training sar

[dracolis]

i just got my first puppy german shepard and i was wondering when i should start training her i want to be able to use here in conjunction with my volunteer work at the firedepartment as a search and rescue but she is only 8 weeks old the only training she gets so far is not to go to the bathroom in the floor any help would be great

[Legend14]

Well IMHO I would let her be a puppy for 2 or 3 monthes. Slowly build her confidence but taking her to as many different places that you can think of. Let her safely explore and try to make each new discovery positive for her. Positive socialization with people and other dogs is also important at this stage.

When she gets to be about six monthes old then some puppy training can get started. In the mean time, you can start reading and preparing. What discipline did you want to train her in? Air scent, trailing or HRD?

[Amaruq]

I assume she was tested to see that she was an EXCEPTIONAL pup with working potential?

Socialize her to anything and everything while she is young. You can start simple scent training with either food or toys but that would depend on her drive AND what aspect of SAR you plan to train her for as she grows up.

[vomonyxhaus]

Um.... well I would start light obedience with her now as she is a sponge. Teach her things like sit , down, wait etc.... Mine have been doing that since 5 wks....

[dracolis]

how do i get her tested for that i seen a flier in the vet office about giving your dog a job in detecting drugs in schools

this is my first german shepard i always thought they were smart dogs i just figured she would be able to learn all the aspects of search and rescue and se is very inquisitive she went under the house today went under the front porch and came out the back was undwr there about 5 10 min or so im still trying to get her to learn her name right now aswell

[jocoyn]

Renee, the moderator of this forum, is in Beaumont Texas so I am sure she would know teams in the East Texas area where you said you lived in another thread.

I think you need to sit down with a team, find out what is involved [you say your work 5am-7pm and have kids?] you need to figure you really need to be on a team with a group of folks doing this, train several nights a week and most weekends all day.

An organized group with a good reputation [there are a lot of bad ones out there and some in TX that are notoriously bad] would be your best bet.

[ladylaw203]

Quote:how do i get her tested for that i seen a flier in the vet office about giving your dog a job in detecting drugs in schools

As far as the drug dog situation, there is much involved in that. You would have to have a private security license and DEA license in order to legally posses the narcotics to do this.
I work with many groups here in Texas. The main thing at this point is to socialize the pup . Cannot really evaluate the drive and temperament for work until he gets some age on him

[Kava3]

I started imprinting Kaio at 10 weeks. Imprinting and Introducing your dog to what you want him to do is very important. Obedience can be started, always positive, tracking, alerts or anything that you are going for can be imprinted at this age and the dog will fall back on it as he gets older. By 4 months Kaio waas working 15 minute problems, most of our team starts the puppies at 8 weeks, but only to give them a solid foundation and to increase their drive.