Is A Doberman Pinscher Good For Search And Rescue?



Posted: Saturday, July 04, 2009

by
GreatDogSite.com

People would not typically say Doberman Pinscher as their first choice of a dog to train for search and rescue work. Readers should be aware that, in addition to guarding, police work and service work, the Doberman Pinscher can be a great asset to police searches for a missing person. This possibility for a Doberman will be addressed in this article.

In order to participate in search and rescue work, the Doberman would work with the handler as partner for field work in missing person searches. It is the job of the handler to ensure that the dog is safe while it tracks the scent of the missing person, and leads the handler to that person. Search and rescue dogs are used for a number of emergency situations. Such situations can include anything from finding those killed and buried from a disaster such as an earthquake, explosion. We might hear these dogs referred to as "cadaver" dogs. The dogs may also be used to search for those lost in wilderness areas or buried in an avalanche.

You might wonder how a Doberman Pinscher is suited to this type of work. This breed will not be able to engage in all areas of search and rescue because they can't manage exposure to temperatures. Also, training can be challenging because the Doberman Pinscher is so bonded to the handler that training mistakes could negate the dog's ability to succeed. However, one must remember that this breed displays intelligence, has acute hearing sensitivity and smell, is extremely agile, good endurance and enjoys learning its jobs. With these qualities, this breed can function well during disasters and in the wilderness. The short hair of the Doberman Pinscher is a plus because they are easier to clean up after a stint in the field.

A person who does search and rescue work requires a lot of time, commitment, and equipment and the same goes for a dog in the business. There are training and certification requirements. In order to train your Doberman Pinscher, it can a couple of years. Also consider that this process will also require a financial investment. The calls that the services of your dog are needed don't necessarily come during working hours Monday through Friday. You are likely to be called in the evening, on weekends and during the m idle of the night. Don't forget, the weather could be quite inclement. Given the positives and negatives, you can be able to make an informed decision about whether or not you want to train with your Doberman for search and rescue work.

This article was written by John Jackson and has been contributed by http://www.greatdogsite.com. For more information on the Doberman Pinscher, please visit our page http://www.greatdogsite.com/breeds/details/Doberman_Pinscher/.
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