It is impossible to imagine how human history would have developed if we had not had a dog - a loyal, brave, intelligent and strong friend. For thousands of years they have guarded and protected, helped in hunting and transported goods. They are the ears and eyes of those who need it. And if trouble comes, rescue dogs do everything to save the life of a stranger at any cost.

The best rescue dogs are the Labrador breed, some will say. No, no one can do the job better than a shepherd dog, others will object to them. Both are right, but Labradors can be gluttons, and shepherd dogs sometimes show anger towards strangers. Maybe spaniels? Or schnauzers? Collies, terriers?

The main tasks of a search dog are to find a person and indicate the find by barking or by taking a special “diarrhea” in its teeth. The dog cannot bandage wounds or perform artificial respiration. In very rare cases, she is able to get the victim out from under a pile of stones. To help, even the most dexterous and strong rescue dog itself needs human help. Therefore, a keen sense of smell, physical endurance and passion for work are not the only requirements. The dog must be mentally stable - not be distracted by noise and other extraneous stimuli, good-natured - not frighten the person it finds, not rush at strangers (medics, other rescuers, their “colleagues”). Therefore, there is no strict framework regarding what breed rescue dogs should be. The main thing is that the dog has all the qualities necessary for such complex work: endurance in every sense, acute hearing and scent, obedient disposition, the ability to concentrate on the task at hand and act independently if such a need arises.

A rescue dog is not just a profession, it is a noble cause to which the animal and its owner must devote a lot of time and effort. At the same time, the four-legged heroes simply do their job, without even suspecting that if it weren’t for them, there would be many more broken destinies, broken families and cut short lives in the world!

The world is not safe for humans. Accidents, natural disasters and catastrophes occur with alarming regularity, sometimes leading to loss of life. It is difficult to find a person buried under an avalanche or a collapsed building. It is even more difficult to do this so quickly that the victim does not suffocate, is crushed, or dies from blood loss. A specially trained rescue dog can quickly find a victim under multi-ton rubble.

Dogs helped rescue people in trouble many hundreds of years ago. A drawing was found in the Pamir Mountains depicting a dog saving a man; The age of the drawing is about one and a half thousand years.

In Europe, the first rescue dogs appeared in the 19th century, in the Alpine monastery named after St. Bernard. When a snowstorm began, the monks tied small barrels of rum around the dogs' necks and sent them to search for people lost in the storm. Powerful animals covered with thick hair were not afraid of frost and, sensing a person in trouble under the thick snow, they dug him out, gave him a drink from a barrel of warm wine so that the traveler could quickly warm up, and brought help. This breed of dog was later named St. Bernard, in honor of the patron saint of the monastery.

It is impossible to count how many people the St. Bernards saved. But the most popular among them was a St. Bernard named Barry. The story about him has long become a legend. Barry sensed the approaching snowstorm intuitively more than an hour before it started, and became very restless. One day he saved a child who was deep under an avalanche, and no one even suspected that he was in trouble except Barry. Barry found the child and licked his face until the child came to his senses. Barry saved forty people. After Barry's death, a monument was erected to him in one of the Parisian cemeteries.

Even in the very first wars, dogs served as sentries, messengers and scouts. Later they brought in ammunition, medicine and telephone cable, located the mines and found the wounded. During the First World War, gas masks were worn on dogs. And modern armies prefer to use dogs for service. German shepherds, collies, Dobermans and Rottweilers serve in different armies. Dogs with white coloring are not taken for this role, since they are easier for the enemy to notice.

Hero dogs are now called those who helped people during hostilities. The dogs were full-fledged fighters and took part in the search for missing people under the rubble, neutralized mines, and worked as messengers. They have saved thousands of lives. Many four-legged warriors have gone down in history. Stories about their exploits have survived to this day. Here are some of them.

During the war years, a nurse dog named Mukhtar rescued more than 400 wounded soldiers from the battlefields. The shepherd Dina was trained in sabotage and took a course to destroy enemy tanks. During the days of the defense of Leningrad, the Nazis reported that “the Russians released rabid dogs into the positions.” In the famous “rail war” in Belarus, Dina derailed an entire train by dragging explosives directly under the wheels of a steam locomotive. The collie dog Dick was trained in mine detection. In his personal file there was the following entry: “Called up for service from Leningrad. During the war years, he discovered more than 12 thousand mines, took part in demining Stalingrad, Lisichansk, Prague and other cities.” But Dick accomplished his main feat in Pavlovsk. He discovered a two and a half ton landmine in the foundation of an ancient palace, clocked by a clockwork mechanism, an hour before the explosion. After the war, Dick participated in many exhibitions. He died of old age and was buried with full military honors, as befits a hero.

The search and rescue dog service was created in Russia in 1972, and one of the world's best methods for training rescue dogs was developed.

Recently, more and more advanced technology has come to the aid of rescuers, but a dog’s nose is still indispensable for finding people under rubble or avalanches - after all, it is able to distinguish a smell dissolved in the air in a ratio of one to ten million! One rescue dog saves the work of dozens of people. After all, in a dog’s nose there are 500 million cells capable of capturing smell, while in a human nose there are only 10-20 million. Therefore, the most modern devices cannot replace a dog’s nose and ear.

A specially trained dog is able to detect even the faintest odors and distinguish them from thousands of unnecessary ones; it is able to find a person under an 8-meter layer of snow, mud or the rubble of a collapsed building.

Once, the mountain rescue service conducted an experiment - on an area of ​​10,000 square meters, a “victim” was buried in the snow to a depth of 2 meters. A rescue team of twenty people, armed with avalanche probes, searched for him for four hours, and the dog found him in twelve minutes.

Many people are interested in the question - what breeds are the best rescue dogs? There are certain working qualities that a rescue dog must have. First of all, it is controllability, physical strength (needed to overcome obstacles), and, of course, excellent instincts. Initially, she should have a loyal, non-aggressive reaction to people. In general, anger is a sign of cowardice; a dog fit for service must be confident and calm. Also, when selecting candidates, attention is paid to the dog’s ability to withstand the climate in which it will have to work. Having collected statistics from all over the world, dog experts have identified the top five most capable dog breeds.

5th place went to Doberman Pinschers. The appearance of this dog breed dates back to 1800, when there was an urgent need for a protective dog that, if necessary, could attack the offender. Some people consider this breed to be stupid, but this judgment is wrong. Dobermans need to be trained and educated, otherwise there is a very high chance that a small funny puppy will grow into an uncontrollable dog who will do only what he wants.

Dobermans are very active dogs that are capable of fighting tooth and nail for their owner.

The Golden Retriever was in 4th place in the dog rating. He is very kind and gentle in character and is great with children. They are able to learn quickly and easily, understand commands literally the first time and literally grasp everything on the fly. They can often be seen in police service, rescue service, customs and as a guide dog. Thanks to their patience, they can be good nannies for children and excellent companions for older people.

The honorable 3rd place went to German Shepherds. German Shepherds are very intelligent and trainable, and can be used as guards, bloodhounds or police officers. Representatives of this breed have proven themselves well as pets.

The second position is occupied by Poodles. They can not only jump and perform various tricks in the circus, but can also be good observers and serve in the rescue service. Poodles swim well and are ready to save a drowning person. Of course, there are a huge variety of poodles, both small and large, beautiful and not so beautiful, but they are all excellent companions and guards.

Champions intellectual abilities Among the dogs were representatives of the Border Collie breed. Cynologists from all over the world unanimously recognized this breed as the smartest. These dogs are real hard workers, they do not like to idle, and are ready to work almost around the clock for the benefit of humans. They even say about the border collie that this dog lives to work.

They remember rules of behavior very easily, easily learn commands, are friendly and simply adore children. Overall, this is a unique dog that can be widely used - from a guard dog to a nanny, or simply as a pet with good mental abilities.

Even very good innate qualities of a dog can only fully manifest themselves when proper education and initial training from puppyhood. The growth and development of the animal body occurs more intensively in the spring and summer.

Although raising a puppy (ensuring good growth and physical development) and education (formation of a healthy nervous system and a certain type of behavior) are independent concepts, they are inextricably linked and cannot be carried out in isolation. In the process of normal development and functioning of the body, physical and mental principles are closely connected. Practice shows that one cannot expect a strong nervous system or a balanced psyche from a dog that is poorly developed physically.

The necessary qualities of a PSS dog that should be developed from a very early age include:

• * interest and persistence in finding the source of human odor;
• * courage in overcoming natural obstacles;
• * activity at work;
• * sense of orientation in unfamiliar areas;
• * indifferent attitude towards wild and domestic animals;
• * unpretentiousness to food and maintenance;
• * ability to work at any time of the day, in difficult weather conditions.

The general principles of training and raising a puppy are as follows:

• 1) what an adult dog should not do, a puppy should not be allowed to do;
• 2) this period is the most crucial because “early experience” acquired in puppyhood affects the behavior and work of the dog throughout its life;
• 3) mistakes made by the trainer during raising and training are almost impossible to correct later;
• 4) “idling” and overload with activities should not be allowed. Constantly maintain and develop the dog's interest and passion for finding a person's ID - exercises for the search skill: give "not enough" and do stimulating intervals.

The search for a hidden or buried source of human odor (burrow) should always and everywhere end in finding it. It is better if in the very first lessons the growing dog finds 1-2 difficult burrows than a larger number of simple ones. But if the dog cannot find them on his own, the trainer must help him with this by pointing or in another way. When found, the trainer encourages it much more than when performing any other technique. Only under these conditions does the dog develop interest and persistence in searching. If the hole is not found or found too easily, interest in the search work disappears.

To develop sense of smell: during daily walks, let the dog off the leash; do not interfere with sniffing various objects, except for sewage; camouflage and bury retrieval items.

Every morning, do a 20-30 minute cross-country run with your dog. During it, the dog is sent at least 20 times for a far-thrown retrieval object, which gives it the opportunity to run during this time a distance 5 times greater than the trainer will run. This is an excellent exercise for the whole body. In the future, the dog is taught not to bring the object, not to run with it, but, having raised its voice, to return to the trainer.

Take long walks at least once a week: in winter - on skis, in summer - with an overnight stay in the field. During walks, the dog makes high and long jumps, overcomes forest debris and other obstacles. She should do all this not under compulsion, but on the basis of a natural desire for movement, which is constantly stimulated and encouraged by the trainer. With this technique, the dog develops the activity and courage necessary for work. To harden the body, the dog must swim in any weather (only in a clean reservoir), spend the night in a snow hole in winter, and under the wing of a tent in summer.

Although dogs have a much stronger sense of orientation than humans, it, like any sense, is improved through exercise and training. To this end, you should constantly change your walking routes and take your dog with you on multi-day hikes in new places with varied terrain.

All means of physical development and hardening of a young dog’s body should be used so that there is no physical overload and hypothermia, which can cause various diseases. Caution must also be exercised during mental stress. Overloads lead to disruption of nervous activity and neuroses. The methods and techniques for training a young dog using OKD, scent sampling, and searching the area are generally accepted.

Training the dog not to show an aggressive attitude towards domestic and wild animals is important both for work and for keeping the dog itself. This must be taught from puppyhood, since it is almost impossible to wean a dog with a “manifested” instinct to pursue a fleeing animal from this. Due to its instinct, a dog cannot avoid reacting at all to animals that are a strong odor and visual irritant. It is enough that, having sniffed him at a distance, she immediately turned away from him and approached the trainer when called.

The scheme for teaching a dog this using a contrasting method on a long leash is as follows:

• 1) the dog is led several times past and around a herd or a single animal (cow, goat) so that it gets used to the new smell and appearance of the animal;
• 2) approach him at a distance of 10-15 meters, stop and start playing with the dog. When the dog tries to get closer to the animals, he is called to him and encouraged with a treat; if she doesn’t obey, they pull her with a leash;
• 3) approach the animals so much that they begin to move away. If the dog tries to chase, distract its attention with commands and pull it with a leash;
• 4) train the dog to calmly pass by and follow retreating animals until it can perform this technique without tugging at the leash.

Suppression of the pursuit of cats and game is carried out using the same methods: distraction, physical influence, encouragement when approaching the trainer. Under no circumstances should you punish a dog after it has run after the animal and returned to the trainer on its own.

It is best to keep both growing and adult dogs in an open enclosure or in a fenced yard with an insulated kennel. This content is very important in order not to pamper the dog and preserve its undercoat, without which it will not withstand prolonged work in the cold. It is more rational to keep dogs in an enclosure not individually - one at a time, but all together - in a team of 3-5. This group content has the following advantages:

• 1. With the same size of plot and the same consumption of mesh for the enclosure, each dog receives 3-5 times more “living space”.
• 2. Living together, they do not get bored, frolic, play (especially important for young people), and get used to each other.
• 3. The problem of keeping the dog eliminated when the trainer is away from home for a long time - feeding and care is carried out by another team handler.
• 4. Feeding and care can be carried out alternately by one of the trainers.
• 5. Dogs do not need special walking.
• 6. Puppies in a large enclosure receive excellent conditions for physical development and hardening.
• 7. The enclosure can simultaneously serve as a training ground for young animals; for this purpose, a boom, barriers and other equipment are installed in it.

Inside the enclosure, food is prepared and food and equipment are stored in an insulated hut. For temporary isolation, each dog can be placed in a compartment of the enclosure. This “enclosure-group” type of housing at the rate of 20 m2 for each dog has proven itself in practice in all respects.

The dog's undercoat is preserved even if it is kept in an unheated part of the house or on a veranda or loggia. With sufficiently long exercise and training of the dog in the cold season, the undercoat can be preserved even when kept in an ordinary apartment. This is facilitated by the location of its place in the coldest part of the apartment, but not in a draft. The dog's bedding should not be too warm - burlap is quite enough, under which, if the floor is cold, a wooden shield is placed.

The feeding rules, which are sufficiently covered in the literature, for PSS dogs should be supplemented with the following: use natural food products, including raw meat on the bones - weekly, fresh vegetables-- daily at least 10% of the feed ration, vegetable fats -- no more than 25% of the total amount of fat. Feed concentrates, very easy to handle, to be used only in rescue operations and other necessary cases. Feeding them constantly pampers the dog’s digestive system, after which ordinary roughage is poorly eaten and digested.

In the morning after a run or walk, when the dog performs several exercises, he is given 2-3 dry foods or crackers to “awaken the stomach.” Lunch after classes is 40% of the daily ration, dinner is 60%. A good trainer eats at the same time as the dog, near or close to each other so that they can see each other. The norm for daily feeding is such that the bowl is licked clean after it; a well-fed dog will move away from it on its own without asking for more. It is better if the dog is “thin”, because excess weight, as in humans, leads to decreased performance and premature aging.

The dog PSS always and everywhere eats only from his bowl, the hands of the owner, his family members, and his helper. The instinctive picking up of food from the ground is difficult to overcome in some dogs and leads to a decrease in the quality of its search, since in the ruins of the emergency zone there is plenty of food. Eating any “appetizing” foods contaminated with toxic substances leads to poisoning and death of the dog.

Rejection

To assess the suitability of an adult dog for PSS, the following techniques are used. Over the course of several days, the dog is trained to flawlessly find a retrieval object disguised in grass or snow with the scent of its trainer. Then, in an area measuring 10 x 10 m, an object with the same smell is buried in the ground to the depth of half a shovel bayonet, and in the snow - to the depth of a bayonet. A few meters away from it, for the purpose of distraction, they dig up the surface with a shovel (false digging). If a dog, after several attempts, cannot find the source of the smell, this indicates a defect in its sense of smell - temporary or permanent.

To test hearing at a distance of 5-10 m from the dog, the trainer, approaching and moving away, pronounces its name several times in a whisper. These simplified methods of testing in field conditions allow us to detect the most severe defects in sense of smell and hearing and in no way give their exact assessment in any points.

The dog's motor and vestibular apparatus is checked while it is running, jumping and walking on a log. Often, due to some internal factors (the dog’s ill health) or external factors (distracting stimuli), the dog may not show its true abilities. If, when checking the dog, the trainer has such suspicions, after 3-4 days they do a second check in a changed environment - place, time of day, weather conditions, etc.

There is no culling based on breed. For work, a good “mongrel” is better than purebred ones with pedigrees and medals.

Age and service

The highest mastery, close to the wisdom of both man and dog, comes only in adulthood. Only in adulthood can a PSS dog perform its complex work, even with some physical weakening of the body. Her work does not require great strength and speed of reaction, as in protective and guard services. PSS is closer to such “intelligent” services as the work of pointers and herding dogs. Therefore, smart and skillful handlers extend the life of their dogs to 12 years or more.

Interest in life and work creates mental health in both people and animals.

Major state, mood keep it on long years. Keeping a PSS dog on a leash or a block, which is quite normal for dogs of other services, is completely unacceptable. Malice, aggressive behavior age the sensitive psyche of a rescue dog. Transferring an adult dog from hand to hand, buying and selling destroy the complex mental world of a PSS dog.

Requirements for a trainer

The most important quality of a trainer is the ability to observe the constantly changing environment: the strength and direction of the wind; air temperature and humidity; the presence and movement of strangers, pets, and transport in the area where the dog is being exercised; in a word, behind everything that interferes with classes are olfactory, sound, visual distracting stimuli. All this should not escape his attentive gaze; all this is necessary for a correct assessment of the situation and appropriate control of the dog. The trainer must be a kind of tracker and scout, and show maximum attention to the dog’s behavior. In all classes and training, he must be self-possessed, patient and persistent in achieving his goal.

The trainer and assistant must have sufficient theoretical training in the field of physiology, psychology, ethology, methods and techniques for training dogs. They must have high moral qualities. A dog's deception, rudeness, lack of will and softness are incompatible with the work of education, training and training. Also incompatible with this work are the two extremes of communicating with a dog - only using “command language” or humanizing the dog and talking to it. In their coordinated work, the methodology - the sequence of introducing and practicing techniques, their duration and the standards of the PSS course - are always inseparable from the technique - the ability in each specific case to influence the dog in developing the necessary skills so that they are developed quickly and held firmly.

Courage, resourcefulness, determination, self-control when training dogs - the mandatory qualities of a trainer and assistant are effective only if you love your four-legged friend, love for their joint noble cause.

The psychogenic impact in an emergency zone on people with physical injuries, only mental ones and those who arrived after a disaster (rescuers, workers of other services) varies. The psyche of victims of the 2nd group is more disturbed than others. They experience, in addition to the depressing contemplation of crippled people and staggering destruction, a break with the outside world, with life itself. No water, lighting, telephone, radio, television, etc. The lack of definite information about the disaster that occurred, its continuation or termination is traumatic for the psyche. In predictable disasters, that is, when people learn in advance about the reality of the disaster from the radio, the behavior of animals or from other sources, in response to this, various types of reactions appear, up to a breakdown of nervous activity, neuroses.

The most common mental reactions in the latter case are: fear, confusion, erratic actions, loss of orientation, lack of understanding of the situation, euphoria, spreading panic. In contrast, people of other types of nervous activity exhibit lethargy, passivity, indifference, a state of stupor and numbness.

This “general mental atmosphere” prevailing in the emergency zone has an impact on both handlers and dogs.

Dog equipment and training location

The dog's special equipment includes a standard harness, covered with red material, with pockets with clasps. It serves as a safety belt, to which a safety rope is attached in dangerous places. This harness allows you to see the dog on any terrain from a great distance; deliver notes, medicines, and other small items. It is used to tow a skier and a loaded sled.

A long nylon leash, 5-6 mm thick, red, in addition to its main purpose, is used as an avalanche cord, as well as for various auxiliary purposes (insurance, transportation). Special stockings-"shoe covers" with holes for claws are used to protect paws in areas clogged with sharp objects, hard crust, and mountain glacier.

During training sessions, each trainer has the following in their bag:

• * 3 plastic bags marked with large numbers, where hairpins of a standard volume (underwear shirt, pants) with different smells are strictly stored; 1st package - the smell of the dog trainer, 2nd package - the smell of a family member or assistant, 3rd package - the smell of a person unfamiliar to the dog;
• * a bag with red flaps for marking the area and centimeter oilcloth tape for accurately determining the burial depth;
• * a bag of treats for the dog's nutritional reward.

These bags are necessary to preserve the smell of the burials, prevent them from being contaminated by other odors and for hygiene purposes. If you don’t have special tweezers, you can use a wooden flyer to remove and put the buried items into bags. It is also advisable to have cellophane film or an old raincoat that protects from wet snow and soil when buried in extras during training. For burying holes and extras, ordinary bayonet and shovel shovels are quite suitable.

The place for training in a special course, in contrast to the training area, where only a few initial classes can be conducted, is called a training ground. This is an area with rugged terrain, islands of bushes, groups of trees - all this makes it easier to disguise and bury odor sources, bringing the situation closer to the real one. A dense forest interferes with observation of the actions of the dog and trainer, and the natural movement of air. The parade ground must have a shelter from which the digging being done on it is not visible.

In the first half of the training course, an area measuring 30x30 m is allocated for training each dog. From the second half of the course, its size increases to 70x70 m. To ensure that no odors are transferred from one area to another, they are all located in a chain across the main direction of the wind. Thus, the size of the training ground depends on the number of dogs trained on it and, accordingly, the number of sections. A training group must have several parade grounds, since it is impossible to conduct classes on the same one (taking into account the exchange of areas between groups) more than 3 times in a row. Dogs develop the habit of searching only in an area that is familiar to them, and moreover, its area is polluted by distracting odors.

The training ground must meet the following requirements:

• 1) during initial search training, he should not be exposed to distractions that interfere with the dog’s development of the initial skill. These include: odors - various types of smoke, car exhaust gases, household waste, etc.; sound - noise from vehicles, railways, people and pets; visual - any moving objects that fall into the dog’s field of vision;
• 2) snow and soil should not be contaminated with sharp objects (glass, iron scraps, etc.), chemicals (mineral fertilizers, industrial waste);
• 3) in mountainous areas, slopes must be safe against rockfalls, mudflows and avalanches.

Transporting dogs to their destination is the most important link in the complex of every rescue operation. It is carried out as quickly as possible without harm to the dogs.

Delivery of a dog by car or plane is a strong sound, olfactory, visual irritation, a load on the vestibular apparatus, that is, an overload of all receptors, the entire neuropsychic system. This will simply incapacitate an untrained dog; it will not be able to work. Therefore, PSS dogs must be gradually accustomed to the specified stimuli, and certain rules must be observed during transportation. preventive measures. Delivering the dog on your own is the simplest, cheapest and most reliable option if the distance does not exceed 10 km. A trained dog does not get tired after such a transition, but before the start it must be given a 10-minute break.

When delivered by road, the dog’s sense of smell can be impaired by exhaust gases and the smell of liquid fuel. In the presence of these harmful gases, the dog begins to breathe rapidly, sneeze, and strive for a window or crack where clean air enters the cabin. The simplest way To avoid poisoning, give the dog the opportunity to stick his nose out the window. The same should be done when transporting by helicopter, where the dog is also exposed to a strong sound stimulus. The noise from propellers and turbines in air delivery is more impactful during boarding and disembarking than in the aircraft cabin, where dogs tend to be quiet. The dog must be prepared in advance for strong sound stimuli through gradual training. If agitation or depression and cowardice appear, the dog should be distracted by play, a soothing tone, affection and treats.

The greatest danger for a dog is not the stay in any type of transport itself, but the approaches and waits at stations and train stations (the possibility of the dog being poisoned by car exhaust fumes).

When developing PSS skills in a dog, trainers often make the following mistakes:

• 1. Conducting initial search lessons in an area heavily polluted with distracting odors, which makes it difficult to develop the skill.
• 2. A long session with the dog in the same area, as a result of which the dog, having become accustomed to it, is poorly oriented and searches in a new, unfamiliar area.
• 3. The same type of burying of the assistant and objects - at the same distance from each other, in the same places in the training area.
• 4. Frequently pointing the dog to the source of the smell, that is, unnecessary hints that are necessary only in the first lessons.
• 5. Excessive restraint of the dog with a leash to maintain the correct zigzags of the “shuttle” search. Frequently pushing the dog and mistrusting its instincts.
• 6. Using the same assistant and his things in classes, as a result of which the dog gets used to looking only for this familiar smell.
• 7. Burying unworn assistants’ underwear as belongings or those that have been used in classes for a long time and have lost their smell.
• 8. Violation of the sequence of commands when developing the complex search skill “Search - dig - voice - lead.”

Perhaps, in a global sense, rescue dogs do not create history. But they are undoubtedly part of it and influence the development of humanity. Irreplaceable, always loyal, intelligent and selfless dogs are one of best gifts that Nature made for us. Saving even one child is a feat. And when there are dozens, hundreds of lives saved? In every major city there are monuments to rescue dogs; in every major city there live people whose fates once depended on a leathery wet nose. Thank you, amazing and irreplaceable search and rescue guardians of human lives!

dog rescue training content

Bibliography

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• 2. Bergman E. Dog behavior. M., 1986.
• 3. Karpov V.K. About some factors influencing the sense of smell of service dogs // Service Dog Breeding Club. M., 1987.
• 4. Usov M.I. Training dogs for search and rescue service // All about the dog. M., 1992.
• 5. Usov M.I. Training of four-legged rescuers // Military knowledge. 1985. No. 11.
• 6. http://vashipitomcy.ru/publ/sobaki/interesnoe/sobaki_spasateli_poslednjaja_nadezhda_v_strashnyj_mig/24-1-0-334

Man's best friend, everyone has known this for many years. However, there are not just friends, but real savers of human lives. Some breeds are better than others amenable to training to provide first aid in any extreme situation - we’ll talk about them in the article.

Of course, special, inflated requirements are put forward for those who are called upon to save human lives:

• Excellent sense organs: eyes, ears, nose.
• Determined but good-natured character. She must communicate well with any person, because she will have to save hundreds of different “souls.”
• Good physical fitness and endurance. On the path to a noble goal, you will certainly have to overcome many obstacles.

• Stable nervous system. The dog will have to work hard, and he must always be in excellent shape.
• Obedience. The dog must be easy to train.

Did you know? named Trepp was included in the Guinness Book of Records. He helped catch hundreds of criminals and more. One day, at another demonstration of dog skills, Trepp had the task of finding a dozen bags of illegal substances. The dog found 11.

The best of the best

Very often there are representatives of canines that save a person without having an impressive pedigree. However, there are certain breeds that literally have a zeal for exploits in their blood.

Depending on the breed, there are certain rescue jobs that a particular dog will do better than others, and specialized training will come easily to them.

It is considered a breed that will make an excellent water rescue dog. This large dog with an unusually kind character is able to overcome enormous distances on the water, swims beautifully and has the physical ability to pull out a drowning person, even from icy water.

This canine representative has very developed instincts, so without hesitation he will rush to the aid of a drowning person and effortlessly pull him to shore. Another important advantage is the four-legged giant’s ability to dive to depths of up to 30 meters.

Retrievers are perhaps the most good-natured dogs that can often be found among search and other rescuers. Their incredible ability to learn, be patient and express compassion plays a huge role in those called upon to respond to floods, landslides and other natural disasters.
Dogs can flawlessly go on searches for several hours, and even days, without requiring much time to rest. And the good disposition and eternal positivity of Labradors can lift the spirits of affected children.

Since childhood, he has been associated with a large, imperturbable dog named Beethoven. However, few people know that this breed has saved many human lives high in the mountains. Saint Bernard is a dog that is an indispensable rescuer in the mountains.
The impressive size of representatives of this breed, physical fitness, as well as a dense coat allow them to feel great in conditions of negative temperatures and snowfalls. Serious temperature changes in the mountains are tolerated by these dogs without problems.

Did you know? The most famous mountain rescuer, became a St. Bernard named Barry. During his 12-year rescue service, the four-legged hero saved 41 people, including a small child.

“Of course,” - this is how you can answer the question about what other dogs, besides St. Bernards, help rescue climbers in case of unforeseen situations on the mountain slopes.
German Shepherds have an excellent sense of smell and are good at locating their surroundings. The exceptional intelligence and high trainability of German Shepherds have long been noted by many dog ​​handlers. If this dog senses a person who needs help, neither low temperature nor snow will stop him. Literally taking risks with our own lives, shepherd dogs have been saving mountain peak conquerors for many decades.

The ideal service dog. Many American policemen have such a valuable partner, because these dogs can catch up with any offender and protect the policeman from attacks. Loyal, intelligent and hardy Dobermans cope well with official duties, perfectly guard the objects entrusted to them and are very often awarded various medals and even titles.

The Leonberger is a versatile dog that is highly trainable. A person can instill in him any important characteristics for many rescue operations. The main trump card of this dog is its excellent sense of smell. Most often, for this reason, representatives of this breed become detectives.
The Leonberger is quite large, hardy and has excellent muscles. With proper training, this dog will become an excellent companion in extreme situations of any complexity.

Important! When choosing quadrupeds for certain missions, external data must be taken into account. Long-haired German Shepherds will be much more at risk in a fire, and smooth-haired Dobermans are unlikely to be able to jump into icy water.

Belgian Shepherds are quite large and have a dense double coat. The character is good-natured towards humans, however, it is very aggressive towards representatives of the animal world. Man uses the excellent natural qualities of this dog to his advantage: for service, protection, hunting, and even during fires. These shepherds are rarely seen as fire dogs, but there are also heroes in the fight for the lives of people in fire.

A hunting breed that shows excellent results in chasing game. However, people have learned to use the energy of representatives of this breed for rescue purposes. Drathaar often assist humans in the coast guard. They are excellent swimmers, able to quickly reach and save a drowning person.

It is unlikely that a more loyal creature will ever appear in the history of mankind than a dog. And now, when an unpleasant, or maybe even tragic, event can happen in everyone’s life, our four-legged friends come to our aid.

Thanks to their devotion and dedication, the concept of “service dogs” appeared in human usage. They are ready to serve us until their last step, until exhaustion, until their dying breath, forgetting about everything in this service. They help everywhere: be it searching for lost wanderers during a snowstorm, searching for those doomed to certain death under rubble (snow or after a disaster) or rescuing on the water - all this is within the power of our sometimes so defenseless comrades. Where do they get the strength to overcome such difficult challenges?

Finding those lost in the storm

The very first rescue dogs, who began their work several centuries ago, searched for travelers lost in a storm. Surely you have ever seen paintings depicting large shaggy dogs with a barrel around their neck. Service dogs of the St. Bernard breed, thanks to their endurance and excellent physical qualities, found and warmed with a strong drink brought in a barrel, and then brought lost travelers to people. The most famous of these rescuers was St. Bernard Barry, who even had a monument erected in a Paris cemetery. During his life, the dog saved forty people, and the forty-first person saved, mistaking him for a bear (the dog lay down to warm the victim with its body), stabbed him. The dog survived, but he could no longer save anyone.

Searching for people under the rubble

Distinguishing the smell of a person from the mass of other odors under meter-high rubble is considered the most difficult work. But our devoted friends also cope with this task. Everyone knows the events of September 11, 2001 in the United States, but how many people know about the heroes who helped save and saved people’s lives. For example, guide dog Dorado saved his blind owner, computer scientist Omar Eduardo Rivera. After the plane crashed into the tower, Rivera unhooked the leash and gave the dog the command to leave, wanting to save at least the dog. A crowd of fleeing people carried the Labrador several floors below, but after some time the owner felt his pet nuzzling his legs. With the help of a dog and a colleague, the man went outside, after which the building collapsed. Rivera feels he owes his life to his devoted dog.

Along with the Labrador Dorado, another tailed worker worked at the scene of the tragedy for 12 hours a day - a service dog named Bretan. As part of the Texas Ground Zero search and rescue team, the two-year-old dog helped save the lives of people in trouble.

Rescue of drowning people

As they say, saving drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves, of course, but even here we can rely on our faithful four-legged comrades. The handsome Newfoundlands have excellent qualities for performing this service. These dogs are physically strong, they are not afraid of any waves, their powerful tail, like a rudder, helps them accurately choose the direction, and their long hair with a dense, waterproof undercoat makes it possible to work in icy water. What can we say, even if Napoleon was once saved by a Newfoundland.

Service dogs help us at every step; at critical moments they are simply irreplaceable. And the effort it takes to raise a rescue dog is worth it. One trained dog saves the work of dozens of people.

“...This incomprehensible, wonderful transmission of the psyche,” Durov continues further, “of thoughts, feelings, desires undoubtedly exists. This is what I base my work on, and this is what forms the basis of my training method. The animal, thanks to a joyful, creative environment, comes into psychic contact with me and already vaguely senses in advance, predicts what I need from it, what it should do.”

The above statements by Durov do not exhaust, of course, his entire system of mental control of animal behavior, which he developed with the participation of Academician V.M. Bekhterev.

Let the words of the great animal connoisseur given here be the “first law” for the rescue dog handler.

After searching in difficult weather conditions for a long time and not finding IZ, young dogs often become confused and lethargic. If the dog displays such behavior or anxiety and nervousness, the handler should give it a little rest, a treat, and encouragement. While the dog is resting, he quietly buries an object with his own or an unfamiliar scent and gives the dog the opportunity to quickly find it. With this technique, he restores her cheerful mood, desire and confidence to find IZ. Young dogs should be given a treat every time they find IZ. It is very important that the harness is removed from a dog that has been given even a five-minute rest - this will give complete rest and quick recuperation.

Just as the handler’s harness and vest have a stimulating effect on the dog, both an additional conditioned signal and “talking to the dog” before and during the search activate its work. This technique, which gives positive results only with good contact with the dog, has nothing to do with “anthropomorphism.” No dog, although it carries out a large number of commands from the handler, only as if they were conditioned sounds, perceives human speech. But everyone knows that one threatening glance from a person or dog makes another dog tuck its tail, walk around or growl and rush into a fight. Through gesture, posture and biopolar signals, other intentions and thoughts are transmitted from one organism to another - but not always. A kind, affectionate look makes even an unfamiliar dog come up to you, but again - not always, but only with mental closeness and the “mood” of each organism at the moment. The effect is also in the intonation of the voice, which is picked up by a dog many times better than by a person, as well as in the ultrasonic part of speech, which is completely unperceivable by a person. Putting a harness on the dog, the handler, for example, says in a cheerful, confident tone: “Now we will find this guy, Altai!” etc. This always helps the work!

A standard voice command, which is a conditioned stimulus for a dog, is only a trigger for the search to begin. The hearing ability of dogs is much higher than that of humans. Therefore, during training sessions, voice commands are given at a “below average” volume and in a “calm” intonation. A loud voice and commanding intonation are a “reserve” for working in an emergency zone when there is a lot of noise, the dog is distracted by something extraneous, etc. The “common language,” that is, the language of communication between the trainer and the dog in the complex process of searching and finding the victim, is intonation and gesture. Even in the most lexically expressive language of any nation, according to the American psychologist F. Sulge, the significance of words is only 7%, intonation - 38%, gestures - 55%. When two unfamiliar wolves, dogs, or people meet, the “conversation” begins through sight, not hearing. Both partners perceive each other by sight, complementing the intonation of a few words.

Gesture, in an expanded sense, including body movements and facial expression, is the most expressive means of communication in both people and animals. This refers to a natural, emotional gesture, but not a contrived standard “training gesture” (like the commands “Come to me!”, “Lie down”, etc.). The standard gesture command is convenient and good at the OKD training site, but not for the special PSS course and other complex services in the field. Here the gesture is enriched with emotional tension and expressiveness of the trainer’s movements “from nose to toes.”

For complete contact and mutual understanding, you need to “merge with the dog,” working as one organism.

During complex, intense activities, such as hunting or mountaineering, people communicate in addition to the voice with “non-verbal language,” which for a dog is not just a command, but a means for “direct” understanding without words - biocommunication.

Intonation, simplistically divided into affectionate, approving, ordinary, commanding and threatening, has dozens of other tones and shades, for example, encouraging, calming, exciting, commanding, etc. The same voice command, when changing intonation, can conditionally reflexively influence -different. Unusual intonation causes actions that do not correspond to the lexical meaning of the command given to the dog. In difficult situations, the vocabulary of a voice command is eclipsed by “non-verbal language” with the participation of ERD and the biofield. Only with a positive emotion, doing the search in difficult and dangerous conditions with interest, as a “favorite thing”, and not forced - on command, the dog, also wanting to please its “leader”, searches and finds the victim.

For example, after several hours of unsuccessful searches, when the strength of the guide and the dog is running out, they take a break. The handler gives the dog its favorite treat, drinks strong tea, and lights a cigarette. What follows is not a command, but a “conversation”: “Altai! Al-tai, the smartest, the strongest!.. Now we’ll find him! Al-ta-ay, come on, come on!..”, etc. Successful use of intonation is a powerful impulse that awakens a great potential strength: both physical and mental.

The words of “conversation” may be different, the dog still understands not them, but “intonation” and “non-verbalness”. These elements, like the music of the “magic flute,” work wonders. This is encouragement, and excitement, and encouragement, and a call... The dog’s eyes light up, its nostrils flare, it makes a jump... A few minutes of furious search - the victim is found.

Non-verbal language is more accessible to the taiga hunter, who is close to nature, hears “how the grass grows,” and the dog understands and obeys without words. IN English language concepts exist and are used in life - thought-reading, thought-transfer, thought-wave, the meaning of which is not difficult to understand. In Russian everyday life, these concepts, clumsily translated as “reading other people’s thoughts, transmitting thoughts over a distance, mental wave,” do not inspire confidence and are equated with the unreal or “magic.” Scientists attribute this type of non-linguistic communication, like gestures and smells, to the so-called “non-verbal language”, without conventional sound vocabulary. To ignore the closeness of “verbal language” to “non-verbal” would be a violation of the method of studying the unity of the “nature of things”.

Practical conclusion - develop all the skills of a dog’s PSS not on conditioned stimuli that are “abstract” for it - commands, but on “natural” actions and gestures. For example, to begin learning to dig - with digging by the guide himself, with the command “Dig!” only accompanying this action. This is a type of "imitation method" where the dog imitates not another dog, but the trainer.

It is the understanding of the dog’s psyche, intonation and gestures that it understands that create mutual understanding, strong contact and affection. One of the forms of manifestation good contact- the dog's voice in response to the handler's whistle in case of poor visibility at a great distance under any circumstances. This is an example of executing not a conditional command, but contact at a distance.

Dogs, like people, have varying degrees of contact and affection. But for the majority of both, replacing one trainer with another during the course of training is extremely undesirable in all respects. Any dog ​​has full contact with only one trainer/handler. The mentioned “psychic transfer”, which allows the dog to work in the “luxury” class, is possible only with one permanent handler.

A dog's contact and affection are developed through the process of raising, training and communicating with it. Without contact, that is, close connection, mutual understanding in actions, learning is impossible at all. Under the same conditions, the same trainer has different contacts with different dogs, which depends not on the breed of the dog, but on the neuropsychic characteristics of both. The Swiss training method is entirely based on affection, that is, a feeling of closeness, sympathy and devotion to the trainer. To develop a strong contact, it is necessary to know the typological characteristics of the dog’s GNI, its character and behavior; treat kindly, but demandingly; be caring and attentive, especially in difficult situations. However, always and everywhere the trainer is the eldest, the “leader”, the dominant... But the dominance of the trainer should not depress the dog’s psyche, suppress its activity, independence, initiative. However, it must always be “in hand.”

The importance of these most important qualities of the components of a “common language” without words can be seen from the following examples.

A rescue worker with a dog was crossing a glacier with cracks covered with snow. There was thunder in the distance - a thunderstorm was approaching. Suddenly there was a crash nearby. At the same moment, the snow bridge they were standing on collapsed, and they found themselves at the bottom of the crack. The crack is not deep, but the walls are steep, smooth and slippery... The handler raised the dog above his head and shouted: “Forward!” The dog jumped, but slipped off the edge of the crack... Once again... and the guide heard barking above him. Command "Home!" - and an hour later the dog led a group of people.

A hunter with a dog was returning home through a mountain spur. When they crossed over it, the dog suddenly squealed, laid back its ears and rushed down... The hunter heard the noise, but it was too late. An avalanche knocked him off his feet and carried him down. When the hunter regained consciousness, he felt hot breath on his face. He widened the passage dug by the dog and climbed out of the snowy grave...

Experienced dog breeders know what a sociable, loving and intelligent dog is capable of. In the above cases, the dogs, having overcome the “instinct of self-preservation,” did not run away anywhere, as dogs usually do without sufficient affection, but each in its own way began to help the owner out of trouble.

It is very important that in both cases the dogs made an independent decision, that is, in a difficult, threatening environment they showed greater independence. The specificity of training PSS dogs is to make it as independent as possible. To develop this valuable quality, all types of coercion, threatening intonation and gestures should be reduced to a minimum. In difficult weather conditions, smoky ruins, mountains, when the dog does not see or hear the handler, forcing it to search forcibly, on command, is completely unrealistic.

All work of PSS dogs is based on the independent orienting search instinct and the instinct of freedom. “Reflex of freedom,” pointed out I.P. Pavlov, is a common property, a common reaction of animals, one of the most important innate reflexes. Without it, any slightest obstacle that the animal would encounter on its way would completely interrupt the course of its life. And we know well how all animals, deprived of ordinary freedom, strive to free themselves...

It is easier to “train” a dog to perform a series of techniques without failure, as in a circus, than to train an independent, active search. It is well known from practice that the more a dog is enslaved, that is, the more its independent behavior and rational activity are suppressed, the more difficult it is to prepare it for PSS.

In the above-mentioned actions of dogs based on contact and attachment to the owner, it was in a difficult situation that their rational activity, useful to humans, manifested itself. The fact that animals instantly, without special training, were able to accept correct solution, and lies the irreplaceable value of electric propulsion as a mechanism of adaptation in diverse, constantly changing environmental conditions. It is unlikely that “room” or “chain” dogs, whose ERD is constrained by their lifestyle, would be able to express themselves in this way, regardless of breed. The best way to study and develop rational actions is to give dogs more mental tasks during training sessions, walks, creating an environment that is close to extreme.

During search and rescue operations, which always take place in a tense, extreme environment, dogs often exhibit such intelligent behavior that it seems like a “miracle.” From the above it follows:

1) the PSS dog is not only a very precise instrument, an indicator of smell, but also an intelligent assistant, whose behavior must be carefully observed and more trusted;

2) during the training period - avoid “drilling” the dog, which inhibits the development and manifestation of its rational activity.

The special skills of the PSS include: searching for the belongings of the “victim”, searching for the “victim”, giving a voice when found, unearthing found items, for which grades are given according to a point system. The dogs are also trained to lead the trainer to the found sources of odor. For methodological ease, the PSS special course is as close as possible to the programs of other special courses of kennel clubs. For this purpose, auxiliary techniques have been introduced - sampling someone else's things, searching by the same smell for the “victim” and his things.

According to the “Program” (see appendix), a lesson plan is drawn up: daily, weekly, monthly. Any plan must be adjusted during the educational process. The individual characteristics of the trainer and the dog and the level of their contact are always and everywhere taken into account. It is equally important to take into account the location of classes, weather conditions and other factors affecting the learning process.

All necessary skills are gradually formed on the basis of initially developed conditioned reflexes. In PSS, the stages of their development also have psycho-methodological features. The 1st stage - the development of an initial skill - is associated with the “laying in” of interest in searching/finding a person’s scent using a game element. Stage 2 - consolidation and complication of the skill - for constant interest, “excite” the dog, give the load “not enough”, so that the dog constantly wants to look for more. 3rd stage - improving the skill until it can be performed without failure in a variety of difficult conditions - load to the fullest extent, “to find out the ceiling” of the dog’s capabilities. At maximum load, in order to avoid a nervous breakdown and a more severe, long-term disease of the central nervous system - neurosis - strictly monitor the dog’s behavior.

Training dogs to retrieve someone else's things is done in the same way as in the protective guard service. But it is advisable not to bring the selected object to the trainer, but only to indicate it by taking it into the mouth or by giving a voice. This is necessary so that in a real situation, having found clothes or equipment, the dog does not leave this place, which can be lost in difficult weather conditions, but sniffs around where the injured person himself may be. The development of all skills is based not on “coercion”, but on “pushing” necessary actions, awakening interest in it.

Initial training of a dog to search for a “victim” and his belongings is carried out in the same way as when training to search an area. Then complications are introduced. Dogs develop the skill of finding, by zigzag searching in the direction against the wind, a buried assistant trainer and two things with his scent. Conditioned stimuli when developing a skill are the command “Look!” and a gesture - throwing out the hand in the direction of sending the dog to search. Auxiliary conditioned stimuli - the command “Forward!”, the exclamation “Good!”. The assistant's underwear (plans, shirt), worn for at least 24 hours, is used as buried items.

To prevent the dog from bringing the found things to the trainer at the moment when it found it, the trainer energetically gives the command “Voice!” and hand gesture. If this is difficult for the dog to do, an auxiliary command is given with a voice and the “Sit!” gesture, and things are tied to driven pegs or bushes. After the dog has mastered the initial skill of finding a helper and his things in an area of ​​30x30 m, it is gradually increased to a size of 70x70 m, and the burying depth is increased to the test depth. An important point for training, the corners of the training area are clearly marked with red flags, clearly visible to the trainer from the start.

Training in one area should not be carried out more than three times in a row, otherwise dogs will develop the habit of searching only in places they are familiar with. In the second period of classes at the training site, in order to complicate the search, in addition to the usual burying of the assistant’s things, “false burials” are made, that is, digging up the surface without burying things.

The most important thing that the trainer should not forget in all classes is to maintain the dog’s constant interest in searching. Sometimes the dog needs to be given a rest, sometimes it needs to be entertained with a game or a change of environment. The search should always and everywhere end with finding the source of the smell. If the dog is not able to find it on its own, the trainer helps it by leading it to the hole. If the burial site is forgotten, he should quietly throw in an additional item (mitten, handkerchief).

At the initial stage of search training, the dog is rewarded with treats and exclamations of approval after each finding of an item. Later, the treat is given only if the task is performed particularly quickly and accurately. When finding a hidden helper, both the trainer and the helper are given, which increases the dog’s interest in finding it and speeds up the development of the initial skill.

A good trainer constantly keeps the dog in his biofield, preventing it from being distracted by unnecessary stimuli, stimulating the search for IZ with an invigorating, stimulating intonation. It is not the words of the command that play a role, but the desired intonation - at the moment. To “keep her in your hands”, commands and calls alone are not enough. Team "Search!" only a trigger for starting a search, such as the “Start!” signal. for the runner. He made a jerk... then he ran to the approving intonation of the fans.

Due to the fact that burying a person compared to a thing takes much more time and is impossible in damp weather, half of the classes can be carried out on things alone without damage. When burying a person in snow or soil, a free space for breathing is left in front of his face - an “air pantry”. To do this, the “victim” is placed with his head under a coniferous tent of a young Christmas tree or a vault is built above his head from blocks of snow and boards. When burying in very loose snow and soil, an ordinary wicker basket or wooden box with air slots is placed above the head of the person being buried to prevent hypoxia.

Impeccable vocal delivery is the most important skill of the PSS, which is why dogs with voice defects and so-called “silent” dogs are rejected. During classes and work, dogs bark instinctively in response to some stimulus (someone else's dog, etc.). Therefore, in the PSS, when finding a “victim”, dogs are required not to bark randomly, but to strictly define, voice three times. You should start practicing this skill from the very first lesson. In order to teach a dog to vocalize three times and consolidate this skill, it is enough to immediately exclaim “Good!” each time after the third vocalization, and put a treat in its mouth. For highly excitable dogs, after the third serve, you can put a mitten in their mouth and cover their mouth with your hand. Depending on the dog’s behavior, it is advisable to alternate performing this technique on command by voice and gesture with digging out the source of the smell. Oral signal behavior - barking, howling - is manifested in a dog, as well as in a wolf, to call the leader of the pack when the desired IZ is found.

Unearthing a source of odor that interests a dog is inherent in its instinct. But the dog may not be interested in the thing buried by the trainer. Therefore, from the very first lessons, the dog is taught to dig using the command “Dig!”, combining it, depending on the situation, with a voice. When developing this skill, a favorite retrieval object or large bone is buried to a depth of 15–20 cm, and the trainer, tearing it apart with his foot, gives the command “Dig!” In the future, his leg movements will serve as a gesture for the dog to dig out the source of the smell without a verbal command. Sometimes the trainer has to take the dog’s paws in his hands and, while digging with them, repeat “Dig!”, “Good!”. The dog is rewarded for vigorous digging, but gnawing or carrying the found object is not allowed. When digging holes of rodents and sewage, the command “Fu!” is given. Having consolidated the initial skill of digging out the source of the smell while simultaneously uttering a voice, an object with a smell familiar to the dog is replaced with other, unfamiliar ones.

At the final stage of training, the entire complex of search - digging - voice skills developed in the dog is brought to automatic unity, that is, they merge into a single complex search skill. To achieve this, during training you need to gradually add the following techniques to the one familiar to the dog (familiar to it separately) and repeat them many times in a strictly defined sequence. So, to develop the above complex, the corresponding commands are “Search!”, “Dig!”, “Voice!” Always and everywhere served to the dog only in this sequence. If this rule is observed, after repeated repetitions, a certain dynamic stereotype is developed - a complex action of the body, obtained on several stimuli in a strictly defined sequence - and the dog will perform all three techniques with only one command “Look!” In psychophysiology this is called a chain conditioned reflex. The addition of each subsequent technique to the initial ones should not be done at the stage of developing the initial skill, but only after it has been firmly consolidated. Developing a complex skill of search work in a dog is possible only with strict adherence to the basic principles of training: consistency, regularity, consistency, gradual transition from simple to complex.

One of the types of dog training that stimulates and diversifies everyday activities is competitions: which dog finds the IZ faster, which one makes the alert and eyeliner more clearly. Only regular training preserves all acquired skills and improves them.

Systematicity is the establishment of a certain order based on the systematic arrangement and mutual connection of its parts, which may not be close in essence. Consistency ensures that the most difficult work is completed, turning the “off-road” into a “road” convenient for progress. Depending on the chosen direction, systems may vary.

The training system for a specific PSS dog consists of using this book and others to create your own training system - taking into account your specific conditions, your personal abilities, and the individuality of your dog. Everything should be “laid out on shelves” and, just like in a library with millions of books, the librarian does not look for the right book, but thanks to the system of their arrangement, he only raises his hand and removes it from the shelf.

Regularity - uniform and correct execution according to the time of actions: feeding, training sessions, training, etc. Any healthy body both dogs and humans without clockwise, subconsciously and due to the phenomenon of biorhythm, strive for regularity in their life activity. It ensures health and maximum activity. The results of training sessions and training without their regularity are very insignificant and come to naught. Moreover, an irregular lifestyle leads to weakening and disruption of physical and mental activity, diseases and premature aging of the dog.

The sequence clearly expressed in the development of the dog’s search complex “Look - dig - voice - lead” should be strictly applied in all training sessions and training sessions. The continuous succession of one action after another in a certain order is a necessary condition for the development of a dynamic stereotype in any activity. It is important that the development of a new complex skill in a dog is done from the natural flow of the subsequent action from the previous one with the inclusion of rational activity in the work.

The gradual transition from simple to complex, both qualitatively and quantitatively, is known to everyone from the example of personal study of mathematics, playing volleyball or walking with a backpack.

A clear understanding and practical use of the “laws” of the 1st and 2nd signal systems helps to avoid mistakes when preparing and working with PSS dogs. This also gets rid of the disturbing anthropomorphism and simplification of “training” only on conditioned reflexes. Both of these systems are ways of regulating the behavior of humans and animals in their lives. The entire surrounding world is perceived by the brain in the form of signals, captured either directly by the senses as sensations of shape, smell, sound - 1st signal system, or through the sign system written language- 2nd alarm system.

Due to the close interaction of both systems, the 1st signaling system of humans is qualitatively different from dogs and other animals. But “naming” the 2nd signaling system, which conveys socio-historical values ​​through language only, only in human society, “higher” is not entirely correct, since primitive and some tribes living today live without a written language, passing on their experience to their offspring. It is possible that dogs that communicate with humans through the biofield, non-verbal language, and rational activity have some kind of “addition” to the 1st signaling system. For training and working with a dog, what is more important is not the name of the “additions,” but understanding the dog not only by its eyes, but by the “tip of its tail.” It is also important to be able to develop, if necessary, reflexes of the 2nd and 3rd order.

When developing PSS skills in dogs, a command is simultaneously given with a voice and a gesture, which is more understandable to the dog as a “common” - non-verbal language. A command only by voice is a purely conventional sound combination, incomprehensible even to a person who does not know the given language. It happens that you teach a dog to perform a technique on command with a gesture later, using an already developed voice command. Reflexes developed on the basis of previously acquired skills, not reinforced by unconditioned stimuli, are conditioned reflexes 2nd, 3rd and higher order. The formation of a conditioned reflex of the 2nd order can be seen in the example of teaching a dog to work using gestures when controlling its behavior at a distance. Area search skills are developed according to the principle of forming conditioned reflexes of the 2nd and 3rd orders. This method can be used to develop the entire complex search skill. If each skill is developed separately and then combined into a single one, then the method is called “integration”.

Eyeliner to the found source of odor is the final stage of training a dog according to the club program. It consists of the dog, having discovered the IZ, vocalize three times, then, running up to the trainer located at a distance, vocalize again and at the command “Lead!” led him to his location. The method for developing this complex skill (2nd order reflex) is as follows. The trainer holds the dog on a long leash at the start. In full view of them, the assistant moves away 10–12 m and hides. The trainer with the command “Look!” sends a dog to search. Having found an assistant without difficulty, the dog gives a voice. The trainer calls the dog to him. If she does not respond well to the call, she reinforces the command with a leash. Returning to the trainer, the dog raises its voice again. The trainer shortens the leash and gives the command “Look!” - “Lead!” and follows the dog. This is repeated until the dog gives one command “Lead!”. Having brought the trainer to the assistant, the dog receives a treat. This completes the complex search skill of 4 techniques: search - digging - voice - eyeliner.

Training sessions in preparation for testing should be carried out in areas with rough terrain. The more rugged it is, the more complex the movement of air currents on the surface. Training with human burial is carried out according to the following method. After selecting the belongings of an assistant unfamiliar to the dog, who will later be the “victim,” the trainer and the dog retire to a shelter that excludes visibility of the area. At this time, the “victim” enters the area from one of the side boundaries no closer than 20 m from the start and buries two of his things to the test depth at a distance of 20–30 m from each other.

The snow (soil) is slightly compacted. As distracting smells, 2 “false burials” and loops of traces of the second assistant are made at a distance of 5-10 m from the buried things. Then, at the end of the area, the second assistant buries the “victim.” 2-3 more “false digs” are made nearby.

The trainer and the dog go to the start. At the instructor’s signal, he unfastens the leash and sends the dog with the command “Look!” to search. The trainer himself follows the dog 10–15 m along the center line of the site, moving no more than 10 m to the side. If the dog tries to go beyond the boundaries of the site, he attracts its attention with a nickname and directs the further search with a command and gesture. The dog must begin searching in zigzag parallels with a distance of 5–7 m between them and show the ability to work as a “shuttle” near the start. In the future, if she picked up the smell with her upper sense, then she can, stopping the “shuttle”, rush straight to it. When the “victim” and his things are found, she must, starting to dig, give a voice three times and bring the trainer to them. Complete excavation of all IZs is done by the trainer with a shovel. The dogs themselves are tested in the same way to receive a diploma in the club’s special PSS course.

When developing PSS skills in a dog, trainers often make the following mistakes:

1. Conducting initial search lessons in an area heavily polluted with distracting odors, which makes it difficult to develop the skill.

2. A long session with the dog in the same area, as a result of which the dog, having become accustomed to it, is poorly oriented and searches in a new, unfamiliar area.

3. The same type of burying of the assistant and objects - at the same distance from each other, in the same places in the training area.

4. Frequently pointing the dog to the source of the smell, that is, unnecessary hints that are necessary only in the first lessons.

5. Excessive restraint of the dog with a leash to maintain the correct zigzags of the “shuttle” search. Frequently pushing the dog and mistrusting its instincts.

6. Using the same assistant and his things in classes, as a result of which the dog gets used to looking only for this familiar smell.

7. Burying unworn assistants’ underwear as belongings or those that have been used in classes for a long time and have lost their smell.

8. Violation of the sequence of commands when developing the complex search skill “Search - dig - voice - lead.”

Finding a stranger. A dog that has passed tests in the club's special PSS course is a semi-finished product. In service, dogs must find IZ under a thicker layer different environments and different wind directions. And, most importantly, when differentiating a person’s smell from the smell of his things, always find it first. These skills are improved by gradually increasing the depth of burying IZ according to a pre-designed training plan, sending the dog to search in different directions relative to the wind.

The principle of training to find an unfamiliar “victim” is that, together with a person familiar to the dog by smell, a stranger is buried. The dog, easily finding a friend, gradually learns to find an unfamiliar “victim”, that is, it switches to finding any stranger. The dog's good behavior is required for this.

The olfactory reception of the PSS dog is the same for the smell of a person, both familiar and unfamiliar. When searching for strangers, she does not differentiate between people's smells.

"Switching" sequence.

1. Trainer with a dog in a shelter. After camouflaging his assistants at the training site, he goes out with the dog to the start and leads the search.

2. A helper familiar to the dog and an unfamiliar one are camouflaged in a nearby area in the same trench. The trainer lets the dog search, and it finds both assistants by the familiar scent of one of them.

3. The helpers disguise themselves in such a way that the stranger is closer to the start and under less cover, so that when searching, the dog finds him first.

4. Both assistants are masked at the same distance from the start with a distance of 3 meters from each other, which later increases. The dog finds both familiar and unfamiliar without much difficulty.

5. After the dog can easily find one unfamiliar helper in various places on the site, new unfamiliar people and things with their scent are disguised and buried.

Due to the fact that the smell of a person differs from his smell on things, dogs, easily differentiating them, often prefer to find first the person and then his things without any training. In order for dogs to always and everywhere find the person himself first, without paying attention to things with his smell, the following method of step-by-step training is recommended. They use the dog's attachment to the trainer - a powerful incentive for the rapid development of many skills. The search is carried out in the direction towards the wind.

1st stage. Dog, trainer and his assistant at the start. The trainer hands the dog over to an assistant and, moving along the middle of the training area, in full view of the dog, scatters several objects left and right. He excites the dog by pronouncing its name, then hides at a distance of 25–30 meters from the start. The assistant gives the command “Look!”, releases the dog, which in an excited state, not paying attention to objects, rushes in the direction of the trainer and quickly finds him.

2nd stage. The dog is in cover and does not see the trainer scattering objects or burying him. At this and subsequent stages, people enter the site from its rear or sides. This complicates the dog’s search, since it cannot follow the scent trail from the start.

3rd stage. After the dog has acquired the skill of finding a person first, the assistant and the trainer are buried together.

4th stage. Instead of an assistant, a person unfamiliar to the dog buries, then 2 strangers. Objects with a distracting scent from the trainer are scattered around the area, which the dog finds only after strangers.

Depending on the specific situation and behavior of the dog, you can slightly change the training plan, compress or stretch the stages by introducing intermediate ones. Whenever the dog finds a person first, it is rewarded with an increased portion of treats and exclamations of “Good!” etc. All attempts to search for objects before finding a person are “extinguished” by the commands “Forward!”, “Look!”, and in no case “Ugh!”

To train and train each dog to find a “stranger”, a large number of extras are required, the smell of which is unknown to the dog. The same extra can be used no more than 3 times with weekly breaks.

Among the dogs selected for training in the PSS course, there is a wide variety of types of GNI, behavioral reactions, and individual characteristics. In dogs with a predominant food reaction behavior, the initial search skill can be developed only with the help of reinforcement with a treat after each discovery of the source of the odor. Over time, their orienting-search behavior usually awakens. It is better to conduct classes with a hungry dog; the treat is given in small pieces. At the first stage of training, all search actions are reinforced; at the second, with the strengthening of the conditioned reflex, only individual ones are reinforced, which the dog performs clearly, without errors.

In life, purely expressed types of behavior are rarely encountered; usually they are mixed. There have been cases where dogs with feeding behavior on the plains in the mountains clearly showed indicative-search behavior. After lowering them down, behavioral reactions alternated.

For training dogs with a predominant orienting reaction, the imitative method gives good results. Inhibition of stimuli that distract the dog during exercise is developed through gradual habituation to them. Classes begin in a closed area with no distractions. As conditioned reflexes develop, the manifestation of indicative reflexes weakens. In response to stimuli above the threshold - in strength or duration - extreme inhibition occurs in the dog’s central nervous system, protecting the nerve centers from overexcitation.

During orienting-search behavior with visual expression, dogs are distracted by moving objects - cars, livestock and other distractions from work by smell. Initial training with such dogs should be carried out in desert areas, in the dark, gradually teaching them not to react to moving objects.

In some dogs, the reaction of attachment to the owner makes them dependent and passive when searching. To get rid of these shortcomings, the handler should show minimal affection, other handlers give the dog food, and let the dog communicate more with the dogs in the absence of the handler.

There are differences in dog training methods and various types GNI, age, gender, upbringing, physical fitness, individual traits. Each handler must learn and feel the individuality of his dog as himself. There are doubles, both in humans and in dogs, in appearance, but there are no doubles in behavior. The common thing in the sequence of improvement will be the “formula”:

To train PSS dogs in professional services, the above techniques and rules should be supplemented. On the first day of classes, the conductors’ ability to use indicators of toxic substances and their serviceability are checked.

If the dog is not yet accustomed to bringing a thrown object to the command “Fetch!”, it should not be taught this, since in the future, when searching the area, it should not bring what it found, but only notify about the find by barking. To develop this skill, when the dog finds a retrieval object, you need to run up to it, sit it down and, waving the found object in front of its nose, call for a voice. When training to search an area, it is very important for PSS dogs to have the skill of “sending” it in the right direction at 15–20 meters on the command “Forward!”, “Search!” and the gesture of a thrown hand.

Some dogs have difficulty developing fetch, however, their search abilities can significantly exceed good “fetchers”. In fact, the search for victims over a wide area is based on the orienting search instinct of the dog’s wild ancestors to look for food for sustenance. The trainer must skillfully direct this behavior towards finding people, giving freedom to the dog’s instinct and natural abilities. This is the main difficulty in training PSS dogs - to make maximum use of the instinct, without at the same time losing control of their search. Dogs of the orienting-search type of behavior do not need food reinforcement when finding an IZ.

Shuttle search helps PSS dogs not only to detect with the upper sense of the victim in the air flow and with the lower sense during a “thorough search”. It makes it possible to use the headwind at different angles, which makes it much easier to find the IZ. Depending on the individual characteristics of the dog, the shuttle search skill, in addition to fetching, can be developed in other ways. For example, with a lethargic or overly excitable dog that is distracted by external stimuli, you need to run along the “shuttle” line, keeping it on a leash using a contrast training method. Another method is that the trainer, leaving the dog at the start, runs 15–20 meters across the direction of the wind and calls it to him. The dog rushes towards the trainer and usually overtakes him. As soon as the dog runs 10–15 meters in this direction, he stops and runs along the zigzag “shuttle” in the opposite direction, again calling him to him. The dog catches up with him again and overtakes him, etc.

An option for teaching “retrieving” without an assistant and a leash is that the trainer, in full view of the dog, throws the retrieving object 10–12 meters and, after a short wait, sends it out to search. When the dog finds an object, he gives the command “Voice!” from a distance, then calls it - again “Voice!” and, having given the commands “Look!”, “Lead!”, follows her to her location. For dogs with a defect in vocalization, but with good search abilities, notification of the found source of odor and guidance to it is done using a pointer wear, which is suspended on its collar.

With all of the above and other options for developing search skills, the main attention is paid to the dog’s interest in finding. Training in its search in the rescue services is carried out not after OKD, but from the very first days of classes and continues in parallel with it until testing. If within 3–5 days the dog has not shown interest in finding the IZ, it means that it is not suitable for PSS.

To conduct classes, the training group is divided into teams with a permanent composition of 3-5 trainers with dogs in each. With such an organization, the trainer does not need special assistants; if necessary, they can be members of his own team. Dogs not working at this time usually closely observe those working, which makes it possible to use an imitative training method, which is especially effective for young dogs. This organization allows one instructor to conduct classes with 2-3 teams, which by the end of the academic year work well together and form a team capable of working harmoniously in an emergency zone.

From many years of practice it follows that it is most advisable for burial to use underwear with a certain odor of a certain strength as a source of odor and conduct half of all classes on it. An underwear shirt or trousers worn for at least 24 hours are called “standard tucks.” When the “wearer” performs intense physical work this period is reduced to 2 hours. There is absolutely no need to bury larger objects in class. Burying a person should be done in the second half of the school year. The use of three “standard burrows” with different scents by each trainer allows for constant variety of tasks for the dogs. For example, four trainers of one team, exchanging burrows, give each dog the opportunity to work with twelve different odors in one lesson. If necessary, you can exchange digs between teams.

Techniques significantly save time for large group training sessions. A convenient way to scatter burials over a large area from the back of a truck. The tracks from the wheels do not leave a scent trail and serve as a noticeable boundary between the training areas of each team and crew. To throw over long distances, mechanical ejection is used.

For stationary training grounds and parade grounds, V.K.’s method has proven itself well. Karpova. Along it, an extensive network of covered trenches is being constructed at the training ground. Their dead-end compartments, located at different depths, have holes with a diameter of 10–15 cm, which go to the surface of the earth and are closed with gratings. Over the holes there are rubbles of “ruins”, “forests”, etc. Assistants in the role of “victims” penetrate into dead-end compartments and regulate the release of their smell according to what is planned for each team, each calculation. Debris on the surface and dead-end compartments change for a change of scenery. This method saves precious training time and allows the dog to work on untracked terrain.

Special training of PSS dogs, which is carried out in parallel with training for raising the class, includes accustoming to: 1) explosions and shots, 2) fire and smoke, 3) the smell of blood and corpses.

Not a single search and rescue event is complete without signal flares, so the dog should be gradually accustomed to sharp sounds from an early age, starting with clapping and rattling. Later, take her for walks near shooting ranges and shooting ranges. During artillery shots, for example shelling avalanche slopes, dogs should be removed at a distance along with handlers who distract them with games and various techniques. One of them is that the handler, sitting on the ground, hides the dog’s head under his arm and approves of its behavior with a caress and a soothing tone. Dogs that have never heard gun shots often run away from them for several kilometers and, due to a breakdown in nervous activity (neurosis), lose their ability to work. The calm reaction of most dogs to the sound of thunder and hunting dogs to gun shots is a habit developed in phylogenesis, that is, over the course of many generations.

In relation to fire, dogs do not have an instinctive fear, since in ontogenesis (in their life) they have no negative associations with fires. This circumstance does not make it easier to find them in the fire zone, but makes it more difficult, since burns to the paws and other parts of the body will be a cruel lesson for life. The usual caution of dogs towards the fire of a fire (from phylogeny) does not alleviate this issue, since it is not the fire itself that is dangerous, into which no dog will climb, but the unexpected fall of burning debris, fire tornadoes, hot gases, a hail of sparks, etc. The only thing that can and should be taught to dogs to avoid these dangers is to calmly follow next to the handler, both on a leash and without it.

Finding themselves in a smoke-filled fire for the first time in their lives, even seasoned, experienced dogs will refuse to work or will soon fail after ingesting smoke. Young and excitable - in the heat of the moment they will singe the fur, burn their paws, after which they will be afraid of the smell of smoke for a long time. The basis for accustoming dogs to a smoky area is the well-known principle of training - a gradual transition from easy to difficult, from simple to complex. At the beginning of training, smoke in the areas should be minimal, and, gradually increasing it, it is brought closer to the level of smoke in a “real situation” only after 2–3 months. Smoke from burning material containing toxic chemicals can poison not only the dog, but also the handler. Smoke, even without toxic impurities (wood, straw), is a strong distracting irritant for the dog, making it difficult to find the “victims”. For these reasons, training in a smoky area should be carried out in compliance with the following rules:

1. When making fires to create smoke at the search site, use uncontaminated fuel - brushwood, straw, etc. When burning scraps of roofing felt and other waste in construction landfills, use indicators to determine the impurities of sulfur, phosphorus and other toxic substances in the smoke.

2. To avoid getting into the area of ​​thick smoke and getting burned, young, highly excitable dogs are taken on a leash for searching.

3. From the very first training, dogs should be taught to avoid strong streams of smoke, go around them and take the smell from the side or wait out the “smoke wave”.

4. If a dog gets into an area of ​​thick smoke and starts sneezing, it will not be able to detect even a strong source of the smell. To restore her sense of smell, she is taken out of the smoky area and walked in clean air.

The same respite and calm are given to the dog when it is overexcited by any strong stimuli - sound, light, etc. When a dog’s neuropsychic balance is disturbed, its sense of smell and search become noticeably weakened.

An injured bleeding victim will smell differently than a normal human, which can confuse and confuse a dog if it is meeting him for the first time. Dogs react to human blood in much the same way as to animal blood, so in classes it is quite possible to use blood taken, for example, from a slaughterhouse. During search sessions with this new smell for the dog, the assistant handler pins a rag soaked in the blood of pets to his clothing. It must be soaked at least 2 hours before classes in order for certain chemical reactions to occur in the blood, as in a real situation. In these classes, the handler carefully observes the change in behavior of the dog that detects the scent of a person with blood. Under no circumstances should a dog be allowed to lick a rag with blood while there is a helper.

The quality of work of PSS dogs is significantly reduced on terrain that is unusual for them and in other unusual conditions. Therefore, training for dogs of classes “B” and “C” should also include mountain training. The simplest method of this training is for the dog to accompany the trainer on mountain routes of varying difficulty with strict adherence to the rules of movement in the mountains. On moderately difficult terrain, the dog chooses the best path itself. On difficult and dangerous ones, where a breakdown leads to a fall, she takes belay.

On rocky routes, the greatest danger is the ice formed on the surface, which the dog does not visually notice. Overcoming large rock slides, the dog jumps from stone to stone without difficulty. On the small screes that “float” under their feet, many of them experience fear and hostility. The most unpleasant for both the handler and the dog are medium screes, with rocks swinging underfoot, cracks in which young and excitable dogs break their legs. An easier technique for practicing in such areas is the use of microburrows.

Melting porous firn and snow, even on steep slopes, present no difficulty for dogs. On steep ice slopes, dogs’ paws are not supported, and they are transported by guides along rope “railings” and in a backpack, as if through cracks. It is noteworthy that old, experienced PSS dogs have, like many highland animals, an amazing sense of detecting dangers “hidden” from humans - cracks dusted with snow, snow cornices ready to collapse, etc. This ability, not yet explained by science, should be given attention attention.

Dogs cross mountain streams waist-deep by swimming or jumping from rock to rock. Most dogs can swim from birth, but not all can swim for long periods of time. Training in water is usually done by repeatedly throwing retrieval objects into it. Dogs' dislike of water is always associated with negative emotions, tested in early age- usually, when in order to “teach swimming”, they were forcibly thrown into a pond. You can get rid of this shortcoming only through gradual training with food reinforcement and association with pleasant things - playing and swimming with the trainer, who must always swim so as to see the dog.

The negative influence of altitude above sea level due to decreased atmospheric pressure and lack of oxygen is overcome, as in humans, by gradual acclimatization and training at various altitudes. Behavior in the highlands different dogs- individually. Thus, one of our dogs, which was not distinguished by either strength or endurance below, freely climbed several times to the top of Elbrus (5633 m above sea level), while others, stronger ones, did not go higher than 4500 m. The critical altitude is 4000 m above sea level, above which most dogs lose their appetite, become lethargic or, conversely, excitable. With proper acclimatization - gradual adaptation of the body to new climatic conditions - dogs perform search and other techniques completely normally at an altitude of 5000 m.

The purpose of the training is to consolidate and improve the skills developed during training. In its absence and rare official use, extinctive inhibition occurs in the dog’s cerebral cortex, as a result of which the developed skills are gradually lost. Therefore, the main task of training is to maintain working form and prevent the loss of developed skills. The second task is to further improve skills by increasing the depth of burying odor sources and complicating the conditions for their location. Physical training includes running, jumping, swimming and, of course, towing a skier.

A large number of, but irregular and unsystematic performance of any exercises not only does not improve the dog’s skill, but often causes a negative attitude towards both training and work.

Dog training should be carried out strictly according to plan, 2-3 times a week, with full training, but without overwork with long and monotonous exercises, which “discourage interest” and lead to diseases of the nervous system - neuroses. Burying a person in snow to a depth of more than 2 meters is carried out in deep trenches in an avalanche or snow drift. A specific aspect of search training is the dog’s love not only for its handler, but for people in general. A good search dog, having found and dug up a person unfamiliar to it, squeals and jumps for joy. Such dog behavior as “good behavior” should be encouraged not only by exclamations of “Good!” and delicacy, but also the manifestation of the same joy by the conductor himself and his assistant.

In terms of training, training with “full equipment” is alternated with “incomplete”, “not full”, difficult - “preliminary burying” of objects - with easy ones with assistants. This alternation of loads makes the dog constantly look forward to the next activity with joy and impatience.

During rescue operations in difficult weather conditions, when the victim is at great depth, detection of his scent is difficult; dogs must be able to do, in addition to the “primary” search without a leash, a “thorough” search on a long leash using a “shuttle” or other methods. The advantage of the first type of search is the examination of a large area in a short time and the quick finding of a victim covered with a thin layer of snow or soil. The second type allows you to carefully examine the search area not only by the dog, but also by the handler, who can detect small, almost odorless objects (a coin, a button) on the surface that help find the victim. During a “thorough” search, the handler leads the dog to the boundaries of the marked area, which it cannot determine on its own. Training in this search is especially useful for young and excitable dogs. Performing the technique requires high skill from the handler: he must simultaneously visually examine the surface, keep the dog on a leash, guiding the search, and not restrict its freedom. A good result of learning search work is obtained by preliminary study of various techniques in a “laboratory search”.

Classes should not be conducted in areas contaminated with sharp objects. However, in life you have to work in such conditions - pieces of glass and iron in the ruins of buildings, sharp stones in an avalanche runoff, etc. If dogs are not prepared for such work, then from the very first steps, having cut their paws, not only will they not be able to find the victim, but will generally be out of commission for a long time. Therefore, several special training sessions should be carried out in these areas. In the curriculum, time is allocated for them when burying cannot be done - lack of snow, frozen ground. Construction dumps, areas of demolished buildings, etc. are used as a training ground. The sources of the smell are both people and various digs that are hidden under slabs, pieces of iron, and plywood. Dogs must work in durable shoe covers. Under no circumstances is the dog allowed to dig, for which purpose the handler, following it at the closest possible distance, always does this work himself when attempting to dig. Covered trenches with “wells” allow you to dig without the risk of injury. In them you can use the smell of blood, a corpse, previously collected on an adsorbent or in a container.

When the assistant is buried deep in the snow, an icy crust forms on the ceiling of the snow niche - the “air pantry”, blocking the release of the smell, which must be periodically scraped off.

The general rules will be:

1) the dog must first find living people, then corpses and, if necessary, certain things;

2) any specialization improves the quality of work. Therefore, it is advisable to specialize PSS dogs, dividing them into “avalanche” and “ruin” dogs.

This specialization begins with the first training sessions using various methods. Ruin dogs are trained to find only people, with minimal food reinforcement. Avalanche - standard digs, with food reinforcement. Training in conditions of strong sound and light stimuli is mandatory for dogs of both specializations.

Training dogs of any class is not limited to physical and technical exercises - mental training forms its organic whole. Search in “terrible” terrain areas; blizzard, rain, hurricane; thunder, lightning and fires; artillery shelling, the roar of destruction and the screams of victims - the dog must be accustomed to all this.

The rules of training and training are just an “ABC”, which each trainer supplements and uses taking into account the characteristics of his dog and the region where these classes take place.

Education and training rules:

1. Establish the strongest contact with the dog based on a thorough knowledge of all the features of its behavior, an individual approach, a friendly but demanding attitude. Be balanced with her, treat her kindly, communicate more. The trainer and the dog are an inseparable whole, a future “calculation”.

2. Engage only with completely healthy dog in working order. Feed her at least 2 hours before or after class.

3. Conditioned stimulus, that is, the command is always given 1–2 seconds before the unconditional - mechanical reinforcement (“shuttle” search, eyeliner). Food reinforcement, that is, a treat is given throughout the entire lesson, in equal portions (finding, digging, etc.).

4. Repeat each technique with the dog, depending on the complexity and its behavior, from 5 to 15 times a day, the intervals between them are 3–5 minutes. Give her rest, alternate performing “unloved” techniques with “favorite” ones.

6. Use not only unconditioned and conditioned reflexes, but also the rational activity of dogs. Be as attentive as possible to their search behavior - dogs can perform useful actions that they have not been trained to do. Excessive commands from the trainer make the dog lack initiative.

7. The merging (complexing) of the techniques “search - digging - casting a voice - eyeliner” should always and everywhere be carried out in a strictly defined sequence. Only in this way do individual techniques form a single chain and are performed by the dog automatically in unison after multiple repetitions.

8. Develop and constantly maintain the dog’s interest in finding the source of the smell. Searching on difficult terrain and in difficult weather conditions simply by following a command does not bring results.

Keep the dog in a cheerful, working state, but without overexcitation.

9. Systematically change the place of study, time of day, sources of smell, environment (snow, soil, etc.), meteorological and other conditions in which the search is carried out.

10. The search for the source of the smell always ends with finding it. At the same time, encourage the dog, in addition to treats, by exclaiming “Good!”, expressing joy, affection, and play.

The types and types of searches that are given below are very conventional and schematic. They are only the basis for a creative decision made in each specific situation of a real search, their combinations, but not a permanent template. With a PSS dog, you can perform 2 types of search: “primary” - always without a leash, and “thorough” - usually on a long leash or without it, keeping the dog at a distance of no more than 10 m. During rescue operations, through these types of search, a handler with a dog can do 4 types of area surveys, usually performed in the same sequence in which they are listed.

1. “Preliminary examination” is done by dogs of the “primary” type during reconnaissance, when the handlers only outline zones “A” and “B”, or the direction of the “corridors”. Its goal is to survey the largest area in the shortest possible time. With it, the dog is given the command “Look!”, and the handler, while inspecting the surface, does not direct its search. The dog, taking advantage of complete freedom (freedom reflex), searches the area in the direction it desires. This type of examination is also used at crossings, when there is an assumption that victims may be on the route or there is no certainty at all where to look for them.

2. The “basic examination” is also carried out by the “primary” species, but the handler already leads the search, at the same time not hampering the dog’s initiative. It is usually used when the search is being done over a more specific area or targeted "corridor". “Basic examination” is the most common type of work performed by PSS dogs. The handler controls the search for the dog with the command “Search!” and a gesture of throwing out the hand in the right direction. It encourages the dog, taking into account the direction of the wind, to search in zigzags or along other lines.

3. “Detailed survey” is the most thorough of the types mentioned, which is always carried out by a “thorough” search along zigzag lines (shuttle) or other lines. His goal is to inspect the area so as to be sure that there are no casualties there. When working with young, excitable dogs, always use a long leash. For balanced, experienced dogs, class “B” and “C”, there is usually no need for this - the handler leads the search with the command “Look!” and a gesture of throwing out the hand. In suspicious places, he encourages the dog to dig with the command “Dig!” and sniff carefully. This type of survey is used in very specific areas - zones “A” and “B”, the boundaries of which are marked with red flags.

4. “Re-examination” is used when the “detailed” survey did not bring results, but there is reason to believe that there are victims in the given area. It happens that the dog searching here could not find them because the burial was too deep, difficult weather conditions, its individual characteristics, the handler’s mistakes and other reasons. In this most difficult type of examination, depending on the situation, all of the above types can be used in their various combinations. This work is performed by another, more experienced handler and the best dog, usually in a slightly modified direction of the previous search. A “re-examination” can be carried out by the same handler with the dog, passing the area they have already examined in the opposite direction.

Regardless of how the dogs are delivered to the disaster site, they are given a 10-minute rest, during which a plan and tactics for search and rescue operations are outlined. The dogs are given a walk, plenty to drink and 100-200 g of meat or fish if they received food long before going out. During the search, the dog should not be hungry, but it should also not be fed to its fullest. The main feeding is done after work, in the evening. A small portion of food stimulates its nervous activity and puts the body into working shape. During this rest, the dog's airways are cleared of dust, exhaust fumes and other road odors. After this, they are put on harnesses and protective shoe covers on their paws. The conductors wear durable shoes that protect against burns and injuries, a protective helmet, and gloves.

In dogs of the choleric type, VND does not allow the dominance of the excitation process, which interferes with the work of the dogs themselves and their control. A skilled handler regulates the activity of the dog’s central nervous system with his expression of will and intonation.

The duration of work of PSS dogs without rest depends on many factors, including the fitness class and age of the dog, its working form and state of health at the moment, the complexity of the work performed (strength of smell, air movement, weather conditions, etc.), type of search, skill and the experience of the handler, etc. There are cases when dogs worked for 8 or more hours without rest. Usually, a break is required after every hour of work to clean the nose, paws and fur, get a drink, etc. When working in the ruins of residential buildings, dogs may adapt to household odors.

The famous climber and mountain rescuer of Czechoslovakia I. Galfi spoke about this side of the matter this way: “The success of saving lives depends primarily not on the rescuers and not on their dogs, but on how quickly they reach the scene of the incident.”

That is why it is especially relevant to train PSS dogs directly in areas prone to earthquakes and avalanches.

The main reasons for sluggish search by dogs are the following:

Poor health of the dog (general or olfactory organs);

Overfatigue during transportation and work;

“unwillingness” of the dog to work (psychogenic breakdown);

Unfavorable weather conditions (frost, heat);

Blocking odor from reaching the surface (wet snow, etc.);

Excessive smoke, air pollution with other harmful impurities;

Carrying away odor information by hurricane winds;

Excessive contamination of the surveyed area with distracting odors;

The depth at which the odor source is located is too great (subthreshold concentration).

Notes:

Durov V.L. Animal training. Psychological observations of animals trained according to my method (40 years of experience). M., 1924.

Pavlov I.P. Twenty years of experience in objectively studying the GNI of animals. M., 1923.

Another hunting name for this technique is “pork”. In service dog breeding, the official expression “to encourage” is used instead. The precise, expressive language of hunters is very suitable for PSS, clearly expressing the subtleties of the dogs’ work: “restlessness, staying too long, viscosity, crawling,” etc.

Karpov V.K. Training of search and rescue dogs in Chimkent // Service Dog Breeding Club. M., 1991.

The name was adopted at the All-Union gatherings of rescue dog handlers to replace the previously used “rude”.

Saint Bernards have risked their lives so many times to save travelers buried in the snow that they deserve special recognition, says journalist Michael Olmert.

A huge St. Bernard jumping with delight. Powerful paws, powerful chest and sincere joy when meeting a person. It is not for nothing that this breed is considered the standard of canine fidelity.

“When my daughter Jenny was very little, I could always tell where she was playing,” recalls Katie Babins of Maryland, who has been breeding dogs for 22 years. Even when Jenny completely disappeared into the tall grass, Mia, our tail, stuck out like an antenna. St. Bernard letting me know everything was okay.”

One day the police came to Babins' house. Imagine Katty's surprise when law enforcement officers, who discovered the girl next to a busy highway, asked to help them take her away from there. It turned out that some big dog, it was Mia, of course, simply did not let the police near the child. At the same time, the St. Bernard behaved quite correctly: he did not growl threateningly, but as soon as the police tried to approach the girl, he blocked their way.

Similar stories can often be heard from St. Bernard owners and kennel workers.

The homeland of the Saint Bernards, or “Seneches”, as these giants were affectionately dubbed in Russia, the Great Saint Bernard Pass is a narrow gorge in the Alps, located between Switzerland and Italy. The first information about St. Bernards dates back to the beginning of the 18th century, but it is possible that this breed appeared much earlier. In the local monastery hotel hangs a painting painted in 1695, which depicts a dog that strongly resembles a St. Bernard.

For many, the Saint Bernard Pass is a sacred place. But not because Roman legionnaires walked along its mountain slopes about two thousand years ago, and not because everything here is steeped in history from Caesar to Napoleon. Dog lovers revere this place as the birthplace of the St. Bernards. The most famous nursery where they are bred is also located here.

For the owners of the nursery, the monks of the Order of St. Augustine, this is a good help, providing funds for the maintenance of a small hotel. Tourists and travelers flock here to the Alps, one of the highest points in Europe, all year round. True, this place cannot be called a resort: even in summer, on a fine sunny day, it is cold here, and snow always falls once a week.

The exhibition of the local museum, the only one of its kind, is dedicated to the monastery hotel and St. Bernards. Strictly speaking, this is not even a museum, but a kind of symbiosis of a museum and a nursery. The kennel houses approximately 30 dogs. And every year the Augustinian monks sell 15 20 puppies for a thousand dollars each.

Carl Winter, a search and rescue instructor and St. Bernard expert, conducted a special study. He was interested in the peculiarities of the habitat and behavior of these animals. During the research, it turned out that for centuries, St. Bernards have been using the same routes, where they are familiar with every crack and pebble. Descending with their owners to the Italian side of the pass for butter and wine, and to the Swiss side for meat and milk, the dogs learned the road so well that they would not stray from it even in heavy fog or a snowstorm.

The pass has always been a deserted place. For most of the year, hiking trails are covered with a crust of ice and snow, and travelers risk death in an avalanche. The high altitude and deep snow make it difficult to use horses and mules. But monks with dogs feel confident, freely navigating without a compass. The difficult school of survival has not changed for centuries: young dogs gain experience by following older ones on a leash and learn to recognize human scent. Deep snow is no hindrance to a St. Bernard rushing to the rescue of a person in trouble. The impression is as if the dog is swimming through the snow, working with large and strong paws.

According to Winter, each generation of four-legged rescuers operates effectively only in certain places that are familiar to them. In unfamiliar conditions, the St. Bernard hangs out. In the end, he, of course, will get his bearings and find the dying traveler, but for this he will need much more time than the local dog. Good knowledge of the area important factor in training mountain rescue dogs.

Nature has awarded Senechkas not only the ability to search for people, but also, which is probably no less important, to withstand the hellish cold for hours. Winter became convinced of these abilities of St. Bernards himself when several years ago he was searching for two missing climbers in the Seymour Mountains, which are located in Canada, in the province of British Columbia. These places are famous for sudden and abrupt changes in weather. A Saint Bernard who knew the area well took part in the search work. And if not for his tolerant attitude to bad weather, the rescuers would not have been able to complete the search. When they finally reached the fork in the high mountain path - one path led further upward, the other turned down to the so-called “suicide ravines”, it was decided to climb further. But the dog stood rooted to the spot and only barked at the people until they turned down. St. Bernard turned out to be right: not even an hour had passed before the search group came across the unlucky climbers.

Until now, scientists do not know exactly what the origin of St. Bernards is. One version explains the emergence of a breed of large-boned, strong dogs, capable of living high in the mountains among snow and ice, by crossing a Danish bulldog with a Pyrenean mastiff. At first they were called Alpine Mastiffs.

The first Alpine mastiffs were brought to England at the beginning of the 19th century. Somewhat later, visitors to the British Museum looked in amazement at the huge skin and shin bone of one of them on display there. These exhibits have survived to this day. The famous animal artist Sir Edwin Landseer, who repeatedly depicted these dogs, also called them Alpine Mastiffs. The name "St. Bernard" appeared only in 1882, when a dog club was opened in England. And five years later, a national standard was approved, which registered the record achievements of the breed. In America, the St. Bernard Club was founded in 1888.

Senechkas have gained extraordinary popularity in our time, although now their fame is declining. And in the 50s they often became heroes of films and television series. St. Bernards became widely known in Kenneth Moore's feature film Genevieve and the American television series Hopper. The general public first became acquainted with the St. Bernard when they saw him in the role of a nanny dog ​​in the film based on the tale of Peter Pan.

Nursery owners try to give their charges maximum care and attention. And when the puppies grow up, the results are sure to be felt: the docile nature of dogs and their friendliness towards people, especially children, are well known. And it's not just about proper upbringing. The roots of Senechka's behavior are much deeper - they go back to their distant Alpine ancestors. Having noticed a person lying on the ground, the St. Bernard will certainly try to pick him up or at least turn him on his side. If he does not show signs of life, the dog lies down next to him and, pressing his whole body against the man, tries to warm him up.

In the past, rescue dogs were trained to work in pairs. The male and female had to find a skier lost in the mountains and dig him out from under the snow. Then the female usually lay down next to him, and the male hurried for help.

Innate instinct, even without regular training, does not disappear overnight. Jenny Babins, the same girl who was once accompanied everywhere by St. Bernard Mia, having grown up, has repeatedly found confirmation of this by observing the behavior of puppies. Having specially selected a couple of babies, Jenny performed the following experiment: she lay down on the snow, and the puppies immediately began to rub their noses against her. If she remained motionless, the female lay down by her side, and the male stomped around with such a preoccupied look, as if he wanted to run somewhere, but just didn’t know where exactly.

Other undoubted advantages of St. Bernards include their exceptional hard work and endurance. At one time, Karl Winter acquired a St. Bernard named Far West (Far West). Before this, the dog helped protect the territory of the reserve in British Columbia, covering up to 70 kilometers a day with foresters. According to Winter, he was a real gem of his breed: an excellent athlete who repeatedly took first place in competitions. In Canada, competitions are practiced in which dogs demonstrate their strength and endurance, sometimes moving a load weighing more than a ton.

Saint Bernards cannot be denied courage. There is a known case in which a dog saved a woman’s life in Alaska by fighting her off from a grizzly bear. Winter's St. Bernard Far West even received a special award for his courage in fighting a black bear when it threatened the safety of a child left in the dog's care. After this incident, Far West made it a rule to keep an eye on the bears, watching the clubfoot feast on blueberries.

This breed of dog is also very sensitive to tremors. Winter said that his pets once warned of danger about an hour before the eruption of Mount St. Helens, located 200 kilometers from his home. At the same time, the behavior of the dogs changes: instead of the usual barking, the St. Bernards begin to howl. A sure sign: something is wrong. They probably just sense tremors much earlier than people. It is curious that in the mountains of Switzerland, St. Bernards behave in exactly the same way, anticipating an imminent avalanche.

Perhaps these abilities help St. Bernards to find them by the weak movements of people buried under the snow. According to the priest Jean-Michel Gerard, abbot of a small monastery in the Alps, the dogs saved approximately 2,000 people in total. The most famous rescuer in the entire history of the monastery was St. Bernard Barry the First. For 12 years, from 1800 to 1812, he saved four people every year. Today his effigy is on display at the Natural History Museum in Bern, and in France they even erected a monument to him.

The most famous episode, which made Barry famous throughout Europe, is associated with the rescue of an unconscious child. The dog not only found the boy lying on the very edge of the abyss, but also managed to bring him to his senses, and then transferred him to a safe place.

However, Barry is more of a common name. There have always been dogs with this name in the monastery. One of them became a favorite of Italian schoolchildren: they read in their textbooks how a dog found 30 lost Italian workers who had gone astray through the pass to look for work in Germany. Even today, when children come to the monastery on an excursion, the next Barry certainly receives their attention.

It is enough just to glance at the powerful paws of the St. Bernard to understand the true purpose of the breed. A dog shovels snow with them no worse than a bulldozer. In the old days, monks deliberately sent a whole pack of St. Bernards in front of them so that they would clear the way for them. After all, everything necessary then had to be delivered to the highlands on foot...

Today, St. Bernards lost the palm in rescue work to German shepherds. No wonder: modern helicopters or motor sleds can deliver dogs almost to the scene of the tragedy, therefore, the size and power of St. Bernards no longer play a positive role. And German Shepherds find victims even faster. In the end, everything is decided by the ratio of weight and unit of “dog” strength. And then the St. Bernard loses to the shepherd. Agree, there are not many hunters who would like to take such a heavyweight as a St. Bernard into a helicopter.

But this is not the only disappointment that tourists who come to the Alps experience, accustomed to the textbook image of the St. Bernard: a huge rescue dog, equipped with a keg of cognac suspended from his neck. The fact is that St. Bernards never carried such barrels. They existed only in the imagination of artists. The first to mislead everyone was the already mentioned English painter Landseer. It's on him famous painting“Alpine Mastiffs Revive a Lost Traveler,” reproducing the rescue episode in detail; one of the dogs is depicted with a barrel suspended from his neck. Subsequently, this fictitious image of St. Bernard began to wander from one picture to another.

Perhaps a flask with alcohol, as an indispensable attribute of equipment, arose due to the specific appearance of dogs. Heavy, drooping eyelids give the St. Bernard some resemblance to a person suffering from a constant hangover.

Be that as it may, it was the British in the 19th century who were the first to popularize the St. Bernard and gave him this name. In the 11th century, a certain Bernard of Menton opened a small inn on the pass separating Italy and Switzerland where travelers could spend the night. Thanks to this refuge, travel through the Alps became less dangerous and traffic through the pass increased. Local residents revered Bernard of Menton as a saint because he gave shelter to travelers and protected them from bandits. In 1124 he was canonized. True, many still confuse him with Saint Bernard of Clairvon, the founder of the Kistercian order, who revived monasticism in these places. Part of this confusion is due to the famous motto of Bernard of Clairvon: “If you love me, love my dog.”

In the history of St. Bernards there are many examples of the highest courage and self-sacrifice. Nowadays, these qualities are very rare, and people in this case have a lot to learn from dogs, the creation of which, as many are convinced, is the Creator himself.

Prepared based on materials from Smithsonian magazine by Alexander Solntsev