A day in the life of a SAR dog

[SuperBuickGuy]

Search dogs are, by their very nature, inquisitive and high energy. As many of you know, my wife suckered me in by showing me Sweet Home Alabama when we got this bloodhound. After 2 years, I can safely say that the dog on the film was either drugged or a mannequin. However, the dog does bring amusement - even if it is at other people's or my expense.

1) She knows where you've been - in training a friend ran a path for her to follow. And she followed it exactly, even to the point where she indicated that the path went to the men's restroom. Did I mention the runner is female? Apparently, the lady's restroom was locked.

2) My wife is on a permanent diet (as are, in my observation, all women). We were attending a SAR conference, and I had the dog, she was attending a meeting. I gave the dog the search command and she followed the footsteps of my wife, to the classroom, to the junk-food stand, twice.

3) today, I decided to compost sweet potatoes. This is a highly technical task of me walking out onto the deck and throwing them into the woods. I came back inside, went to my office for 5 minutes and:


She's good

[STINEY]

Ha! Those are great.

I may have need of your advice in the coming months......seems a German Short-haired Pointer has come to live with us at the tender age of 8 weeks. He bears a striking resemblence to your hound, albeit in black.

( I hear potatos are good for dogs, she seems to agree!)

[JOES66FURY]

looks like shes peeling it...found out yesterday my golden likes onions...he was trying to get on the counter while I was making a salad and I shoved the onion in his face thinking he would turn away and get out..not so much, snatched it right up...jackass.

[Monk]

Don't mess with a dog and his bone.

[SuperBuickGuy]

looks like shes peeling it...found out yesterday my golden likes onions...he was trying to get on the counter while I was making a salad and I shoved the onion in his face thinking he would turn away and get out..not so much, snatched it right up...jackass.

snicker, I'm there with ya - a lesson was learned, just not by the dog. I tell stella (often) you dog, me master.... I swear she laughs at me when I say that

potatoes, sweet potatoes are her most favorite food, bacon is okay, but give her any root vegetable and you'd think you gave her bacon..... of course my yellow lab and rhodesian ridgeback would wash and wax my car for bacon.

yeah - about the bone bit, the bloodhound lays in wait for an opportunity to get back at you if you take something from her that she's interested in... sigh, I keep think we need to tell the rescued people just how lucky they are that this dog is alive to find them

[JOES66FURY]

I am amazed at what this dog will eat, he is all over anything meat...but fruit...you'd think it was prime rib! he goes ape shit over oranges...weird freaking dog. the other one will not touch anything but dog food...well, dog food and hot dogs.

[DanStokes]

Kingsford eats Natural Balance duck and sweet potato kibbles. We don't allow anything else except Greenies. No grains - makes him itchy. But Standard Poodles are not by nature very food oriented (he's my third and none have cared all that much about chow). Makes him harder to train as he won't do backflips for any kind of bribe although he does like liverwurst (I tried it as a training aid). His treat is people love - THAT motivates him.

Dan

[Thumpin455]

We foster dogs from the local shelter when they get full, or when the dog has an issue with being in a tiny cage. Last year we had a hound, sweetest dog I have ever met, if you dont mind some drool. He was afraid of the dark, but was as cuddly as a lap dog. He got adopted by a good family and has been doing great.

Right now we have a foster shepherd lab mix, and other than her penchant for wanting to play with cats a bit too roughly, and being a black hole for attention, she is a wonderful pup. Doesnt get on furniture unless she is invited, gets along well with our three dogs, and doesnt beg for anything but some quality time. She learns real fast too, in two days she has learned what to do before she gets a treat, just like the others.

Life is so much better with dogs, even if they make travel more complicated. Our local vet has his own food brand, dogs love it and it works well in high energy dogs like our Huskies. Dr Tim's Pursuit is what its called, and they dont have huge movements in the yard, plenty of energy, no skin issues, and you dont have to feed them a ton of it.

[antmnte]

Dont give your dog onions or garlic,it will give them kidney stones,happened to my parents Jack Russell terrier. My dad was giving him Garlic to keep ticks away (his theory) and eventually the little SOB got stones,hes fine now but what an ordeal.

[ls7gto]

I used to take care of a blood, for friends when they traveled. I loved that pup. My brother is a senior master trainer, but it is police dogs, mostly sheps and them crazy belgium malinois. I would love to have one, but the neighbors 4 aust. sheps are enough for me! I have a HUGE soft spot for BIG yellow labs, with pink noses!