by Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak.

Drs. Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak have developed an exceptional method of training search and rescue dogs, which they have successfully used for all types of search operations: Wilderness searches, Disaster searches, and Avalanche searches. This book covers their entire training method from basic training through the specific methods required for each type of search operation. Also included are tips on search preparation, safety in search operations, disaster operations coordination, information on the scent capabilities of dogs, and a brief history of canine search and rescue. The book winds up with International Test requirements from the IPOR and a bibliography for further research. Dozens of pictures and diagrams.

This 176 page, 7 1/4 x 9, hardcover book is illustrated extensively with bxw pictures and diagrams.

The following is the preface, written by Jan Kaldenbach, Retired Lieutenant of the Zaanstad Police Department in the Netherlands:

In the world of search and rescue dogs, Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak are very well known as trainers. They undertook a lot of missions for the International Red Cross and have also discovered and worked out a new training method, which I absolutely endorse and recommend. Ruud Haak's books about dogs, in Dutch, are very well known and every dog trainer has, I think, more than one in his bookcase.

Ruud Haak is the chief editor of the dog magazine, Onze Hond (Our Dog), and as voluteers, Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak are instructors for the Austrian Red Cross Search and Rescue Dog units in the neighborhood of Vienna. Both Resi and Ruud deserve respect for all the work they have done in the dog world. They took great pains to gather knowledge, training not only their own dogs, but also those of a lot of other handlers. They also deserve a great deal of respect for saving lives after earthquakes and other disasters, as volunteers.

We have a least one thing in common: we're all dog crazy. It is an honor to write the preface to this book for them. I hope this will be a very useful manual for everybody who wants to train search and rescue dogs.

I wish Resi and Ruud a lot of success with this book, success they absolutely deserve!

 

Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction: Dogs Save Human Lives
Passionate (Re)Search Work
Hunting
Hunting for People
The Natural Way
Basic Training
Step 1: Dog and Article
Step 2: Article and Human
Step 3: Search Field and Human
Wilderness Searches
Case Study: Rescue Workers on Four Legs
Disaster Searches
Case Study: Irreplaceable Rescuers
Elements of Damage
Case Study: "Gas Explosion, We Need Dogs"
Disaster Operation Tactics
Case Study: A Case of Life and Death
Avalanche Searches
Case Study: Avalanche Dogs in Action
Reading the Dog
A World Full of Odors
The Scent Perception of Dogs
History
A Serious Task
International Tests (IPO R)
Bibliography
About the Authors

Drs. Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak, both Dutch, now live in the vicinity of Vienna, where they continue to train dogs for search and rescue work and Schutzhund. They also train directors and judges for the selection of avalanche and rescue dogs of both the International Red Cross Federation, and the United Nations (UNDRO). They are international judges for search and rescue dogs for the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) and the International Dog Organization (IRO). Ruud Haak is also the editor of the largest Dutch dog magazine, Onze Hond (Our Dog).