33.00
Member Price: $28.00 Purchase online at www. n-sda.org or e-mail
Robert Simon at [email protected]
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 5
NSDA PODCAST PARTICULARS!
by Larry Welker
Now that I am able to get back involved with the NSDA NETWORKING Committee and seriously focus on getting the PODCAST back online, I thought I’d take some time to look into the details of what’s worked, what hasn’t done so well, and what our audience, you, clearly like as topics for our future episodes. For information and your convenience, listed below are the twenty PODCASTs we have completed. The number found in the parenthesis under the PODCAST column represents how many times that episode has
been downloaded from the TALKSHOE.COM site: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/21763. Accessing our PODCAST from iTunes will be discussed later in this article but, for now, note that the sum of downloads from Talkshoe equals 10,553 since
our first program aired on July 13, 2008! As we go forward now to bring the PODCAST back on a regular schedule, my review of the data shows that clearly our most popular programs dealt with training the SAR K-9 and Handler team. Marcia Koenig and Andy Redman consistently captured our audience with practical and proven methods for training the Airscent, Trailing, and HRD Land/Water SAR K-9 Teams. Second to training K-9’s, our topics that dealt with local unit training issues along with developing relations with requesting agencies including how to show up and report for duty at ‘incident command’ were also very popular.
PODCAST 8 and 9 are an interesting discussion concerning the use of HRD K-9’s to support archeological efforts in and around native American burial grounds. We’ve been told our HRD K-9’s have this ability but here is a story documenting the successful use of K-9’s to support this effort in the ‘real world.’ Besides these topics, we have discussed how to testify in support of a prosecutor, how the Department of Homeland Security is utilizing our ‘Back Tracking Standard’, and periodic updates on the development of NSDA standards. As mentioned earlier, all NSDA PODCASTs are available to anyone at the iTunes store. Merely access iTunes and enter as a search term ‘NSDA,’ the twenty programs listed below will be displayed for your listening or for download at no cost. If you ‘subscribe’ to the PODCAST, you’ll never miss listening to the latest program because it will be downloaded to your device automatically. So, I’ve learned some lessons I didn’t know concerning our PODCAST. The most important to me is that these programs have become very popular and, with that lesson now learned, I assure you our next PODCAST will be conducted in the very near future! Please let me know if you have any topics you’d like to have as subject matter for a future PODCAST and we’ll get it set up!!! Contact Larry at [email protected]
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 6
On the following two pages is the list of the completed NSDA PODCASTs:
PODCAST Date Duration Topic Subject Matter Expert
1
(984)
7/13/08 0h 31m
35s
NIMS Class Typing and
NSDA Standards
Dee Wild, current President of the National
Search Dog Alliance (NSDA), conducts a
discussion on the National Incident
Management System (NIMS) and NSDA
efforts to incorporate NIMS Typing into
NSDA standards
2
(715)
8/24/08 0h 42m
36s
Establishing sound
relationships with
Requesting Authorities
Art Wolff, a law enforcement and K-9
training expert, discusses establishing and
maintaining sound relationships with
requesting agencies
3
(684)
10/26/08 0h 57m
38s
Developing a Team
Training Program
Marcia Koenig is the Subject Matter Expert
for this program; she discusses how to
develop a team training program
4
(666)
11/23/08 1h 9m 9s Developing a Team
Training Program for Area
Airscent Teams
Marcia Koenig is the Subject Matter Expert
for this program; she discusses how to train
a K-9 wilderness, air scent dog
5
(698)
1/11/09 1h 24m
58s
Developing a Training
Program for a Trailing
Canine Team
Andy Rebman is the Subject Matter Expert
for this program which discusses how to
train a K-9 trailing team
6
(624)
2/22/09 1h 8m 55s Developing a Team
Training Program for Land
HRD
Andy Rebman is the Subject Matter Expert
for this program which discusses how to
train K-9's for HRD
7
(555)
3/22/09 0h 57m
31s
Developing a Team
Training Program for Water
HRD
Marcia Koenig is the Subject Matter Expert
for this program which discusses how to
train K-9's for HRD Water Recovery efforts
8
(510)
4/19/09 1h 3m 22s Part 1 - HRD Canine Teams
and Native American Burial
HRD K-9 teams and their use in
exploration of Native American Burial
sites. John Stellman and Paul Martin
provide their experiences on this unique
effort
9
(457)
5/17/09 0h 54m
19s
Part 2 - HRD Canine Teams
and Native American Burial
Second presentation in this series, HRD K-
9 teams and their use in exploration of
Native American Burial sites. John
Stellman and Paul Martin provide their
experience on this unique effort
10
(484)
6/21/09 0h 58m
52s
Maintaining Operational
Team Proficiency
Three Subject Matter Experts discuss
maintenance training for operational K-9
Teams. Lisa Higgins, Denver Holder, and
Scott Robbins are the live guests for this
episode
11
(408)
7/26/09 0h 43m
48s
NSDA Status on Standards
Development and a year in
Review
Outgoing NSDA President Norma Snelling
discusses status of NSDA standards and
looks at NSDA year in review
PODCAST Date Duration Topic Subject Matter Expert
12
(543)
8/23/09 1h 2m 41s What do you do when your
team arrives at the Search
Site
Panel discussion by Search Dog Team
Presidents. Darcy Harbaugh, Maria
Claxton, and Jim Hanley discuss what a
SAR K-9 team needs to do upon arriving at
a Search Site
13
(351)
1/31/10 0h 26m
34s
NSDA Plans for 2010! Sue Wolff, President NSDA, Dee Wild,
Sherry Scruggs, Norma Snelling and Cam
Daggett plus others discuss plans for
establishing standards as well as evaluator
workshops, training, and seminars planned
for 2010
14
(379)
2/28/10 14:51 Back Tracking Standard
planned but delayed, instead
conducted general
discussions on NSDA
PODCAST access
Larry Welker discusses how to access the
PODCAST on iTunes and gives other
administrative type comments.
15
(371)
3/28/10 51:00 The Avalanche Search Dog Terry Crooks: 30 years of training K-9’s
for Avalanche, HRD (Land/Water), and
other K-9 SAR detection work
16
(408)
4/25/10 0h 41m
23s
K-9 Back Tracking Robert Noziska, Supervisor/K-9 Instructor
for Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and
Rescue (BORSTAR), Dept of Homeland
Security
17
(342)
6/27/10 0h 31m
34s
The new and departing
NSDA Presidents Speak up
Sue Wolff and Norma Snelling,
incoming/outgoing NSDA Presidents
discuss the past year and NSDA plans for
the future
18
(454)
7/25/10 0h 48m
33s
Discussion concerning the
on-going Brian Swanson
search in South Dakota
Jim Hanley, K-9 Handler with 911 K-9
SAR in South Dakota
19
(487)
1/23/11 0h 53m 4s Training in Water Human
Remains Recovery
techniques
Lisa Higgins, nationally certified K-9
handler and Water HRD expert
20
(433)
1/29/12 0h 50m
26s
K-9 SAR as an asset to Law
Enforcement and how to
conduct yourself as a
witness for the prosecution
Police Officer Marshell Thielen, Fairfax
Police Department
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 8
Education Chair Position Still Open
NSDA is looking for a motivated volunteer to
take charge of our Education program.
Education of SAR K-9 personnel is a primary
goal for the existence of NSDA. We have a
wonderful start with our first book and power
point presentations. Now is the time to
expand and build on that foundation and take
it to the teams working in the field.
This person needs to be able to multi-task,
prioritize and provide direction to others by
overseeing various sub-committees working
on different projects at the same time. This
position involves supervision and
understanding of the projects rather than an
individual who wants to work on a project
themselves.
Basic Job Duties:
Identify and develop educational
objectives, in conjunction with the
Board.
Identify and develop personnel capable
of carrying out the educational
objectives.
Ensure all Committee activities are
congruent with NSDA's vision, mission,
strategy and principles.
Supervise subcommittees developing
written documents, power point
presentations, web presentations and
other educational materials for use on
the NSDA website and for
presentations.
Contribute periodic articles to the
newsletter updating the membership
on educational activities and projects.
Work in conjunction with the Public
Relations Committee to avoid
duplication of efforts.
Job Requirements:
Computer skills, especially power point
and website management
Highly organized and goal oriented
Receptive to different points of view
and able to communicate effectively
with various committees
Able to commit the time needed to
carry out the duties described above
Able to meet regular deadlines
Willingness to reach out to the entire
canine community to promote NSDA
If you feel you would like to work on a sub-
committee such as training modules or power
point presentations, please also respond to
this ad.
Interested persons please contact President
Robert S. Simon at [email protected]
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 9
HE GAVE ALL
Police Officer
Kevin A. Tonn Galt Police Department, California
End of Watch: Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Police K-9 Officer Kevin Tonn was shot and
killed after responding to a burglary call on
January 15, 2013, at approximately 11:20
a.m.
Upon arriving at the scene, Officer Tonn was
directed to a nearby suspect by a witness. As
Officer Tonn moved toward the man, the
suspect drew a gun and fired a single shot,
hitting Officer Tonn. The man then shot at
other responding officers before committing
suicide.
Officer Tonn was transported to a nearby
hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Upon hearing that one of his officers had
been shot, Galt Police Chief William Bowen
insisted the officer’s body never be left alone
– not at the hospital, not even at the
coroner's office.
Raised in the Sacramento region by his
parents Will and Mary Ann Tonn, Officer Tonn
had joined the Roseville Police Explorers
program as a teen. After graduating from
Roseville High, he enlisted in the U. S. Army
where he served as a military police officer at
New York's Fort Drum. After his military
service, he worked as a volunteer firefighter
and then became full-time one before
returning home to California. Officer Tonn
had served with the Galt Police Department
for three years.
Thousands attended Officer Tonn’s funeral.
His K-9 partner, a German shepherd named
Yaro, stood close by, whimpering throughout
the memorial service as well as the gravesite
ceremonies. Sources: odmp.org, Sacramento Bee
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 10
RESEARCH
Editor’s note: Listed here are several research projects which might be of interest to SAR Dog
News readers. NSDA, as an organization, is not involved in these undertakings.
Research Project by Susan Bulanda Goal of the Project: To research how rescue personnel have handled their first deceased victim incident or the one that “got” to them. Almost everyone involved in rescue has one incident that seems to bother/upset them more than others. This is the one I want to hear about. It is possible, if I get enough data, that I will put the material into book format. If I do this, the purpose of the book will be to help other rescuers cope with this emotional topic. Many volunteers do not have access to counseling and, while I do not intend to replace counseling, this material may help them understand their feelings and possibly cope with them. Again, this is at the research stage. If I do use your case in any public venue, you will have the option to remain anonymous but I still need a release form signed so, for now, I have to know who you are. If you do not want your mission publicized, please note that. Please submit information in the following order (the * symbol indicates the topics that are the key issues):
Give a brief description of the mission, i.e. why you were called (missing child, suicide, elderly wandered, etc.)
How long did the mission last? Did the length of the mission have a positive/negative effect on you?
Were there any problematic issues with the mission such as weather, terrain, lack of personnel, etc.
*Describe the discovery of the missing person.
*Describe in detail how you reacted.
*How long did the emotional aspect of this mission last for you?
*How did you deal with it?
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 11
*What could have helped you cope better?
*Did it affect future missions for you?
*Lessons learned
Submit your cases as an attachment via email to [email protected] with “SAR Research” in the subject line. Use Word, no newer than the 2010 version or I will not be able to open it. Please double space your document In the upper left corner put: Your name, address, phone, email, your unit (type and name of unit, example: Coventry Canine SAR – canine unit or Coventry County EMS - ambulance) Starting with the second page, in the header, put your name in the upper left of the page and the page number in the upper right. Please feel free to forward this request to anyone in rescue including police, fire personnel, EMT’s, Sheriff’s, SAR groups, military. If I do write a book and use your material, I will email you a release form to sign and either scan and email it back or snail mail it to me.
The AKC is looking for volunteers to submit
their detection dog's DNA to assist in a study
that is looking to unlock the genetic code of
successful detection dogs! For more
information see article:
http://pennvetwdc.org/akc-car-dna-bank/
The American Kennel Club/Canine Health Foundation has put out its annual call for research proposals. They are now specifically listing Behavior studies. Here's the link for more information. Please feel free to share with professionals who may want to seek a Grant: http://www.akcchf.org/research/application-process/program-area-rfps/behavior-rfp.html
ON ANOTHER NOTE
Excerpt from a book by Dr. Jessica Pierce who is the author of "The Last Walk: Reflections on Our Pets at the End of
Their Lives."
Surveys conducted by the pet industry have found that 70% of pet owners in the U.S. share a bed with their animal, a figure unsettlingly close to the percentage of people who share a bed with their spouse.
A version of this article appeared December 1, 2012, on page C3 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: 'It's Just a Dog. Get Over It.'.
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 12
KUDOS!
Congratulations to Susan Bulanda! Her Holocaust book, Faithful Friends, won a Maxwell award (which is first place in its category) in the Dog Writer’s Association of
America (DWAA) contest.
KIBBLES & BITS by Susan Bulanda
Editor’s note: Anyone having questions regarding SAR, training, animal behavior, etc., please submit them to [email protected]
KIBBLES AND BITS Susan,
I receive the NSDA newsletter and enjoy reading your column. The reason I'm writing is I have a question about training. I actually have lots of questions, but will bother you with just one today. Three years ago I started training a Plott Hound for tracking. She was my first dog to train. I eventually realized that she would do better as an area search dog. Her background in tracking helped to make her transition easy and it was beneficial that she could search an area for a specific scent. Unfortunately, she had all kinds of immune problems, developed cancer and I had to put her down. I'm just now starting to look for another dog to train. I have located a breeder and am waiting for a Malinois puppy to be born. My question is if I want to do area search can I start this dog out in tracking for a year first then switch to area search? It worked well that way with my first dog. Or should I just start out in area search? Thank you for any suggestions. I lied. I have one more question. Do you think dogs can be trained in both HRD and live finds? Or should you just stay with one discipline per dog?
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 13
The first question: Dogs naturally (as well as all members of the canid family) will area search first and then when they find the scent that they want, trail/track. Therefore it is more natural for you
to area train your dog first and then do scent specific training next. Think of it like this, a fox is looking for a meal. The fox will quarter the field looking for any scent that equals food. When he finds it (rabbit, bird, rodent), he will follow that scent to find the food. However, in training you have to be very careful not to use the same areas all of the time. The fox learns that if he looks in a certain area, he will most
likely find a scent and, after a number of successes, will go to that area first. Our dogs are not stupid and they do remember everything, especially those things that are important to them. So if you use the same areas, the dog may look first where he found scent before. What causes dogs to fail most often is the way the handler trains the dog. They try to tell the dog where to look for scent and they tend to micromanage the dog. The key to successful training is do not tell your dog where to put his nose! You only tell him what he is to look for; dogs are experts in finding scent; it is what they do. I cover this in my book READY! However, for training you do want to set up a problem where the dog will succeed in such a way that the dog thinks that he solved the problem. Many handlers confuse teaching with testing. There is a big difference. Testing a dog too soon will hinder learning. The second question, yes you can teach a dog to do both dead and live finds. The secret is to have a different command for each and a different "alert" for each. This way the dog will know what you want. For those who doubt that a dog can learn many different names for the type of search they have to do, check out Chaser, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77u2QJ13x_I The problem becomes an issue in a situation where both live and dead are in the same area. You will only be able to tell if the dog is true to his command or not if you test him and train him with live and dead scent. (Sigma makes a good pseudo cadaver scent.) Keep in mind that dedicated HRD people will not trust your dog. With a really good dog, he will tell you live or dead based on his alert. But again, if there are both in the same spot, which alert will the dog give you? It is possible to teach the dog to always give a live alert in that situation but not everyone has that level of training skill. This because the dog is capable of learning almost everything we want them to know, the limitation is our ability to teach it without the benefit of a common language. If we do not make it clear to the dog what we are teaching him, he will make assumptions on his own which are typically not what we wanted to teach him. In a major disaster you may not be welcomed with a cross trained dog but, in a small situation where the resources are limited or the excavation is not extensive, you can use a cross trained dog. Each situation must be judged as all are different. I want to stress my mantra, which my students at the university must memorize and every SAR dog handler should memorize because it answers most of the “why” questions: Everything works some of the time and nothing works all of the time!.
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 14
I like to go to seminars to work my dog and meet other people who love to do the same thing. How old should your dog be before he attends a seminar? One group I trained with said he should be experienced or the seminar will ask more than the dog is ready for, setting his training back instead of forward. But I have seen 3-4 month old puppies attending and getting some really good socialization time. My thoughts on this are I NEVER do anything I don't feel my dog is ready for or that makes me uncomfortable. I also learn more at the seminar than my dog does. So if all the training is above his head, I just watch and learn. What do you think?
That is a good question. If the puppy is inoculated and the vet says it is safe, there is no reason not to bring a puppy to a
seminar if for no other reason, to socialize him to the environment. This is purely a judgment call that the handler should make regarding how much and what a puppy can handle. Contrary to what many trainers and handlers think, you can start to train a puppy at 12 weeks of age. I started all of my SAR puppies that young. A puppy is going to learn whether you train them or not, so why not let them learn what you want. Puppies do not live in a void. The nice thing about young puppies is that they are very forgiving of your mistakes. A three to four month old puppy can recover from setbacks better than a six month old puppy. This has to do with the
cognitive developmental stages that puppies go through. The secret to making early training successful is to not push the puppy beyond what they can handle, not to make the training sessions long and to keep it fun. A training session for a young puppy should not last more than 5 – 15 minutes with a 20 – 30 minute rest before doing it again and no more than three times in a day. The other side of the coin is that the seminar leaders may not be equipped to handle young dogs. Therefore you have to discuss this with them to see if a puppy will hinder the work they have in mind. Never lose sight of the fact that people who run seminars, especially working seminars, have invested a lot of their time, energy and possibly money into making the event successful and may be limited in terms of space, equipment and help. The bottom line is that if a puppy is welcomed at a seminar, the handler should be very careful not to overdo it and be ready to meet puppy needs. It is often beneficial for a handler to attend a seminar without their puppy and watch. This way they can focus entirely on what is taking place. It is always a judgment call that must consider the type of seminar, the location, and the field conditions if they apply.
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 15
BOOK REVIEW
by Marcia Koenig
A Tribute to Search and Rescue Dogs and
their Handlers by Christy Judah, 2012, 438
pages.
Christy Judah’s newest search dog book, A
Tribute to Search and Rescue Dogs and their
Handlers, is a compilation of remembrances
of search dogs with over 240 photos of dogs
and their handlers.
The first part of the book gives a brief history
of search and rescue dogs, particularly in the
United States. She includes information
about founding units like the American
Rescue Dog Association, California Rescue
Dog Association, NASAR and FEMA Task
Forces as well as biographies of Bill and Jean
Syrotuck, Hatch and Judy Graham, Bill
Dotson, Penny Sullivan and others.
Part Two covers War Dogs: World Wars I &
II, Vietnam and Iraq/Afghan wars. The
different types of war dogs are discussed
along with stories about some of the dogs.
Kathy Holbert writes about her experiences as
a cadaver dog handler in Iraq.
Part Three, which takes up three quarters of
the book, has remembrances of dogs and
handlers throughout the US. This includes
bloodhound trailing and cadaver dog handler
Bill Tollhurst; Susan Bulanda, author of the
book Ready and Andy Rebmann, author of
the Cadaver Dog Handbook. Yes, I’m in it
too, as are many other handlers from all over
the US. The most interesting parts of the
writings for me are accounts of searches.
This is a good book to read in small pieces so
the stories don’t all flow together. If you’re
interested in the history of search dogs, how
they’ve been used and stories from handlers
you’ve heard about and know, you will want
to read this book.
Editor’s Note: the following of Christy Judah’s
books are available in the Alliance Depot:
Buzzards and Butterflies; Water Search;
Building a Basic Foundation for Search and
Rescue Training; Building a Search and
Rescue Team from the Ground Up.
SAR Dog News, February 2013 Page 16
THE LAST HOWL
By Sue Wolff
Opinions expressed in this column
are those of the author and not
necessarily those of the National
Search Dog Alliance.
How do we learn things? For adults (as well
as our dogs), it is repetition and being
shown how to do something.
Some of us may be lucky enough to have a
team and/or trainer nearby so we can work
our dogs frequently. Others may not be so
fortunate and have to set up their own
training.
A good way for both to obtain more
knowledge about their K-9 field of expertise
is to attend outside training such as the
NSDA seminar at Atterbury. Not only will a
handler gain more know-how but he/she will
get to work with some of the premier canine
instructors in the United States.
In the evening after dinner, these leading
instructors and other noted attendees will
conduct programs on K-9 related subjects.
Past talks have been on canine motivation
and crime scene preservation.
Best of all will be the time attendees get to
spend with handlers from all over the United
States and Canada. There will be time for
discussions of training methods and “war
stories” so join us in Indiana in October.
ORDER MORE NSDA ITEMS ONLINE
www.cafepress.com/NSDA
Board of Directors—
Robert Simon, President, Florida [email protected] Terry Crooks, Vice-President, Montana [email protected] 406-293-1618 Sue Wolff, Secretary/Treasurer, Tennessee [email protected] Cameron Daggett, Idaho [email protected] 208-720-6256 Susan Fleming, Pennsylvania [email protected] Frank Hancock, Georgia [email protected] 678-628-7559 Jan Meyer, Missouri [email protected] JoMay Wyatt-Pescador, Montana [email protected]
Advocacy Council Susan Bulanda
Lisa Higgins
Marcia Koenig
Carol Ann Namur
Robert Noziska
Dee Wild
A. E. Wolff
TRAINING, SEMINARS & CONFERENCES
REACH OVER 1,300 SAR K-9 HANDLERS. LIST YOUR TRAININGS, SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES IN THE
SAR DOG ALERT. Contact Editor Sue Wolff at [email protected]
February 16, SAR125 -Surface Ice Rescue Awareness, Camp Atterbury Edinburgh, IN. For further information contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] February 23-24, Tech Rescue Awareness, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For more information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] March 2013, Responding to Missing and Unidentified Persons Conference, Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI. See www.fvtc.edu for more information.
March 2, SAR125 -Surface Ice Rescue Awareness, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] March 3, K9210 –Basic Land Cadaver Techniques for K-9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] March 16-17, K9320 –Intermediate Tracking / Trailing Techniques for K-9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] March 23, K-9 Pretest, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] March 24, K9200 –Basic Air Scenting Techniques for K-9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] April1- 8, Penn Vet Working Dog Conference, Purina Event Center, St. Louis MO. For more information visit http://pennvetwdc.org/conference/ or contact Kathleen Kelsey @ [email protected]
More Training, Seminars & Conferences
April 6-7, K9310 -Intermediate Cadaver Search Techniques for K-9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] April 18-21, The North Carolina Canine Emergency Response Team (NCCERT) third annual HRD Seminar, Washington, NC. For more information and registration forms, please visit the following link: http://www.nccert.org/2013hrdseminar.html
April 20-21, K9300 -Intermediate Air Scenting Techniques for K-9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] April 27-28, SAR300 – Ground Search III (awareness), Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] May 18-19, SAR200 – Ground Search II (operations), Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] May 18-19, K9420- Advanced Tracking/Trailing Search Techniques for K-9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] May 25-26, K9650 –K-9 Credentialing Test, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] June 7-8, Scenarios Workshop near Cody, Wyoming. Please e-mail K.T. at [email protected] with any questions. June 8-9, K9400 - Advanced Air Scenting Search Techniques for K-9, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] June 20-23, SAR Conference, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] June 28, 29 & 30, ALL-BREED TRAILING WORKSHOP for SEARCH DOG TEAMS with Mark Holmes and Corbin Hodge, Cody, WY. For further information, contact K. T. Irwin at [email protected]. July 6 and 7. The Annual Water Workout, Buffalo Bill Reservoir near Cody, Wyoming: Deep water, shore, land cadaver. For more information, contact K. T. Irwin at [email protected].
July 12, 13 and 14, Cadaver/Narcotics Indication Training Or Mantrailing with Randy Hare/Lucy Newton near Cody, Wyoming. For more information, contact T. Irwin at [email protected]. July 13-14, AFRCC- Basic Inland SAR School, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] July 22-26, AFRCC- Advanced Inland SAR School, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected]
More Training, Seminars & Conferences
August 3, SAR100 -Crime Scene Operations – Blood Borne Pathogens, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected]
August 3–August 5, Human Remains Detection Dog, Morinville, Alberta- Canada. Contact for more information: [email protected]
August 4, K-9 Pretest, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] August 17-18, SAR250 Search and Rescue Management, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] August 31-September 1, K9310 -Intermediate Cadaver Search Techniques for K-9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] September 14-15, K9650 –K-9 Credentialing Test, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] September 21-22, SAR400 – Ground Search I (technician), Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected] September 28-29, K9410 –Advanced Land Cadaver Techniques for K-9s, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, IN. For further information, contact Lillian Hardy at [email protected]
October 21-25, 2013, NSDA Seminar, Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Watch the newsletter and website for more information.