Labrador Rescue Dogs – The Dos and Dont’s of Training

January 12, 2009 by Dog Service Network
Filed under Dog Training

While dogs are typically known as playful companions and man’s best friends, dogs also have a number of roles that are not as widely acknowledged. When law enforcement is called in to find a missing person, or a natural disaster strikes, dogs are often part of the first line of defense when the time comes to respond.

Burmese mountain dogs, Saint Bernards and Labrador Retrievers are among the most common breeds favored for search-and-rescue training. Their roles may include all or some of the following: wilderness rescue, avalanche searches, drowning searches, natural disasters, and in some cases, corpse retrieval.

Labrador rescue dogs in particular, being one of the more common breeds, are generally classified as one of the following: air scenting, tracking, or trailing. Air scenting dogs are trained to follow airborne human scents, while tracking and trailing dogs follow scent trails that have been deposited on the ground. Each of these types is limited by terrain and changing atmospheric conditions. While the importance of Labrador rescue dogs is undisputed, the methods used for their training are far from trivial, and are dependent upon the trainer’s dedication and likewise, upon the dog’s disposition. Training is an intensive process that is often life-long, and begins when the puppy is between eight and ten weeks old. The dog may be deployed as early as six to eighteen months after training has begun.

Because every dog is different, the training is as important to the handler as it is for the dog. The handler needs to become familiar with the dog’s body language, so as to be certain that he has indeed made a find. When the rescue dog follows a scent or trail to its end, for example, the dog may return to the handler and give him a certain look. During the dog’s training, it is essential the dog and the handler become comfortable with each other and learn each other’s eccentricities. This is the reason why dogs change partners very rarely because a bond develops during training.

There are a multitude of skills that a successful Labrador rescue dog must learn throughout the training process. Among these are obedience, socialization and agility. Each of these skills should be trained daily for the first few months, for anywhere from ten to sixty minutes. For any kind of rescue dog, scent training is also essential, but can be trained less often as the other skills, three to seven days per week, for five to thirty minutes.

Generally, a rescue dog’s skills will improve rapidly, if not daily. It is important to maintain skill training in obedience as well as agility and socialization. Scent training can be taught less often as the dog progresses, eventually decreasing to three to five times per week. As training sessions become fewer, however, duration should increase to between twenty and sixty minutes. Focus sessions, such as scent discrimination, should become frequent as well, but only after the dog has proven its proficiency in the training area.

Brooke Sunderland has supported groups of trainers in their efforts at raising quality Labrador rescue dogs. Training for Labrador rescue dogs may commence when they are as young as eight weeks old. Labrador information will reinforce the importance of early training.

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