Stig stars at Search and Rescue training camp

[Daryl]

Stig stars at Search and Rescue training camp retrieved from http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/2673072/Stig-stars-at-Search-and-Rescue-training-camp

TOP DOG: Search and rescue dog Stig, with handler Dave Krehic.

In the emergency services world, Stig the search and rescue dog is a star; he is also a role model for 17 other dogs training to be just like him.

Raincliff Youth Camp is host to 22 Land Search and Rescue (SAR) dogs, who, along with their handlers, have come from around the South Island to take part in a three-day training camp.

Stig and his handler, Oxford SAR member Dave Krehic, recently appeared on TV show The Missing and were involved in the high-profile search for murder victim Marie Davis in Christchurch last year.

"Stig has received fanmail after appearing on TV," Mr Krehic said.

The pair are helping train more potential searchers at the camp.

Most of New Zealand's 20 SAR dogs are based in the South Island. SAR dog handlers meet twice a year for training sessions. This is the first time the group has trained so close to Timaru.

Organiser Fritz van Rooden said the camp could become a regular training ground as the organisation looked for convenient locations to train at.

The camp, which began yesterday and finishes tomorrow, involves a number of different search scenarios for the dogs to try.

The varied environment around the camp made it a good place to train, Mr van Rooden said.

It took a lot of effort to train both dog and handler, and required a commitment from handlers to do at least three or four hours training a week at home, he said.

Playfulness is an essential element in a search dog.

"One of the big things is the play thing and a willingness to please the owner."

One trainer taking part in the camp estimated that out of 16 dogs in a class, only one might make it to operational level. It can take three years to get a dog to operational level, but training the handlers can take longer.

While SAR received many inquiries from people with dogs keen to become involved, the organisation usually looked for people with SAR experience, he said.

SAR uses two types of search dog, area search dogs and tracking dogs. The dogs usually developed both skills, but excelled at one or the other.

Area search dogs keep their noses in the air as they search for a person. "They'll get into an area and they are looking for a scent of a person in the area," Mr van Rooden said.

Tracker dogs, following scents on the ground, can show searchers where a person has been, and can follow the scent of people up to 36 hours after they have passed through an area.