Wilderness Finders Search Dog Teams

WOOF was the first Search and Rescue dog unit to be operational in California and one of the earliest units along with ARDA (American Rescue Dog Association) in the western US. It was originally started by Sandy Bryson of Markleeville, CA in 1975 and has been a state recognized unit ever since. Early on, the El Dorado Sheriff Department and later Marin County Sheriff Department played significant roles in bringing SAR dogs and specifically WOOF, to California and served as the primary dispatch for many years. Other units have sprouted from WOOF, but WOOF has always been recognized for it's capable, professional, certified teams.

Handlers do not get paid as a volunteer with WOOF and all costs are the handler's responsibility. Some equipment is issued to teams such as radios and certain specialized gear. Search and Rescue in general is fairly costly and with a dog there are additional expenses to consider. Some of the expenses involved in being a dog handler are: vehicle maintenance, gas, dog food, dog equipment, handler equipment, technical gear, veterinary expenses, among others. 

A lot. Training is ongoing, continuously so long as the handler and dog are working towards certification and maintaining field-readiness as a certified team. Handlers learn quickly that extramural activities they once did in their free time take a back seat to working with their dog. Training the dog involves daily lessons at home, training with veteran handlers after work on weekdays and also pretty much every weekend.

NO. Please talk with us first.The saddest thing for a dog that has the right stuff for SAR work is to end up in a home that isn't a working home. Because the demands of SAR dog work are great, first decide if this really is right for you. If you can make the trainings, love the training, and have the resources to do SAR work without a dog then that gives you a good look at what it will be like with a dog - several times the amount of effort. 

The flip side is that most people who approach a SAR unit with a dog in hand don't make it with that dog - because it wasn't selected for the right characteristics. WOOF looks for specific characteristics and temperament in its dogs. Let us help you find the right dog for you that is also the right dog for work. We have decades of experience in dog selection - draw upon the expertise of your future teammates to help stack the odds in your favor of getting a great working partner. 

Qualified YES. Although we prefer to help new folks find their working partner we recognize that many people already have a dog before they think about SAR. A dog that has the drive, temperament, and fitness for the work paired with a similarly equipped handler is always a welcome addition to WOOF. WOOF handlers will evaluate your dog, which should be less than 36 months old, and tell you up front if the dog has what it takes or not. If so, wonderful, welcome to WOOF! If the dog does not have the combination of necessary drive and temperament then to continue in the program will require the handler find a different dog that has potential for the work. 

Many different breeds of dogs make good SAR partners. In general the herding breeds and retriever breeds tend to have the drive and temperament for the demands of SAR work. Remember not just any dog is right for the job though! Couch potatoes need not apply... The dog needs to be a reasonable size, not too big and not too small, and be in shape. Fitness in the dog is critical, just as it is for handlers. WOOF is open to most breeds that fit the bill. It is the individual dog that really counts - and what the dog brings to the table for the work at hand.

Drive and temperament are the two biggies in what makes a SAR dog. Drive is the dog's motivation - and we're looking for play drive (food drive in pups as well). The dog works for reward, just like people work for money, except the dog's reward is playtime with a person! The dog with the right stuff will search for long hours in difficult conditions to get that chance to play tug or retrieve.The right temperament is a dog that has biddability - the ability to work with it's handler - and that is confident in new situations and unfamiliar settings. Temperament also includes non-aggression towards people, including fear. A dog that is fearful of or aggressive towards people is not considered for WOOF. Dogs must be able to work along side another dog(s) and be able to focus on work but they don't have to be best friends with other dogs. SAR dogs are focused on their work - it's what they were trained to do. Ready to search the avalanche debris

Work with WOOF handlers to first identify what breed you want to work with. Some people just like one breed over another and that is great. Once you've figured out what breed you want then WOOF handlers will work with you to find a breeder that has the particular type of dog you're looking for - and everyone looks for something specific to them. WOOF handlers can help you communicate effectively with the breeder and conduct puppy testing to help identify the right pup in the right litter for you.

WOOF dogs are started as early as 7 weeks. We will look at dogs that handlers already have up to 36 months in age. Ideally a prospective handler comes to WOOF without a dog and we help with puppy or dog selection. Having done this for decades, we can offer a lot of guidance, experience, and expert opinion with choosing a partner.

All dogs have great noses. A good SAR candidate dog is not so smart as driven to play tug or retrieve. The dog that brings you the ball or stick for hours while you sit on the porch, heaving and panting and slobbering (the dog, not you) but still insists you throw for him/her is the dog we're looking for. A dog that will play for just a few tosses of a toy or who would rather entertain him/herself without a person is not the right dog for this job. 

SAR training is done using a variety of techniques. In general the dogs are trained to perform specific behaviors using their motivation to get that toy (in some cases food). The dogs that have the drive for SAR work need a lot of physical exercise and mental exercise. Search training starts with teaching the dog that human odor = reward. With repetition the dog learns to work through complex scent pictures to get to the subject. When the dog fully understands this, s/he is taught how to communicate finds to the handler. All of this training requires repetition with different, unfamiliar subjects in many different environments. WOOF has a strong program of training and candidates follow this program guided by their assigned mentor(s).

Recognize that obedience is an important and integral part of the search dog's talent. Eventually, your dog must be direct-able from afar and out of voice contact. He or she will be transported in close proximity to other dogs and people, who may be unfamiliar. Other people may have to handle your dog at times. A well-mannered dog is essential. We require basic obedience that focuses on direction and control - the ability to control the dog off leash to facilitate search coverage and to ensure safety.

We expect the dogs to be able to take direction from the handler from a distance in the field and be well mannered in the busy setting around a command post during a search. However the dog also has to maintain it's independence when it comes to finding the missing person. A dog that needs continual input from it's handler to tell it what to do lacks the independence to do it's job. This is why the dog-handler relationship is so important. Each part of the team, dog and handler, has their role that they fulfill -as a team.

Yes. Expect to drive a lot. Both dog and handler must learn to search in many different environments under all kinds of conditions - cool, hot, steep, flat... Handlers also need to observe other teams working and the only way to do that is to get out to trainings. The dog needs a lot of repetition to learn their lessons on how to be a search dog, and that means searching in new and different environments as well. 

The dog must be physically fit. Physical fitness is a requirement - SAR dogs are athletes. You ask a lot of the dog and to do what you ask they have to be in shape and ready to respond. Fortunately, getting a dog in shape is pretty easy to do. We can help you with that.

The dog also must have a clean bill of health and be free of veterinary conditions that affect it's health and fitness. Dogs with physical limitations or sensory impairments are not considered suitable. 

WOOF works with two categories of handlers in accordance with the state of CA EMA. The type 1 handler passes a rigorous fitness test carrying a backpack at elevations above 7,000' and demonstrates the ability to camp out at elevation with their dog,unsupported. The type 2 handler also passes a fitness test involving carrying a backpack but is not required to do this at elevation and does not need to do the overnighter. The type 1 handler searches at elevation and is deployed in the high country of the mountains or in extreme environments. The type 2 handler searches on day searches in lower elevation, non-extreme environments. It is the handler's choice as to which type of handler they are/will be. Fitness tests are conducted annually and handlers must pass the fitness test to their "type" to remain on the call out list.

There is considerable responsibility. As a search dog handler you are expected to have excellent navigational skills with a map and compass and GPS. You must be fit so as not to be a liability to your team and the greater search mission. You must be in control of your dog at all times and be able to read/interpret your dog's behaviors. You must be able to follow directions and work independently for extended time periods. Maturity and good judgment are important qualifications for a handler to have - as a handler you are responsible for the safety of yourself, your dog, accompanying search team members, and the victim! Finally, all equipment, food, training, veterinary care, and transportation to workouts and searches, are the responsibility of the handler.

WOOF expects first time handlers to certify within 12-18 months from being accepted into the unit as a candidate. To do so involves sticking to the training program, attending trainings, and implementing the lessons in between trainings and unit workouts. WOOF also recognizes that sometimes life throws people curve balls and as such there are circumstances when it takes longer to become certified. We would rather have a solid team take a little longer to become field-ready than set a strict deadline; at the same time the handler that isn't putting the time and effort into training and participation will need to look elsewhere for a hobby with their dog. The bottom line is work closely with the WOOF handlers to get where you want to be - in the field searching with your dog!

Some handlers would suggest getting a puppy as early as acceptable, at 7-8 weeks. Others prefer or will accept an older puppy or young dog. With a puppy you can shape many behaviors, take advantage of the bonding period, control exposure during fear stages, and experience the cute puppy stage. On the other hand there can be uncertainty regarding what kind of drives or the extent of drives the puppy will have as an adult. With an older dog you can get a better idea for the dog's personality and drives but you may not know the dog's background, socialization, or health status. Dogs much older than one year are generally not advised to start training for search. Search work is a demanding process that usually takes as much as 1-2 years to train for certification. Older dogs have much shorter working careers when started as an adult; given the amount of time required to certify, wouldn't you want to maximize the number of years you and your dog have to work together?

There are no guarantees in training a dog for search. First, evaluate the situation. Did the dog not have the necessary drive to do search or were you not able to put the time and effort into consistent training? Were you inconsistent in your methods and intermittent in training? Was the dog questionable from the start, difficult to work with, but you continued training anyway knowing it was an uphill battle? If the problem is with your ability to do the training, you may reconsider search work. Decide if you want to continue to pursue search and rescue as a dog team. If you do, you must then decide what to do with Fido, who has now "washed out". Some handlers find it difficult to have more than one dog, especially when one dog is a pet and the other demands attention and intensive training and time. The decision of what to do with Fido is a personal one. You would not be the first handler to give a dog up and place it in a new home; neither would you be the first to juggle two dogs, one of which was a potential search dog who just didn't make it.