Shikoku as S&R dogs?

CrimsonO2

I've come to find that my lil' Kurenai has a very sharp sense of smell at such a young age. She was in the bathroom with my partner while he showered so he can keep an eye on her. The door was closed. As I grabbed a plate of Stella & Chewy's pre-made raw from the kitchen, he told me she stopped chewing her bully stick and ran to the door and began sniffing and pawing underneath the bathroom door to get out (followed by sharp cries immediately after).

I remember Heidi saying she had wished she had gotten Rakka into S&R earlier. Does anyone have any info on the type of temperment to look for in an S&R puppy? She follows her nose very well.

Jesse

Edgewood

Shikoku do follow their noses quite a bit and are good a training and learning new things. But, it might be hard to get them to forgo searching for game vs a lost human. Not sure about that. But they are energetic hikers and do like to be trained, so maybe if the "search game" was fun enough, they would be willing to follow their noses to find a lost human vs any prey.

the_november_rain

Inu has a very good nose too, always nose to ground when hiking or walks. I had wanted to do it with Inu, but he seems to be too cautious. I know the most important thing they are looking for is a good natured dog, great with both people and animals; a lot of dogs have good noses. If Kurenai has this, then I say go for it. You should contact your closest S&R and talk to them. If they like Kurenai, then start training her. It requires A LOT of training time, 30+ hours a week and at least a year to get a dog field ready. If you are a newbie S&R handler, then it will be even more work.

Heidi

The local SAR people tell me that the main thing they look for is high drive. After that, ruggedness and lots of energy.

CrimsonO2

Thanks everyone for the fair warning...

Man, I didn't find any "official" state-funded organization but I did find a non-profit organization. Wow, these guys don't mess around.

http://carda.nu-designs.us/home

Jesse

the_november_rain

They are usaully all no-profit, all-volunteer, all out of pocket organizations.

Edgewood

@the_november_rain - Sachi is more reserved too. I don't think that she would handle it all that well, although she is friendly, it takes her a bit to warm up to a person

Kuma on the other hand is a SUPER friendly dog who thinks it is his goal in life to greet everyone. Both hike with their noses to the ground 100% of the time and both NEVER get tired.

Heidi

The way it works here is that you take your dog to their outdoor training field and some experienced handlers are there and perform a few tests. For the first one, they ask you to play with your dog with a toy that you brought. Then, they have you play with a toy that they provide. Then one of the handlers tries playing with your dog. Then, one of the handlers holds the dog while you go and hide in some bushes, and they let the dog go and see what they do. The dog is supposed to run straight to you and find you. They also have you walk your dog past a strange dog and see what happens. Both dogs on leash where they can't reach each other.

That's to get into the training program. Since there is a non-profit organization paying for the training, they don't accept dogs that they don't think will excel. And yeah, it's totally volunteer-based. You pay for all transportation and equipment and of course, they expect you to exercise and train your dog LOTS.

sunyata

I have always thought it would be great to train an SAR dog... However, I do know that it takes a ton of time, money, and patience (even more than with the regular working K-9's). The SAR groups in VA are all volunteer as well. And I know it is definitely a different type of training than what we do with our Narcotics/Bomb dogs.

If you get into it, let us know how it goes and what the requirements are.

sukoshi_mom

Here is information from WOOF, another SAR organization:

http://www.searchdogs.com/faqs

Heidi

I'd like to hear @brada1878 's opinion.

BradA1878

I honestly don't have much to add. I know our Shikoku did great when we took them to the tracking portion of Blue's bite-work. Our trainer was impressed by them.

My opinion is that, if a KBD or Kai can be trained for SAR (I have heard of Kai's being used in Japan for it), then most certainly a Shikoku can. Just a matter of how much work you are willing to put in.

I'm also sure that shy dog would have a hard time doing SAR, but that doesn't mean they can't do it for fun. I bet it would even help them be less shy.

If you like the idea of SAR and don't want to commit to the whole deal, you could look for a tracking class or a Nose Work class. I think "Nose Work" is the perfect sport/outlet for shy or aggressive dogs as its done on lead and only one dog at a time.

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Heidi

Are there shy shikokus? Rakka isn't one of them. If she were a SAR dog, she'd be all like, "Hey, lost person, I'm HEEEERRRREEEEE!"

sunyata

LMAO @hondru!

I think a nose work class would be a lot of fun... I wonder if they offer any around here... (might have to look into that for Nola, since Bella will be starting agility in the Spring!)

CrimsonO2

Thanks for the tip on Nose Work. I want to make sure I nurture both my dogs scent tracking. Ichi is definitely a shy guy and I am encouraged to hear that Nose Work actually is beneficial to shy dogs.

Jesse

tjbart17

Koda and I did one tracking class. He liked it a lot. I think it required Training I and II first.

Get some bumpers and make scentwork a game in the backyard. That's always fun for Koda.

jujee

Jesse, wags and wiggles offers a scent tracking course. You should definitely check it out!

CrimsonO2

Hey Julie,
That's exactly what I was leaning towards. Unfortunately, the first class starts in Jan 12th and the dogs are still going through giardia treatment :-(. To top it all off, Wags starts their classes at 4:45. I'm still at work!

Jesse

Edgewood

@hondru - yes there are some more shy shikoku. Sachi and Inu (from @the_november_rain) are somewhat reserved about some new people. Sachi is funny in that with some people she is okay with right off, with others, she is downright shy of them. It really depends. Kuma is like Rakka, not shy at all - totally friendly and in your face.

the_november_rain

Yes, InuYasha can be cautious with new people. He welcomes people in our home. Outside the house, he gets excited about new people approaching, but once they are upfront he sniffs them eagerly, but very cautiously. He has no problem barking or growling at new people who invade his space. No problem with dogs though, always wants to play, play, play.

jujee

Jesse, I can take them for you! Hehe