Training Max

Max came into my life just over two years ago.  A golden retriever with the sweetest disposition. At first I wasn’t sure how focused and hardworking he’d be with search and rescue. A dog needs to love his work and be willing to continue searching in winter and on the hottest days of summer. At first, he was distracted by squirrels, and dead animals in the forest, and birds, he loves birds, but he loves people more. Although his training took longer than I’d anticipated with parks and recreation areas closed, he excels in area searches.

He doesn’t head into the woods in search of a specific scent. He’s an Air Scent SAR dog. That means he looks for any live human in the area he searches. Although tracking dogs who focus on a specific scent are useful, air scent dogs can cover larger areas in a shorter amount of time. Occasionally, he “finds” a hiker in the woods and I reward him as though he located the actual hidden subject.

We practice two times a week on search-specific training. I also work with him on an agility course, climbing an A frame, using weave poles, jumping, tunneling, and even crossing a teeter totter. He’s always ready to go outside and train, no matter what we’re doing.

I’ll keep you updated on his progress.

-VF