Psychology Behind the Paw: Search and Rescue Dogs
Psychology Behind the Paw: Search and Rescue Dogs
We know that dogs have some incredible physical attributes that make them ideal for a range of jobs, from working alongside law enforcement to operating in search and rescue K9 units all over the world.
With astonishing agility, incredible strength, and one of the keenest noses on the planet, dogs shine in a variety of service roles. This is especially true when it comes to search and rescue K9 teams, where lives depend on a working dog’s success in its role.
Dogs And Emotional Intelligence
As well as physical talents, dogs possess a high level of emotional intelligence, unlike almost any other animal on the planet. If we, as trainers can tap into this emotional intelligence and bring it to the fore during training sessions, we’ll set our dogs up to achieve greater success when out on search and rescue missions.
Let’s explore the emotional and psychological aspects of search and rescue dogs and how their empathetic skills can contribute to their success.
We’ll also discover how canine psychology can play a role in enhancing search and rescue K9 training and how AI can help enhance emotional responses and boost training outcomes.
Canine Psychology - Search and Rescue K9 Training
When we talk about emotional intelligence, we’re referring to the ability to not only manage our own emotions but also understand the emotions of those around us. ¹ When it comes to dogs and emotional intelligence, they don’t just understand the emotions of their own kind but also a completely different species – us.
When you look back through history, it’s not a surprise that dogs can read our emotions. Dogs have been our constant companions for thousands of years, so they’ve had plenty of time to decipher human emotions and what they mean.
Dogs have learned to pick up on social cues in humans as well as other dogs. They have an almost supernatural ability to comprehend subtle body language and vocal tones to understand what's happening around them and respond accordingly. ² That’s why when you smile at a dog, they tend to wag their tail, and their face lights up.
Emotional Intelligence Critical For Search and Rescue Dogs
Just like with people, levels of emotional intelligence can vary widely between different dog breeds, so it’s no surprise that breeds with higher levels of emotional intelligence are the same breeds that thrive in search and rescue K9 roles, such as Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds. ³
Search and rescue K9 teams work in complex and stressful situations where lives depend on their work. In such situations, good relationships between dogs and handlers are essential. A search and rescue dog will often develop an intense connection with its handler. ⁴ While this relationship is built on communication and trust between dog and handler, it’s also down to the dog’s emotional intelligence.
Being able to interpret its handler’s emotions and body language helps the dog better understand what’s being asked of it so it can fulfil its role with ease. A strong bond between a working dog and its handler is key to achieving mission success in volatile search and rescue scenarios.
Emotional Intelligence Critical For Search and Rescue Dogs
Developing a greater understanding of dogs and emotional intelligence will help handlers and trainers get the best performance out of their dogs when out on search and rescue missions.
Training methods that take emotional intelligence and canine psychology into account will help search and rescue dogs shine in their roles. When we consider that dogs can interpret our emotions, using our emotions during training is a great way to make the training stick.
Positive reinforcement training, where praise and affection are used as rewards for desired behaviors, is a means of using canine psychology to help a dog understand what type of behavior its handler is asking it to display. If we show a dog that we’re pleased by a certain behavior through our voice and body language, the dog will associate that behavior with something positive. ⁵
Canine psychology must be at the heart of any good training regime. Dogs may not be able to tell us in words how they’re feeling, but they have their own ways of showing us. If we know what to look for, we can respond appropriately, thereby building a strong and trusting bond with the dogs we work with. ⁶
The Role Of AI In Search And Rescue K9 Training
While it’s vital that dogs in search and rescue K9 units perform their roles effectively, we must remember that we are working with animals, not machines. Their physical and emotional health must also be a priority, especially when they work in high-stress situations.
It can sometimes be hard to tell how a dog is truly feeling. AI is a powerful tool for dog training as it allows handlers to gather data in real-time and spot patterns in behavior that might affect a dog’s performance.
The DogBase platform uses AI to gather data across a range of areas, like the number of hours you’ve trained your dog and what the humidity was like outside during any given session. It also considers your dog’s age, breed, and diet.
In addition, AI gathers open-source vet and research data, as well as data from all the other users on the DogBase platform. By comparing these to your own dog’s statistics, you can spot potential issues before they happen.
Handlers can use the data to correlate changes in behavior to specific search and rescue missions. This will help handlers make informed decisions around training routines, and whether their dog requires more time to rest and recuperate.
More About DogBase
Our pioneering platform streamlines training simplifies data tracking and harnesses the power of AI to enhance the performance of working dogs in search and rescue k9 teams.
Ready to find out more about what DogBase can do for you and your working dog? Explore our website today. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us, and we’d be delighted to help you.
References:
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/emotional-intelligence
- https://doggystyling.com/blogs/blog/from-instinct-to-intellect-dog-intelligence
- https://iheartdogs.com/the-dog-breeds-with-the-highest-emotional-intelligence/
- https://www.natural-treats.co.uk/blogs/news/the-heroes-on-four-paws-search-and-rescue-dogs-in-war-and-natural-disasters
- https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/positive-reinforcement-training
- https://www.hundeo.com/en/training/dog-psychology/
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DogBase is one of the few K9 logs that caters specifically to Search and Rescue (SAR). I am a relatively new user, but impressed by the amount of versatility it has to offer. I've used other K9 logs in the past, but they were focused on Law Enforcement and were not as detailed for SAR work, as is DogBase. Detailed record keeping is essential if you want to learn to identify the good and the bad in your training routines and to maintain your credibility as a search team. In my opinion, DogBase does the job.
I am so glad that I was invited to "test" this. I dreaded do my logs books and couldn't find an easy method. This platform is easy and so far all updates have made it easier and clear to fill out. I hope that we can continue to use it. I also like that I can check on more of my own team members and what training they are logging.
I have tried a lot of different ways to track my training for my Search and Recovery dogs. DOG BASE is by far the best and easiest to use. Love it!
I am loving using Dogbase! It is providing such great value in training my dogs and I plan to continue to use it for as long as I possibly can. I love the amount of information that you are able to log for each training session. Before, I was using the old school notebook method for keeping track of my training sessions. Now, with using Dogbase, I have access to SO many more variables that I wouldn't have normally thought to log before that can possibly make a difference in future training sessions.
While I am still introducing myself to the software, it has already shown its potential for replacing log books entirely for myself and others on my team. Not only is it one less item to keep track but the simplicity makes it more motivating to complete log books.
DogBase is making the administrative side of detection logs that much more efficient. I enjoy the clean and simple-to-use interface and the ability to submit logs on the go through mobile. Being able to print log reports helped to streamline my process. I like that DogBase staff are constantly working to make the program better and improve accessibility. Customer support is quick to respond and fast to problem solve and help with whatever is needed.
This App has undoubtedly made our training more efficient with clear documentation of progress. Definitely making the training more progressive instead of just repetitive. It's easy to use, relevant for the training we conduct, and the customer support is awesome.
I was tired of using Excel spreadsheets where I had to remember all the information when I was finally able to sit down and enter it. I like DogBase because I can use my phone and fill it out during training while all the information is fresh. Its easy to go down the list and fill out each part and in the end I have all the information I want to keep track of for my HR and Airscent K9.
Absolutely love this application. Such ease of use and able to track everything. Same format for all trainings and love the information added based on time and location. This will be a game changer in record keeping for SAR dogs.
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