General Anyone here train or handle a working K9?

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Rambo John J

Rambo John J

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Jan 17, 2015
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Great Videos, thanks.
Amazing dog, love the training.

Got close with a search and rescue trained poodle I used to take care of her for weeks at a time, she had hundreds of hours of training, then a couple split up and neglected the dog and left it in the house to be split up($$$) and she lived off the land for a month plus...when adopted, it was super grateful and had all types of skills and a super high IQ from all the training. Searched these perfect grid type patterns when looking for anything, very athletic and off the charts IQ. Trained dogs can get to crazy smart levels, smartest I have known
 
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SC MMA MD

SC MMA MD

TMMAC Addict
Jan 20, 2015
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We got invited to take part in a multi-agency SAR exercise this week up at Wildcat Falls this Wednesday. We worked high angle and low angle rescue scenarios along with the Sheriffs Department K9 SAR team, a number of Fire Departments, SC Task Force 6, and Greenville County ERT. Great day with lots of learning, and just as importantly lots of networking.
Freddy continues to progress nicely.His odor detection is pretty good, just waiting on an official certification close enough to us for him to take. His live find area searching is improving. He finds victims reliably, and generally returns immediately to me. His alert to me and find/re-find to lead me back to the victim is not quite where it needs to be. We have a master trainer joining us for our next group training session, so hoping for some good tips over that weekend. Still seem to be on track for an attempt at certification this coming spring.
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BeardOfKnowledge

BeardOfKnowledge

The Most Consistent Motherfucker You Know
Jul 22, 2015
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SC MMA MD said:
We got invited to take part in a multi-agency SAR exercise this week up at Wildcat Falls this Wednesday. We worked high angle and low angle rescue scenarios along with the Sheriffs Department K9 SAR team, a number of Fire Departments, SC Task Force 6, and Greenville County ERT. Great day with lots of learning, and just as importantly lots of networking.
Freddy continues to progress nicely.His odor detection is pretty good, just waiting on an official certification close enough to us for him to take. His live find area searching is improving. He finds victims reliably, and generally returns immediately to me. His alert to me and find/re-find to lead me back to the victim is not quite where it needs to be. We have a master trainer joining us for our next group training session, so hoping for some good tips over that weekend. Still seem to be on track for an attempt at certification this coming spring.
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Good for you guys. I'm proud of you even though I have literally nothing to do with it.
 
SC MMA MD

SC MMA MD

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Jan 20, 2015
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This past weekend our SAR team had a three day seminar with a master trainer, and Freddy achieved his initial certification as a live find wilderness SAR K9. This was an important milestone for him (and I), now we continue working to refine his skills and hopefully enjoy a long career as a SAR K9.

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SC MMA MD

SC MMA MD

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Jan 20, 2015
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Freddy just re-certified for Area Search SAR, and we have added 2 K9’s to our working dog family.

This female Czech bloodline GSD was pulled from a high kill shelter near the Alabama/Georgia line by a master trainer in the SAR community, and she contacted me since she knew I was looking for another working K9. I got her the week after Helene hit. Great dog, but unfortunately she tested poorly (no toy or hunt drive), so my SAR group recommended I not waste time trying to train her as a working dog. I planned to obedience train her to get her canine good citizen, and then look for a pet home for her. A friend who has three shepherds of their own wanted her for their parents farm, so off she went. Unfortunately, she and her new potential owners did not “click”, so after 2 weeks I took her back. By the time I got off the phone with the family, my wife and daughter had ordered her a new collar and leash, and decided we would be keeping her as a pet.
Meet Storm!IMG_2996.jpeg

Storm and Freddy:
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SC MMA MD

SC MMA MD

TMMAC Addict
Jan 20, 2015
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While Storm was at what we thought would be her new home, the local shelter took in a Malinois mix that has crazy toy drive, so they asked the working dog trainers at the local kennel to do some obedience training so he might be adoptable as a pet. He was slated to be put down if he was not accepted for training. The owner of the kennel saw that he would be a great working dog, and needed a job- not obedience. He called me since he knew I was still looking for another working dog. Two local police K9 divisions were interested in him as well, but I was first in line so meet Nacho- who I am now training to be a detection dog. I sent off his Embark DNA test earlier this week, so we should know what breeds he really is soon. I think he is likely mostly Malinois with a good bit of American bloodline GSD.

Nacho:
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My son is now a fire fighter in a nearby city, and they asked him to get an area search dog for that county to start a K9 SAR division since he has K9 SAR experience, so sometime in the next few months we will be getting dog #4.

Poor Freddy is used to being an only dog, and now he is living with 2 former death row inmates.
 
Rambo John J

Rambo John J

Baker Team
First 100
Jan 17, 2015
75,740
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SC MMA MD said:
While Storm was at what we thought would be her new home, the local shelter took in a Malinois mix that has crazy toy drive, so they asked the working dog trainers at the local kennel to do some obedience training so he might be adoptable as a pet. He was slated to be put down if he was not accepted for training. The owner of the kennel saw that he would be a great working dog, and needed a job- not obedience. He called me since he knew I was still looking for another working dog. Two local police K9 divisions were interested in him as well, but I was first in line so meet Nacho- who I am now training to be a detection dog. I sent off his Embark DNA test earlier this week, so we should know what breeds he really is soon. I think he is likely mostly Malinois with a good bit of American bloodline GSD.

Nacho:
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My son is now a fire fighter in a nearby city, and they asked him to get an area search dog for that county to start a K9 SAR division since he has K9 SAR experience, so sometime in the next few months we will be getting dog #4.

Poor Freddy is used to being an only dog, and now he is living with 2 former death row inmates.
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Very cool, you are a great dude doc.
What breed is Freddy?
 
MountainMedic

MountainMedic

Rock Kicker
Sep 28, 2017
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Did a bunch of work with/for CARDA in college, I would just hike out to a predetermined spot on a map and chill til I got found usually. It was fun and I got extra credit for it. Funnest was puppy selection kindergarten, get em all riled up and then play hide and seek. At that age you got to celebrate with them and make it the greatest thing they ever did. With the older seasoned ones that were on a qualifying test you had to ignore them when they found you. That kinda blew, but you didn't want to confuse them by making them think they won the game when they still had other steps to finish the task still.

Worked with alot of dogs on SAR in Colorado, mostly avi training and real world river searches/recoveries. The water cadaver dogs were incredible, when they would alert I'd pull the raft over and we'd hike back upstream a hundred yards or two and boom- good hit. A shoe or other article, eventually finding the target. Some of those dogs were just amazing at what they did.

There was a big controversy in Colorado when I was super active in SAR. A handler swiped a real cadaver sample from a big training to use for training of her dog later. Kind of a big deal and a couple reputations were ruined by the end.

I wanted to become a handler but my schedule just wasn't conducive to the commitment.

One of my few regrets.
 
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