Good morning everyone. As promised here is a little about Training a Dog to Search for people buried in an avalanche. There are other aspects to an avalanche dogs training but Search is the central one.
I will hand you over to Logan. To explain a few of the steps.
To begin. Every time you train – the dog is dressed in her harness to work.
- Master Runaway. Handler runs away from dog while dog is being restrained by assistant. This is because the one person that the dog will want the most is their handler. Once the handler has run away we say SEARCH and then release the dog. Once the dog has found its master they will be presented with the rag, the dog will then grab the rag and play, being pulled from side to side by the handler. This ragging game is the foundation of all of the training for our profile, we select dogs that are predisposed to RAGGING so they love the training games.
2 Next is Stranger Runaway. This is the same game but now with a stranger, the stranger runs away , we say SEARCH, the dog locates them and then engages in the ragging game. This is teaching the dog that he can find someone he doesn’t know and you can have super fun awesome time.
3 Then we Delay the time after the person (we call him a Quarry) has run away and before you release the dog. This is saying to the dog, we can still play this super fun game but it’s not until I tell you to SEARCH. This reinforces the search command.
4 Next is Blinds. This is where your quarry is already out there when you get to the search site and you release the dog with the “search” command and then they find the Quarry and have the super awesome funnest time ever. This is telling the dog you might not know the person is even there but since I’m telling you to “search” you will have a super fun awesome time finding someone anyway.
5 Then we go to Quincys. This is where we build snow caves and have the Quarrys do runaways into the cave. This reinforces to the dog that there can be fun times UNDER the snow. Later we pile snow in front of the door. The dog digs her way In. This says you will have to dig for your fun time.
6 Next is The Leap. The quarry is hidden far away and in front of them there will be a big backpack and a smelly rag attached to the backpack. In this situation we release the dog and hope that they become interested in the backpack with rag attached. As soon as they approach it they are encouraged to engage with the rag. Once they pick it up we approach the dog and rag (play) in the same manner as a Quarry did. This is telling the dog, it doesn’t have to be a person! You can find an inanimate rag and have fun with that!
7. Then we hide the RAG in the cave. Then we bury the rag in the snow. So now we have a dog who can find a human smelling rag buried in the snow. All we have to do next is to extend how long they can search for, how many articles they can find and how deep they dig for the articles.
There is also training for Obedience, Retrieve, Travel, Helicopters, Long Lines and many other avalanche related skills.
This training can take 2 to 2 and half years to complete. And every avalanche dog trains every day for the rest of her life and has to pass the validation obedience exam with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police every year so she and her Handler can work in an emergency.
Our EXAM for the Searching component is for the dog to find 3 articles buried 75 cm deep in a 100m x 100m square area within 45 minutes. 
Cai and Ferra. Cai: Retired avalanche dog and Ferra: Avalanche Dog in Training.
Good morning if you have any questions Logan will answer them for you in the comments today. And tomorrow I go back to the farm but I will have time to post one more time from here before I go.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
Here is the Alberta Avalanche Dog Training Facebook site and the go here for the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association in case you would like to become one of their supporters. Like many other essential services they are a volunteer organisation.
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85 responses to “Avalanche Dog Training: Search”
One of the dogs I had was so delighted to be told he was a good boy he’d do just about anything asked of him. Sunny was a pit bull-rottweiler mix, not aggressive at all, but quietly protective putting himself between me and what he didn’t like. He would bring the food bowls after he and his two fur brothers ate, not because he was asked, he just wanted to be told he was a good boy, he watched me pick up the bowls and started all on his own picking them up and giving them to me. In a way Sunny was wasted as a family pet, he was very intelligent and willing to learn. I do miss his quiet helpfulness. We never did anything like ragging with him, mostly because he didn’t like that kind of play. I also was very conscious of dealing with a very mouth oriented type of dog and he was always good about dropping or leaving something on command. Cai and Ferra are gorgeous.
Your Sunny sounds like he was a great chap and right where he should be. Protecting his Mum. much love.. c
Fascinating post. I have a much greater appreciation for this type of rescue work… and Cai and Ferra are gorgeous – not just another couple of pretty faces I daresay!! ha ha!
Bu pretty never the less!! Have a great day.. c
Fantastic creatures and very, very caring and patient humans…..lovely post. Remind me not to go skiing…..ever:)
I am happier in boots walking – or on the back of a snowmobile! c
Such vital work. Cheers for dedicated dogs and their handlers ( And so happy to see that “serious” dog training is still food treat free. A bit concerned about all the food reward training only results in fat dogs. Molly figured it out quickly when we tried one training class: will work for food, but when it’s gone, off to more interesting doggy things…Food shouldn’t be reward for kids or dogs HA HA)
I agree with you on food treats. The interest fast becomes all about the food.. I am looking forward to getting home and working on a few more things with the dogs .. They both need a spruce up! c
How interesting .. What a great way to teach them! Thanks for sharing
This is so fantastic; creative, methodical, understanding how to reward a dog, and requiring such patience too. It’s really inspiring.
This is so interesting! Dogs are amazing, as are their handlers. Dedicated, to put in the hours upon hours of training. A blessing, one never knows when those skills will be required.
[…] Canada. Up to Canmore, a small skiing town. My son works on the ski fields up there and also trains avalanche dogs. He has two. One of whom (Cai) is retired with joint problems – we will find out more about […]