Kennel de Ursidae Stee

3. Water Rescue Work 

2. Avalanche Rescue work 2008
1. Avalanche Rescue work 2007

The page about waterwork is under construction!

Here a link  for a PowerPoint presentation with an impression of Water Rescue Work training:

 http://www.ursidaestee.wolfdog.org/PowerPoints/Click-Music-Presentation-Waterwork.ppt  

To view you need PowerPoint viewer on your computer!

Free microsoft download:  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=048DC840-14E1-467D-8DCA-19D2A8FD7485&displaylang=en 

1Avalanche rescue work with a Czechoslovakian Wolf dog in the Netherlands

Avalanche work is not the first thing you think of when you live in the Netherlands and have a Czechoslovakian Wolf dog you want to work with. But with this report I want to show you that there are a lot of possibilities when you really want to undertake something with your dog!

In the Netherlands the Czechoslovakian Wolf dog is still a relative unknown breed. Often they are seen as the here more known Dutch Wolf dog breed: the Saarlooswolfhond.

Although for most liken, superficially seen, there is little difference in appearance, but their differences in general (not all dogs within a same breed show specific behaviour) behaviour are very big! Both breeds fall into category breed group 1, but a Saarloos Wolf dog is in general more retiring, reacts more reserved in new situations and is surely not suitable for most work dog activities. While a Czechoslovakian Wolf dog a dog is that works with a lot of joy (when he is stimulated in the right way) and a dog that always reacts enthusiastic on new situations.

Unfortunately also in the Netherlands we have the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ syndrome through which many people are a bit hesitant for both Wolf dog breeds and therefore even keep there children away from puppies! So that can be very difficult when you want to socialize your Wolf dog puppy in a good way. But it gets even more difficult when you to join courses/trainings with your Wolf dog. Since many Dutch trainers and dog schools don’t know both breeds (and the differences between them), they look reserved at the participation of a Wolf dog in a group.

In general the participation of puppy in a group doesn’t cause too many problems. But when you see that many courses only use one general training method (and not in accordance with diverse breed type qualities) both owners and instructors are disappointed after one course. The owners because their CsW is bored, reacts recalcitrant and doesn’t do as well as the other dogs. And the instructor because he cannot reach the result he wants. (At the moment in the Netherlands the method of “reward positive behaviour and ignoring negative behaviour” is generally used. In big lines I can partially subscribe this as one of the methods, but I also think that there is sometimes nothing wrong with corrections. )

Saarloos Wolf dog owners also see that their Wolf dog is put under too much pressure and that the dog won’t perform in any way anymore. Therefore many Wolf dog owners in the Netherlands stop with courses/trainings after the puppy course/training and/or at the most the continuation course. And therefore most wolf dogs unfortunately end up as “sofa dogs” while they have a lot more qualities and the owner actually wants to do a lot more with his/her dog.

But when you want to do more with your Czechoslovakian Wolf dog than only obedience training, it is difficult to find something suitable! A lot of clubs and associations reject owners because they think the CsW’s are too timid or not suitable to work with (many times they think the CzW’s have the same recalcitrant behaviour as the SWD’s). Furthermore there are others who say the “wolf like behaviour” from the CsW’s will distract the other dogs.

So in short when you want to undertake something with your dog as Wolf dog owner, you will have to put a lot afford and creativity in it!

I am always looking for new groups of people that like to undertake something together with their dog. (Without specifically wanting diplomas, afford, etc.) And when I find a course/training that looks at individual and natural behaviour I am eager to take the course/training with my dog(s).

I had the luck that I also have Leonbergers (and sometimes breed them) and therefore are a member of the LHCN (breed association Leonberger dogs), through which I also could participate in a basic tracking course with my “non-Leonberger” dog Berta z vlei Chaloupki (Chezka). The instructors Henry Verheijen and Ed Tielmans, had no problems with a CzW participating in the group. Just like by the other dogs in the group, they looked on which Chezka reacted the best and that was used for further development. ( For example in Chezka’s case it appeared to be that rewards worked better than toys) Step by step she learned to walk trails, to find objects, to warn the owner when she did find a victim. With a lot of joy Chezka and I spend a lot of Sundays training on the moor and besides we learned and practised “search” activities during the rest of the week. Finally we reach the level of “core group” after a combination of examsJ.

The members of the core group also got the possibility to do an “avalanche rescue training” in Söll (Austria). So of course I took the chance to do this with my CsW!

During this course dog and guide (owner) learn how to find a victim that is covered under snow. In this course the owner also has lessons in Avalanche knowledge, first aid, meteorology, map and compass and entering snowfields (grounds with danger of avalanche) safely.

After the theoretic lessons (about the ins and outs of rescue work in the snow), the study of a comprehensive information file and the purchase of diverse specific materials, we were the only combination with Czechoslovakian wolf dog between several Leonbergers in January in Söll.

The first day was a general acquaintance, dogs and owners could meet each other, get to know the area a bit better. Unfortunately there was not a lot of snow in the lower area. But the instructors arranged with mountain guards that we could work in the snow the next days. Daily all members were divided into groups of two with their dogs (with obliged rescue outfit) and went to the higher area with the cabin elevator.

All combinations were treated as VIPs and were even asked to enter through the VIP entrance. The dogs and owners never had to wait, but always got priority when they wanted to go with the cabin.

It was explained to all the waiting skiers by people from the mountain guard that the dogs and guides should be treated with respect because the life every skier could be dependent on a rescue dog.

In first instant some dogs didn’t like travelling with the cabin, but after 1 day it was not a problem anymore. When my CsW found out, that she could see the whole area in the cabin, so she looked outside through the window all time.

Because of the bad snow conditions a lot of pistes were closed. That’s why the start for all skiers was on the top of the mountain near the last cabin  station. And because of that, the rescue group had every day to walk first a long distance to the training area. But so the owner and the dog had the opportunity to get used walking on slopes with iced snow. 

In the in the beginning of the training the dogs were walking trails and searching for objects and victims in open area. Also the first days the dogs get used to lie in a snow bivouac.

During the week the difficulties degree was built up. Later on all objects were hidden in the snow and the dog had to dig out them.

And first the dogs had to find a victim in a half open den (hole). And at the and of the week the dogs had to find a victim in a closed snow den(hole). And the dogs had to dig trough the snow wall to the victim!

But also the owners were trained! They had to learn: walking with the big snowshoes on slopes, working with

transceiver and locator, finding victims with probes, making a snow profile, practical first aid (for avalanche situations), carry stretchers, working with walky-talky a.s.o.

And also for the owners/ guides during the week the difficulties degree was built up! Beside the breefings there were subsequent discussions where daily was spoken about the working from the owners, the dogs and the group. At the and of the week the trainers made scenes of real victim reports and the group had to work with the dogs as a real rescue team. And so the dogs and guides could practice all they had learned this week. And of course the trainers did expect also a lot of real teamwork of the guides! And that was extreme important during the night exercises, where the owners could not see each other and it was very difficult to orientate. So the guides had to trust their dogs, walky talky and each other.

It was a wonderful experience to participate in such a special training week with my CsW. I have learned a lot. And for my CsW it was a challenge that appeals on all her natural capacities.    

All the dogs who did participate in this avalanche  rescue training  are not specific “rescue breeds” But in this week it was very clear that CsW Chezka, just like all the Leonbergers, did enjoy very much the working with their owner! And also that all dogs did develop their capacities!

And because of the fact that in Holland a CsW is in most cases only a family dog or a sofa dog, I did want to show with this article that also with wolfdogs is a lot possible!

I don’t have the illusion that my dog in one week is real rescue dog and that she can work for real avalanche reacue. But that was also not my intention for participating this training. For me it is important that every healthy dog gets enough challenges to develop optimal. And for me personal it is not important to be the best or to succeed exams. To work en do thing together with my dogs is more important!

I hope that after reading this article more people get the idea to do something with their dog.

It does not matter what you do with your dog, but that you do something with your dog!

Because also your dog (of any breed) can do a lot more then you think!

       Mijke van Heyningen

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Some thoughts of a CsW about an Avalanche Rescue training:

Only work very good when you like it:

 Jump like an idiot to look in the valley, when your owner is there "the victim" for other dogs: 

 

Don't search anything and act like a clown when you don't want to work:

 And completely destroy your bivouac tent when you are protesting or feel bored