Remember the Fallen and Honoring Our Troops-Memorial Day 2021

Memorial Day 2021

Stay Safe out there this Memorial Day as Covid19 restrictions ease.

Remember the heroes who give their lives so other like us live!

Thank You for your service keeping us safe.

God Bless our troops past and present.

From all of us at FamilyDisasterDogs.com

 

Free Dog Training Lessons

The author's Daisy

The reason for the Family Disaster Dogs site and free lessons listed below.

Is to train as many Family Dogs as possible to be able to assist every family in the World when emergencies strike. 

In doing so, time can be spared waiting for response from other rescue teams who upon arrival can work to further aid the family in the situation.

When a large scale disaster strikes, such as tornadoes, Katrina and the tsunami earthquake in Japan, time is critical to survival. Search teams have their hands full with a large number of call outs. 

The trained Family Disaster Dog can help rescuers by saving time because the dog is on location at the time of the incident.

Additionally, at least one family member is trained in the basic Search And Rescue techniques so they can help their own family and friends while awaiting outside response. Learn how-to find a person with your dog.

Another benefit  of having your dog trained to help you in an emergency is that if your neighborhood is cut off from outside help (which happens) then you can help your own loved ones and neighbors. 

Just think, if all the neighbors have dogs then you can form your own search and rescue team just like a neighborhood watch group.

This site will help you in all areas of setting up your own dog and friend's dogs to assist in any disaster or missing person incident.

If a grandmother or child wanders away and gets lost, you can help. If your family is camping, take your dog. 

Very few people get lost with dogs with them and if anybody wanders off the trail then you can ask your Family Disaster Dog to go find them. 

All you have to do is read the lessons pages, work with your pet and email if you need any advice. 

Note: These lessons are for family dogs and are not how-to train a professional working dog which is much more complex. Although working dog trainers may find some useful tips here as well. For professional working dog lessons contact me from the contact page.



Here is the page with a long list of survival items you need to pack and how-to pack them

In the Page Menu on familydisasterdogs.com

Find what Equipment is needed page on the Equipment Page

There is a Glossary and Terms of Words Used Page

Learn why a Scent Article is the easiest way to find a person, on this The Scent Article Page

Learn How-to Evacuate with a Dog's Help 

Full Free Lessons listed on the Lesson Page and in the blog date list at the bottom of this page are over 200 dog related training and care articles..click a date to see more.

These are some of the lessons on the link page with links to the most popular

Lesson 1: Taking scent and scent articles above link on the Scent Article Page

Lesson 2: To Leash or Not to Leash

Lesson 3: Start Searching for a lost person is included below in #4

Lesson 4:  "Find it!" Start looking for a lost person or object

Lesson 5: How to use a Tracking Leash part 1

Lesson 6: More Leash Work  part 2

Lesson 7: Tracking Leash part 3

Lesson 8:  Avoiding Burn Out

Lesson 9:  How to stop bad behavior

Lesson 10: How to hide from a dog

Lesson 11:  Scent Behavior

Lesson 12:  How to Read a Dog

Lesson 13:  How to Train your dog to do a Building Search

Lesson 14:  Train your dog to do an  Air Scent and Area Search

Lesson 15: How your dog will be  Indicating and Alerting a Found person

Lesson 16:  Is the dog collar on right?

Lesson 17:  How to use a Choker Chain Collar properly

Lesson 18:  How to use a leash

Lesson 19: Finding Evidence and Objects with your dog

Lesson 20: Planning Dog Training Courses and Routes   part 1

Lesson 21: Planning Dog Training Courses, Laying Trails  part 2

Lesson 22 : Advancing in Search Dog and Survival Training

Lesson 23: Aging Tracking Dog Training Courses and Trails

Lesson 24:  Learn Area Search Basics

Lesson 25: How to do Area Search Training

Lesson 26: How to do Cadaver Dog Training

Lesson 27: How a dog can Alert to Danger

Part 1: Teaching your dog to alert you to danger  Part 1 Alert to Danger

Part 2: Teach your dog Part 2 Alert to Danger

Lesson 28:  Dog learns how to come back to you after they find somebody or thing
which is called Teaching Refind or Return to Handler or Recall

Lesson 29: Your dog brings you items you need Retrieve and Go-Get Object

Lesson 30: Dog learns item by name to bring you Retrieve Object by Name

Lesson Test: How your dog will help you evacuate -What To Do when Alarm Sounds

Lesson 31: How to Find a Lost Person with Your Dog

Lesson 32: Training a Dog To Do Tracking

Lesson 33: Training a Messenger Dog -Go between 2 people

See a video of my family dog finding a person for the first time

Go to the Lesson Page in The Page Menu (top right sidebar) for links to each lesson.

Amber working a Bloodhound pup

You can also find these pages

Dog Bug-out Go-Bag Survival Backpack List and How-to

Links to Family Disaster Dogs Lessons

Emergency Links

K9 CPR –Emergency Breathing Technique For Pets

Good Luck and Be Ready !

See my Family Disaster Dogs ebooks and paperbacks at Author Page

Training Your Family Dog to Look for a Lost Person

Teach a dog to look for lost or missing persons

Family Disaster Dogs Daisy and Willie

This dog training lesson is easy to do at home and teaches a dog to use an article belonging to the missing or lost person to find that person. 

In dog work this is considered and often called scent discrimination because the dog learns to smell the "scent article" and look only for that scent or person. 

It is very Important to not contaminate the article with your own and other scents. 

Read More (click) and go to the free lesson page for many posts about scent and how-to teach working dogs tracking or pets to help its family locate missing family after a disaster. 

To get Started

Training your family dog to look for a Lost Person

You will need:

1. Your dog
2. 1 person who will hide from the dog
3. 1 sock, or hat or glove the "scent article" from the person who will hide

You can do this lesson indoors or outside with or without a leash, depending on the dog.

Start with a person your dog knows and hold your dog by its collar as the person slowly runs and waves at the dog to a hiding place that is easy to find and with only one turn away right now.

As soon as the person is out of sight,,, 

Hold the scent article, the person's sock, to your dog's nose, say "Smell" and then turn your dog loose and say "Find so and so" use the person’s name, follow your dog to the person.

Your dog, no matter what age will attempt to find them.

If the dog has a hard time at first it is okay for the person who is hiding to call the dog or encourage the dog to find them so the dog gets the idea. Later the person will not speak or move but hide.

You will learn as we get further in training to read your dog's clues, in the meantime, learn to watch your dog's moves and body language for indications and reactions that lead to the trail or person.

If the dog does not go fairly quickly to the person then encourage the dog to go with you and show the dog with excitement how fun it is to find the person. 

When they find the person, praise, praise, praise by you and the person shower this dog with attention and they will be so happy to do this again, you'll hardly be able to hold him. 

Here is Bo taking scent from the scent article in a plastic bag before we start on a wooded trail looking for a person who is hiding. Bloodhounds often put their whole nose in the scent bag.

A leash is not needed at first with your pet dog if you train in a fenced yard or with a dog who is use to free roaming.

Check out the Family Disaster Dog book for all the lessons in paperback and kindle!

Lesson 27: Alert to Danger-Part 2

Alert to Danger

Fire,Earthquake,Tornado

Dig up or Wake a Person

Part 2 of 2

Go to Part 1

Teaching your dog to Alert You to danger

The hidden person pretends to be asleep or unconscious which encourages the dog to wake them or get them to move because to the dog, the person is not acting normal either.

Once your dog learns to associate alerting you when the scene looks abnormal or the warning siren sounds your dog will use its natural instincts and love for you as a member of the pack when they feel danger coming or find you and others in a bad position.

To make a mock earthquake or mudslide, house moving situation alert, the surface your dog stands on must move. To make this happen, one person can hide behind a large chair while the other person pretends to sleep on a bed or in the chair, under a blanket with a toy or treat the dog will want.

When the warning systems sounds the person under the blanket makes a noise with the toy to get the dog’s attention and make the dog dig or try to wake them to get at the toy.

At the same time the other person shakes the chair or table like an earthquake would, this might at first scare the dog so be aware of how hard you move the chair until you see how the dog reacts. It is best to startle the dog slightly so they notice the pretend earthquake.

If you have training courses indoors or outside with space, you can hang a piece of 4 x 8 plywood by chains on each corner to make a floating floor a few inches off the ground. The dog stands on this and a person can move it slightly to give the dog motion.

Be careful using a floating floor because by doing this to much the dog learns how to balance and stand on surfaces that move in usual ways. This is meant to teach a dog to balance and shift its weight but we can use it as a mock earthquake with a little planning.

The floating floor is excellent for agility and rubble working dogs to know but in training them to alert to an earthquake or ground shaking we have to make sure it feels like an earthquake or danger instead of something they are accustom to. 

A little suspense and drama added to the session creates urgency like a real life danger but in a safe way. 

Once the training session is set up you will place your dog in another room where you go to act normal for a few minutes.

When the warning system sounds or you are ready then walk out with your dog loose off leash.

As preplanned, when you and the dog walk out together the person who is hidden squeaks the dog’s toy or calls the dog’s name which gets the dog looking for them as soon as the warning system sounds. Or, when the dog hears its toy or name then can not see the person they realize something is different.

At first let your dog find the person who is under the blankets without you telling the dog a command. You can see by the photo below Willie takes off to look for his toy he heard make noise.

  And he finds the Blankets with a person hidden in the photo below.

Willie asking me what to do next?

Your dog will start looking for the toy or where its name came from, encourage your dog to find the person and get the toy or treat when they reach the hidden person under the blanket. Praise your dog but do not have the person speak to your dog, they should be pretending to be unconscious.

Willie gets his Toy

After your dog “wakes” them up and finds them then they can praise your dog.

Daisy crawls under the covers to the person

Repeating this weekly for a month and then practicing monthly would teach your dog to alert you when they feel danger coming. Always go with your dog to the injured person then your dog learns to take you.

To reinforce your dog's actions to get you and wake you can pretend to be sleeping at the start of a few sessions to allow your dog to wake you. 

Open the door of the room and let your dog out, then lay down like you are sleeping or fell. Let your dog go to the noise of its toy or name to the other person.

When your dog realizes you are not with them like before, and the person they find is not giving them the toy or moving, they will come back to get you. 

Depending on the dog, the person might tell the dog to go get you first and then act injured or sleep again. 

Give your dog a reason to wonder what is going on and they will come back to get you to find out. When they come back to you then get up like they saved you and go save the other person, praise your dog for doing such a great job!

Job well Done!  Daisy gets the Blankets!

Remember the person who is playing injured or under cover makes noise to get the dog to investigate to get a toy or treat but hold back on giving the toy or treat until the dog accomplishes rutting under the covers, digging or alerting to the hidden person.

When your dog digs or paws at the person use a command such as, “dig them out” so if you or another is ever buried in real life you can tell your dog to dig them or you out.

Use different material and locations each time to make a rubble scene or disaster area to train in or your dog will get bored with this game. 

When your dog comes to get you or when you walk out to find the person with your dog ask your dog to “Show You”, get them to bark or paw, nudge or get you up out of bed so they alert you to the danger ahead. 

Always use the commands to associate which action you want. Get your dog to alert you by pretending to sleep and making a toy noise or call their name but do not move until the dog makes you by barking or waking you up. Then say “Good dog, Show me” give them a bit of treat or shake the toy as the warning system goes off or the other hidden person makes a noise. 

Using “Show me” as the command and follow your dog to the other person. Once found then ask your dog to “alert or to dig them out”. 

They can alert when you are awake by sitting down when they take you to a buried person but if you are not with the dog then they will return to you as explained above.

Use the person’s name and hide several people or family members at once to find at the same time. Take your dog to each person and repeat the lesson as you get everybody in the house to wake up and get out.

By using each person in the family’s name your dog learns to go between you and them. You can send your dog from one person to another by name and the dog gets rewarded every time motivating them to act if this happens when you are asleep.

Make this a fun game for the whole family, children can hide in great places that often look like a disaster hit. Take advantage of the opportunity to play hide and seek with your dog and children then in a real emergency the whole family knows what to do.

Teaching your dog to alert to fire and other dangerous odors is done by having the dog come to you when a fire or odor is happening. The fire can be in a large tin can on the patio where you show the dog the fire and have the dog go to another family member when you show them the fire.  You can ask your dog to bark or paw, or sit when they see and smell the fire or any other odor you want to be alerted to.

Again, use every opportunity when there is a fire or the odor present to ask your dog to show you or go get another person. Think up safe ways to have the situation present for mock fire drills or tornado type drills so your dog can associate the two incidents and warn you when they feel danger coming.

Get your dog ready to evacuate click here

Always trust your dog. Read more...click