Ready! the Training of the Search and Rescue Dog

by Susan Bulanda

Professional search and rescue workers consider Susan Bulanda’s Ready! Training the Search and Rescue Dog ?the bible of Search and Rescue (SAR),” the most sought-after book of its kind detailing canine search and rescue. This second edition, expanded and revised with new color photography, provides readers with the necessary training methods for dogs in various SAR disciplines, including wilderness, evidence, cadaver, water, avalanche, and disaster searches. The author, an experienced SAR professional, details the goals, target skills, and potential problems at each training level of every SAR discipline.

Ready! provides descriptions of every type of search, including specific training methods to accomplish each SAR discipline. Professional and volunteer SAR workers will profit from the Bulandas’ expertise on training the dog to alert, managing the search mission, choosing and socializing a SAR dog, and how to train dogs for specific commands (such as bar, turn around, go to an object, check, slow, crawl through and others). Readers curious about the fascinating work of the SAR canine will enjoy the general chapters about the history of SAR, an explanation of how dogs use scent to locate people or objects, and the functions of the SAR dog.

This highly specialized training manual offers precise direction for SAR workers for every possible kind of mission, identifying the goals, target skills, methods and problem solving for each type of search. Color photographs and line drawings help to elucidate difficult concepts explained in the text. A resources section and index conclude this 254-page volume.

Genres: Dogs, Nonfiction

146 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 1994

About the author

Certified Animal Behavior Consultant, (IAABC), Adjunct Professor, Search and Rescue Dog Trainer, Search Manager, Author, Lecturer, Keynote Speaker

Reviews

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that somehow slipped my mind to add to my ratings here in Goodreads. Step by step training information for search and rescue works, including training info on different types of rescue. Great book to have in your collection.
I know if you were serious about really doing SAR work, you would need to join a group, take the certifications and pass all the tests. But if you want to learn about the training they do, perhaps part train your dog in some way, this would be a great start, and maybe you would decide to the take the deeper plunge.
And if you want a great book about someone who does search and rescue, i would recommend 'So That Others May Live: Caroline Hebard & Her Search-And-Rescue Dogs.' She started when SAR work with dogs was just getting started, and has a lot of good training info from her experience as well as info on search's with results.
And since I am in a recommending mood, I would also recommend 'What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs.' Mostly about working her dog for cadaver work, still great about the science of scent work and a very interesting read.

[Catherine McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!

I need to read other books specifically on training myself as a handler and SAR operator, but man was this a good book for dog training! It gives you an extensive overall look at things, with details and a section on actual training that was very easy to understand. Also a chapter on the politics of Canine SAR, which was very helpful to get an idea for how things look.
Looking forward to implementing the things I’ve learned here. :)