Mick Mccarthy Quotes

At this stage, after almost two years of continual training, search dogs should be capable of ranging up to a half-mile from their handlers. They should be trusted to continue searching on their own and to return occasionally to within earshot or sight of the handlers. To determine if a dog has reached this level of training, engaging an observer who will use both binoculars and a two-way radio is essential. While the dog and handler work on one side of a valley, the observer stays on the opposite hill and watches the dog closely, especially when the dog is out of sight of the handler. The observer keeps the handler informed on what the dog is doing. For example, is the dog chasing sheep? Is the dog continuing to work? Everything must be reported as it happens, if the dog continues to work when out of sight, the handler can develop confidence in the dog. This is important, as one of the biggest problems in search-dog training is handler confidence. The handlers must always ask, Do I trust the dogs to do the job for which they have been trained?

To bring a dog to the qualification stage takes a lot of repetition of the same exercises, over and over again, hundreds of times. A minimum of two thousand hours must be put in, and that excludes travelling. Training sessions should be built up to sixty miles a week. Dogs must be super fit to survive and pass an assessment as they will be required to cover eighteen to twenty miles every hour they work, and this will continue for many hours each day over a period of three to four days. A properly trained, fit dog will fly through the assessment and show no signs of tiredness.

On average, air-scenting dogs can cover an area of 120 miles during any eight-to-ten hour working day, and they would be expected to cover this each day for the duration of the search. Trailing dogs, like our bloodhounds, cover eight to ten miles each hour, and more if allowed; this can continue, as with air-scenting dogs, for many days. Provided they have a definite starting point and an uncontaminated scent article, bloodhounds can locate missing persons much faster and more efficiently than air-scenting dogs. But working with bloodhounds can be exhausting for the handlers as they have to walk every step of the way and hold the dogs on lead, which can be very hard on the hands because of the speed at which bloodhounds move and the strength of the pull. Bloodhound handlers usually wear gloves, but they sometimes become so tired and sore that they have to hand the dog over to another handler. In some respects, working with air-scenting dogs is easier.