Dog Obedience Testing

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Before search and rescue dogs can go through training, though, they need to first pass a basic obedience test to prove that they are comfortable with humans and have certain skills. The next test is to have the dog sit and stay as the handler leaves for at least fifteen minutes to see if the dog can listen to commands (Layton). Lastly, they need to go through a physical and mental ability test to see if the dog can handle the pressure of search and rescue. This stage includes going through a tunnel, being lifted ten feet in the air in a tractor bucket, sitting in a cart that is being pulled and not jumping off, and traveling in a boat without becoming frenetic, among other task. Only after a dog has gone through all of these tests do they…show more content…
Training these dogs involves exposure to fires and explosions to verify that they can stay placid and mute under pressure. As a result, not all pups are cut out to be war dogs; about 45 percent of dogs between 1942 and 1945 failed basic training (Harris). Military canines are well taken care which may be due to the fact that training takes $20,000 to $40,000 (Weiss- Roessler). To train canines to detect land mines, “‘We make as if we’ve thrown the Kong into the square, so he’ll go into the square thinking he’s going to get his Kong but instead he finds the scent of the explosive. He knows he’ll get the Kong as a reward soon after’” (Weisbord & Kachanoff 21). German Shepherds are common for military dogs since they are strong, amicable, larger sized, and can adapt to different climates (Weisbord & Kachanoff 16). For arson dogs the training also relieves on a reward system with praise and play included. There is no one best dog breed for arson detection dogs. Dogs can also assist people in their day-to-day…show more content…
There are four main types of service dogs: Hearing dogs, visual assistance dogs, medical alert dogs, and wheelchair assistance dogs. Hearing dogs help the daily lives of deaf people by alerting them to certain sounds such as the doorbell, a phone ringing, a timer going off and more. Visual assistance dogs help blind people. They help them cross the street and generally avoid obstacles. If someone in a wheelchair needs assistance then a dog can help. Wheelchair assistance dogs are so smart that they can tell whether the object that the person dropped is in or out of their reach (Weisbord and Kachanoff 171). They also open doors, retrieve objects, and help the person move their body to get into their wheelchair. Probably the most amazing service dogs are medical alert dogs. Some medical alert dogs have the ability to recognize the smell of high and low blood sugar on their owner’s breath and alert them by tapping them. Their sense of smell is so great that they can detect their owner’s blood sugar from three miles away and alert the person’s family (Castaldo 130). Medical alert dogs can also sense if someone is going to have a seizure and bark to warn them to get to a safe location where they can find help. Dogs can also push an emergency button that calls 911 if their owner is in danger. Lastly, there have been cases where dogs have notified their owners that they had cancer. In the case of Lisa Hulber, her
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