Canine Search Specialist Training

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Canine Search Specialist Training
Unit 8 Advanced Rubble Search
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Unit Objective

• Upon completion of this unit, you will be able to
  explain the rationale for canine foundation
  training and the advanced skills necessary for a
  canine to effectively search in a disaster
  environment

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Enabling Objectives

• Explain the importance of exposing canine to
  varied disaster scenarios
• Describe the importance of the handler being
  knowledgeable in search strategy and scenting
  conditions
• Identify and solve problems that develop in
  disaster search scenarios

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Introduction
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Search Scenarios
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Search Scenarios

• Rubble
• Buildings
• Mobile home parks
• Brush
• Explosions
• Construction debris
• Grain elevators

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Train To Reality
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Think outside the box

• Handlers must find and train in unusual sites
  throughout the canines training program
• Construction sites
• Junk yards
• Lumber yards
• Demolished and abandoned buildings
• Heavy equipment storage areas

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Required Skills

• Handler
• Canine
• Helper
• Spotter/Safety

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Handler Skills

• Agility
• Possess hazard awareness
• Understand search strategy
• Understand scenting conditions
• Design training program
• Debrief and document accurately

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Helper Skills

• Agility
• Hazard identification
• Understand the goal of the exercise
• Responsible for reward delivery
• Must hide in confined spaces for extended periods
  of time

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Safety Officer and Spotters Skills

• Ensure safety of canine
• Ensure safety of helpers
• Recognize changes in behavior and bark alert
• Be able to accurately report canine behavior

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Canine Skills

• Agility
• Solid nerve strength
• Independence
• Reward driven
• Possess a strong work ethic
• Willing to work out of sight

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More Canine Skills

• Ignore distractions
• Possess an independent bark alert
• Work in new environments

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Working in Rubble

• Considerations

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Training Considerations

• Search area
• Safety
• Stability of structure
• Rest area(s)
• Observation area
• Wind direction and scent patterns
• Access point

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Search area
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Safety
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Stability
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Rest and Rehab
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Helper Placement Considerations

• Depth to be buried
• Materials used to conceal
• Wind direction
• Behavior of wind and scent
• Ability to reward canine

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Helper Placement Considerations

• Distance canine must cover before reaching helper
• Level of experience of canine
• Ability to conceal helper from view
• Assure canine can not access helper

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Progression of Training
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Progression of Training

• Canine comfortable and agile
• Visual - immediate
• Visual - delayed
• No visual, handler knows location
• No visual, handler does not know location

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Progression of Training (continued)

• Canine cannot be rewarded by helper
• Canine searches negative pile
• All of the above with handler access

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Time for a video!

• Rubble Sequence

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Stages of Rubble
Training
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Stages of Rubble Training

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced

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Beginning Level

• Handler knows helper location
• Alert prop at the edge of site
• Alert prop moved into site
• Runaways, pop ups, reward from helper
• Introduce evaluators as distractions
• Helper hides in rubble instead of alert prop
  resulting in varied scent conditions

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Intermediate Level

• Helpers location unknown to handler
• Cold shots
• Less sterile environment
• Inaccessible, totally concealed victims
• Utilize entire pile
• Incorporate search strategy

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Advanced Level

• Longer searches
• Multiple victims
• Overlapping Scent
• Deep victims
• Diffuse scent
• Handler Reward
• Distractions
• Multiple search sites
• Blank search sites

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Longer Searches

• Set up multiple search areas with short break
  between sites
• Use multi-story buildings with blank floors
• Set up larger search areas so dog and handler
  increase stamina, strategy, work ethic

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Overlapping Scent

• Use motivation
• Reward on first bark
• Clear and successful

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Deep

• Separate deep and diffuse
• Use motivation
• Shorten distancetake out the search
• Reinforce any sound at firstdog must not leave
  (whine)
• Shape into strong alert
• Consider props off the pile

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Deep
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Diffuse

• Use motivation
• Shorten distance-take out search
• Reinforce any sound at firstdog must not leave
  (whine)
• Shape into strong alert
• Consider props off the pile

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Diffuse
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Remember

• Dogs learn by repetition
• Do not reward a bad sequence
• If the exercise goes badABORT
• Practice does not make perfectPERFECT Practice
  Makes Perfect

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Introduce Handler Reward

• Toss reward in front of dog while helper gives
  verbal motivation
• Practice smooth delivery without dog
• Dogs focus must remain on alert location
• Use sparinglydog must always think the reward is
  coming from the victim!

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Handler Reward
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Distractions
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Distractions

• Go back to alert barrel
• Use helper motivation
• Shorten distance
• Contain all distractions
• Start with distractions by handler
• Quick reward

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Working With Distractions

• Identify issues they may have with
• Noise
• Smoke
• Food distractions
• Animal distractions
• Unstable or slippery surfaces
• Other people working in the area
• Ability to maintain focus on task

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Troubleshooting
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Troubleshooting

• Canine is uncomfortable working on rubble
• Canine does not maintain focus when encountering
  distractions
• Canine does not search independently of handler

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Time for a video!

• Rubble Problems

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Disaster Search in Rubble Demonstration
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Unit Summary and Evaluation
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Unit Summary

• Explain the importance of exposing canine to
  varied disaster scenarios
• Describe the importance of the handler being
  knowledgeable in search strategy and scenting
  conditions
• Identify and solve problems that develop in
  disaster search scenarios

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Unit Evaluation

• Please fill out the evaluation on this unit