SARDA Southern: How search dogs work

SARDA Southern: How search dogs work

SARDA (which stands for Search and Rescue Dog Association) Southern Scotland is one of two SARDA associations that train and operate search and rescue dogs to find missing and injured people. The association operates primarily in Central and Southern areas of Scotland but supports search and rescue activities across Scotland.

Here, SARDA Southern Scotland share insights into their training process, the critical role of volunteer “bodies” and the vital contribution dog teams make to mountain rescue efforts in all conditions.

Team leader, Ross writes:

We currently have five active mountain rescue dogs on our callout list and a number of trainees in the later stage of their training. Each dog handler is a member of a Mountain Rescue Team which includes Killin MRT, Tayside MRT, Ochils MRT, Tweed Valley MRT, Galloway MRT and Border SAR. We also have a drowned victim search dog who is a member of Nith Inshore Lifeboat.  

Call-outs average over 40 per year, supporting Mountain Rescue teams across Scotland, our sister organisation, Search and Rescue Dog Association (Scotland), Police Scotland and, from time to time, Mountain Rescue Teams and SARDA Associations located in the North of England. 

As well as dogs and handlers, our members include a group of dedicated “Bodies”. These Bodies are critical to our organisation, lying out on the hill in all weathers to allow the dog teams to train. Our experienced Bodies help to give feedback on training as a lot of the interaction can be out of sight of the handler. Our Bodies come from all walks of life and include ex MRT members, a retired police dog handler and a retired military dog handler, all which brings experience and guidance for dog teams. 

How does it work?  

Humans shed skin and chemicals that are carried away from them on the wind as scent. A human has about 5 million scent glands while a dog has 125 million to 300 million (breed dependant) which makes a dog’s sense of smell 1,000 to 10,000,000 times better than humans.  Additionally – 4 legs, all terrain and keen to work in any weather.  

Training a dog to seek out human scent in unexpected places with a handler who can interpret the dog’s behaviour, means that large, difficult areas can be searched efficiently in all conditions, day and night. 

Training is big part of what we do and dog teams formally train together once a month in addition to personal training which can vary from every few days for a young trainee. This is a big personal commitment for handlers over and above their own mountain rescue team training. Training locations are varied and include a weekend in each handler’s team area as well as a winter training weekend based in the Cairngorms. 

A dog’s journey. 

It is very much dependent on the dog and the handler, but training a dog to be on the callout list can take anywhere from 1 to 2 years. If a MR team member is interested in training as dog with us, we will ask them to come along as a Body for a few months.  

When it’s time for their dog to attend, the first few sessions are about assessing the dog’s socialisation and obedience. As the dogs will be interacting with many different people, and can be deployed to callouts in the back of a Team vehicle, on boats or a helicopter, a calm well socialised dog is a must. 

The “game” of finding people is then introduced and the dog is rewarded by receiving their favourite toy or food. The game becomes more difficult over time, covering bigger distances and mentally complex areas such as under bridges, on top of boulders and finding a body hiding in a tree. 

In parallel to search training, dog teams undertake training with livestock and are assessed each year by our assessors and a Farmer / Shepherd to ensure that they are safe working off lead around livestock. 

The trainee dog team will undertake two training assessments to ensure that they are meeting the required standards of the training programme before being assessed at the callout grade level. This involves passing five search areas of mountainous terrain. Once on the callout list, dog teams are continually assessed, both formally and informally. 

The formal assessments are conducted by external assessors from SARDA organisations across the UK to ensure that the high standards are met. 

When our dogs are not training or working, they live at home with their handler as a family pet and enjoy all the benefits of being a really good dog! 

You can find out more on our website: https://www.sardasouthernscotland.org.uk 

by Ross MacIntyre,

SARDA Southern Scotland Team Leader