Recently received this question:
"AM LOOKING FOR A LABADOR RETREIVER PUPPY AT THIS MOMENT - I AM WANTING TO GET THE PUPPY TAUGHT TO AIR AND GROUND SCENT HUNT FOR SEARCH AND RESCUE WORK AS WELL AS MYSELF TAUGHT
WHERE DO I GO?"
Here is what I answered:
From my research on the net (using search-and-rescue-dog-training), I've found the following resources:
Search Dog Network, Inc.
Selecting a Potential SAR Dog
http://www.searchdogs.org/articles/selectingsardog.html
(most of the links at the bottom don't work)
SARBC
Search and Rescue Society of British Columbia
http://www.sarbc.org/dinfo.html
National Association for Search and Rescue
http://www.nasar.org/nasar/
Particularly view the Education links
North American Search Dog Network
http://www.nasdn.org/index.htm
American Rescue Dog Association, Inc.
http://www.ardainc.org/main.html
Since you don't indicate where you're located, I added in the BC info. It appears to be an excellent information resource.
You might also check with your local Fire Department and Police Department for information on local SAR dog teams and contact them to find out where they trained.
It appears from the information available, that some of the training available may be iffy. Find out from any potential trainers how much time they've spent in the field and what certifications they hold, not only in SAR, but in other work, too, such as Agility Titles, Obedience Titles, Field Trial or Tracking Titles. I would definately check the NASAR link and look at the courses they offer under their Education link.
As for finding your puppy, I'd suggest locating a few Lab breeders in your area and ask them about the people they have placed puppies with. Do any of them use the dogs for SAR? Ask, too, about dogs from their lines that have been used in hunting, agility, obedience training and such. You're looking for lines that are "working" dogs. Those are the lines that would probably work best for this.
The SARBC site lists a great many "traits" that would be of use to a SAR dog, like agility and obedience.
If you're in a hurry to get into the training, you might want to talk to your local Lab Rescue group for an older dog to begin with. Labs don't generally physically mature until they are 18-24 months old and emotionally later than that, so you're looking at a minimum of about two years before the dog will be stable enough to really do the SAR work. Socializing the young dog is extremely important to move this stability along.
The training for you will take a good while, too. Not only do you have to train the dog, but there are aspects you need training in, such as, handling the dog in different terrains, first aid for your SAR dog (and yourself and others), physical conditioning for you and the dog. Then, if you choose to specialize, there is more training that will have to be done.
It is not going to be a six- or eight-week course and you're ready. It is going to be an ongoing committment for a long time. It can get pretty expensive, too, because if your SAR team is called to other areas to help, you'll have to get there, take care of your housing needs and meals, and any other expenses that occur. Too, if you can't be gone from your job for long periods, what will you do in a longer-term situation where you and your dog are needed for weeks at a time?
I'm certainly not trying to discourage you, I think it is wonderful that you want to get into the work--there are many more teams needed for it. But, it is important to know that this is not going to be something you can generally do over a weekend like an obedience trial or show.
Best of luck on finding your SAR dog and training and let me know how it goes.
C. Rogers Upson has been training dogs and studying them for nearly 40 years. Her website is Dog Potentials and she has two dog-related stores at Keeping to the Borders and Dog Potentials-The Store.