Training Older Dogs

Where do you get a dog trained for search and rescue?

We just received a Bloodhound as a gift after losing our last bloodhound almost a year ago. My husband has hopes of him being a search and rescue dog, especially after seeing one at a park soon after we lost our last one. I haven’t a clue as to how to find a place or someone to train him. Do the trainers have to be certified in anything? I live in Southwest Virginia and think maybe I will have to travel a lot for this. Or do police assist in training?

Most S&R dogs/teams are contract employees for State or Local Law Enforcement. So how they get trained varies tremendously.

However, I’ve provided the URL for FEMA’s SAR selection and training course that will get you started. In the meantime, contact the local Sheriff’s Dept. and ask them who their SAR contacts are and then contact those folks. Finally, it’s a bit far from you but I know of a place in Stafford, Virginia where they do a variety of training. Most of it is bomb detection but they also do SAR contract work as well and I believe they do training too. It’s called Colonial K9′s and the URL is below the FEMA page. Even if they’re too far for you to do SAR work with, I’m sure they’d have some references for you in your part of the State.

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