October 16, 2008

Me:
I looked on the CARDA site, but did not see any groups in this area listed. I can contact them to ask them. How did they feel about you training your dog to track animals? Did they help you out with training your dog to track animals? Or did you start them out tracking humans and then switched over? That is what Donna said she did.

Kat:
////// I would be clear with them (if you find someone in your county to work with who does SAR) that you are training your dog to find lost dogs and cats...not humans. They might tell you "thanks, but no thanks" or they might welcome you in. It varies...I've seen teams reject MAR dog handlers (only to have the person who threw Landa out of their group LOSE THEIR BLOODHOUND and wish they had a trained MAR dog in their group to track the missing SAR dog!!). I think problems have occurred when MAR handlers have tried to "sneak" into a training group (Landa did this, and that is why she got booted out) without telling them up front. Just offer that you will lay a human scent trail for their dog if they in turn will let you work your dog on the scent trail of their dog. Groups are almost always wanting volunteers who can go for a walk and lay scent trails (or even area search dogs to find you hiding out in the woods somewhere).

/// I just realized that someone who used to be with CARDA might live near you. Althought I don't know her all that well, Laura Rathe lives near Redding. I heard from her a few months back when we were putting out a plea on how to get Zeke the Bloodhound out of the shelter near Redding and transported here to Seattle. Anyways, contact her and see if you could perhaps take lessons from her or if she has any referrals for people with trailing dogs that you can train with. Here's her info:
Laura Rathe
www.petswithoutpartners.org
Pets Without Partners Redding, CA 96001
Phone: 530-243-6911
Email: laura@petswithoutpartners.com

Me:
So far, I have Dino already doing short tracks that take me about 15 minutes to walk with the other animal to lay and then the track is aged about 50 minutes old. This is just on animals. And we are also practicing on area searches with cats in an areas I know there are feral cats. so I was concerned about switching him back to tracking humans. I thought that might be confusing to him.//////

Kat:
If you have my book DOG DETECTIVES, read the chapter on Dual Purpose dogs. I believe I address this and suggest that you use different equipment and commands when you train and work on trailing dog scent verses detecting stationary cat scent.
Keep training... you have the smarts, the experience (as an ACO), and a GREAT dog!!! :)