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Kaiser the SAR Dog

by Danny Morris

kaisersm.jpg (2692 bytes) To start I would like to introduce myself. My name is Danny Morris, as of this writing my GSD pup is 10.5 months old, but you would not know it to look at him, at 86 pounds he does not have the grace of a cat as he runs around the house searching for his favorite ball. This leads me to the point of my story.

I remember seeing a news story a few years back about a lost child in which they happened to show a gentleman, decked out in full "Search and Rescue gear" going out with his dog in an attempt to find this child. I remember thinking then "if only I could do that", go out with my trusty trained pup and help people in need, and at the same time I could spend valuable, quality time with my dog. There was only one catch. At that time I didn't have a dog. Time? I had plenty of that having just separated from my wife. This gave me a great idea. I had wanted another dog as I had not had the pleasure of having one for some 15 years, what better reason to get one then? A devoted companion and a training partner for Wilderness Search and Rescue. As for breed the obvious choice for me was a GSD, besides I had always wanted one but was told that they were "just too mean". How wrong those people were. This is where Kaiser comes in.

kaiserlg.jpg (8387 bytes) As most people do when deciding on where to get a puppy I went on the great "breeder hunt", searching the east coast for what I felt was a reputable breeder, with pups that would meet my standards. Finally after many a high phone bill I found one just an hours drive from me, Kathy Iorio. We met at an AKC meeting, where their guest speaker was none other than the Vice President of a local K-9 SAR group, K-9 Alert Search and Rescue Dogs, Inc. This was exactly what I needed all in one spot, all in one night. I got information, names and phone numbers, you name it.

When the day finally came, off we went, with pots (to bang on) and ribbons (to mark the pups with), note pads and pens, puppy aptitude test and a crate to pick up my partner. After all the testing was complete, there he stood. He was a little over 8 weeks old, 12 pounds, a fluff ball of a dog. It still makes my heart warm to think about holding that little thing. Now I was ready to go search, yeah right -- that was only the beginning.

Training started right away, not the formal type as in obedience, but a more general type. I took him on walks in the woods, to get him used to different terrains, to the local strip malls, to socialize him. I started teaching him the very basics, "find it", " leave it", "show me", "speak" as well as the basics, sit, stay, come, down etc. I would recruit "volunteers" to act as "victims", starting with just short "run-aways" to give him the idea of the game, making it more fun than anything. A run-away consists of nothing more than having someone play with the dog, really get his attention, then as the dog is watching, the person runs away, all the while calling the dogs name, keeping his attention focused on him. That person then ducks behind a bush, maybe only 50 feet away. The "find him" (or whatever) command is given and off he goes. At first he only has to go by sight, but as training progresses, the victim hides deeper in the woods, making the dog use his nose, but it has to stay a game for the pup, praise, praise, praise. The trails get longer, harder and older as time progresses. In the mean time I met with K-9 Alert, to get a feel for what they were looking for, to get training tips and ideas, as they were very helpful and knowledgeable, and to see if I could get in on their team.

When I felt confident, and because the timing was just right and Kais was about 6 months old, I decided to go to a week long seminar in Appomattox. The seminar was held by Canine Search and Recovery, of which I am now a member. This organization consist of members from many different law enforcement and SAR organizations and from all over the United States and Canada and was established to aid in training and education, information sharing and networking to promote the use of search dogs. At the seminar we worked with many skilled handlers, learning new techniques, and trying to forget bad ones. It was a great experience.

Upon returning home from the seminar I decided it was time to jump in and start Kais in training with K-9 Alert. That is where the work started, it is as much training for me as it is for Kaiser. He was born using his nose, but that map and compass is just not part of my instinct. We train every Thursday in obedience (with some of the dogs in the group) and every Sunday in field training, this varies to allow for some night training. My schedule only allows me to participate every other week in field training but training does not stop there. We are also in an formal obedience class one night a week and just about everything I do with Kaiser around the house centers around SAR. From seek and find games in the house to letting Kaiser meet the neighborhood kids during long walks, all to build on his experiences and his confidence. We train everyday in something, no exceptions, and I'm always looking for "volunteers"...busy this Wednesday night ? Luckily for me my best, most predictable helper is my daughter, Nikki, she helps keep me going sometimes. (J/k)

As you can see this is a very time consuming undertaking, and I am just starting out. Kaiser is not yet operational and I just became call out qualified. As of yet I have not been on an actual search, so things will only get busier. But it is an addiction. I'm sure my friends and family would tell you they are just about tired of hearing about it, though they don't let on. SAR takes time, commitment, love and dedication, but as all of you reading this are well aware, just having a pet takes all of the above...

Yours,
Danny Morris and Kaiser (laying by my chair asleep no doubt)