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How To Train Labrador Rescue Dogs
December 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Rescue dogs, also known as search-and-rescue dogs, are typically large dog breeds that have been specifically trained to find and extricate human beings from disasters. Common rescue dogs include Burmese mountain dogs, Saint Bernards and Labrador Retrievers. Labrador rescue dogs, in particular, are an invaluable part of many law enforcement requests to locate missing persons. Training a successful rescue dog requires hard-working animals as well as competent and dedicated handlers.
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.
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.
Training a Labrador rescue dog is as much about become a trusted friend of the dog as it is about the dog learning the skills necessary to become successful at search-and-rescue. Rescue training is very intensive and lasts for many months or years, and typically begins when the puppy is between eight and ten weeks old. It is important that search-and-rescue dogs begin training and discipline early in life. Deployment may begin as early as six to eighteen months after the training has commenced.
It is critical that a rescue dog begins training early in life. Typical search-and-rescue dogs should begin training when they are between eight and ten weeks old, and may be deployed as early as six to eighteen months after the training was begun.
For the typical Labrador rescue dog, obedience, socialization and agility should be trained daily, between two and five times, for anywhere from ten minutes to one hour. Scent training can be conducted slightly less often, three to seven days per week, for five to thirty minutes.
The dog’s abilities will improve daily. As the dog gets more and more proficient with the skills, daily obedience training should be continued along with agility and socialization sessions. Over time, scent training can decrease in frequency to three to five times per week, but increase in duration to between twenty and sixty minutes each.
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.
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