Tracking with a rescue dog?

[ben_jamin001]

I'm looking to get a GSD sometime in the near future. I'd really love to get into tracking with the possibility of expanding that into SAR. Can good candidates for that type of work be found in rescues and shelters or should I just stick to locating a breeder. I'd love to be able to rescue a dog but I want to make sure I keep my goals in mind as well. Any advice that anyone might be able to give would be appreciated. Thanks

[eggo520]

While I can't speak to the suitability of rescue dogs for tracking as a sport, from a SAR point of view I can tell you that it would probably be VERY difficult to find the right sort of dog in a shelter or even rescue group. The reasons for this vary, IMO. First, a dog has to have the right sort of drive. Not just "I really like to play with toys" kind of drive, but "I LIVE, EAT, SLEEP, BREATHE to play with toys" drive. On top of that, a dog has to have the right temperment, nerve, etc. to succeed in SAR. While there are shelter dogs out there who may possess these traits, finding them will be like finding a needle in a haystack. On top of that, you have the fact that rescued dogs often suffer some sort of trauma (abandonment, neglect, abuse, etc.) early in life. Those sorts of experiences during their early, impressionable years could (sadly) ruin a dog who might've been suitable for SAR.

I can tell you all this because I speak from experience. When my husband and I wanted to find a dog for SAR, we contacted rescues across Georgia and Florida. Our experiences were not positive. One GA rescue kept telling me that they had "found the perfect dog" for us, only they did that about four or five times with four or five different animals. Absolutely no consistency. I never learned what happened to any of these dogs. The person in charge of a FL rescue that I contacted told me that one of their males would be perfect for SAR. When I explained that we were looking for a female, as we already had a male GSD who was, and is, very territorial, the rescue guy told me to just "keep them apart" and "keep the working dog crated" most of the time. I told him no, our dogs are part of our family, thanks. We ended up going to a breeder and could not be happier with our pup (now 2 yo, but still our baby). Would I have loved to rescue a dog and train it for SAR? Absolutely, but in the end it's just not practical, especially not if you're serious about doing SAR properly. Sorry this is so long, just wanted to offer my perspective. Good luck in finding your pup!

[doggiedad]

i think you can find a rescue and teach it SAR.
i'm no expert on GSD's. my opinion is based on
a gut feeling.

[Kayos and Havoc]

I have never done SAR so I have no input for you on that but you sure can teach rescue to sport track.

[Castlemaid]

Probably won't have any difficulty finding a rescue dog that can do tracking for fun and competition. I have a rescue mixed breed (maybe Rottweiler/Shepherd mix - maybe . . .) that I dabble in Schutzhund with, and she got a High Tracking Score in Trial award up against already titled working line GSDs. However, she would not be a good SAR dog, not enough drive. A SAR dog needs to be able to work almost non-stop from sun-up to sun-down, and be highly trainable, and have nerves of steel. Not your average dog.

So tracking for fun, for sure you can find a good dog in rescue. If you are really interested in SAR, join a SAR team, find out if that is something YOU are really interested in before you find a dog.

You should post in the SAR section of the board for information on what to expect if you want to do SAR, and what to look for in a dog for SAR. A lot of people find the challenge and rewards of doing SAR very attractive, but when they find out just how big a time and life-style commitment it is, they realize it was'nt what they thought it was.

[ben_jamin001]

Cool thanks for all of the input. I was kinda thinking most of what was said above. just wanted to hear it from someone who most likely has a little more experience than me.

[Northern GSDs]

Are you currently involved with SAR? Often the best thing to do (as already mentioned) is to become involved with this first so that you get a really good basis for what exactly the types of requirements are for a great SAR dog (and SAR handler! ) are.

There is actually an organization in Ontario that does SAR work and they do have some rescue dogs as part of their team as well. I think the article was in one of the Dogs in Canada magazines not too long ago.

Having done some SAR (non canine though) work in the past, I can say it is oodles of fun but very very time consuming and expensive, particularly more so for those doing the dog work I would probably imagine!

But regardless, I would say that there is hope but again, it does take the right dog to do this type of work and a huge amount of time comittment to get there.

Best of luck with your endeavours and again, if you aren't part of a SAR team yet, check into those in your area to see if they even have any civillian SAR canine teams that maybe you can check into for tagging along/getting more info