The Work That Matters â How Search and Rescue Shaped My Training Philosophy
What I learned from working dogs in the real world
Well before I began training family pets and coaching dog owners online, I was training to find missing persons as a volunteer Search and Rescue dog handler.
My introduction to serious training came through Search and Rescue (SAR). I didnât set out to become a SAR handlerâit happened through a combination of timing, interest, and my deep belief in meaningful work. Iâve always been someone who values purpose. As a veteran, a nurse, and someone drawn to service, Search and Rescue felt like the perfect intersection of service, skill, and partnership with a dog.
Training for SAR is demanding. Thereâs no room for ego. Youâre not teaching parlor tricksâyouâre shaping a dog to solve real-world problems. Lives depend on clarity, consistency, and teamwork. The stakes are high, and thatâs what drew me in.
My dog and I trained in wilderness and rubble air scenting, as well as human remains detection. We spent countless hours in forests, fields, and disaster scenariosâlearning to trust each other, learning to read subtle signals, and learning to work as a team under pressure. There were days when progress felt slow, and other days when my dog amazed me with her intuition and drive.
Working in SAR taught me how to listen to dogs. Not just watch their behavior, but really tune inâto their posture, breathing, body language, energy shifts. It taught me that training isnât always about what we ask them to doâitâs about how we show up and how clearly we communicate.
It also gave me a deep appreciation for driveâthose intense, powerful instincts that make certain dogs incredible workers... and incredibly hard to live with when theyâre misunderstood. I learned to channel that energy into something productive, and I saw firsthand how fulfilled a dog can be when given the right job.
I donât train SAR dogs anymore, but that experience has shaped everything I do as a trainer and coach.
Whether Iâm helping a family manage reactivity, teaching leash skills, or building off-leash reliability, I approach every dog as if their behavior mattersâbecause it does. The same principles that make a dog reliable in the fieldâstructure, engagement, confidence, and trustâare the ones that make a dog reliable in real life.
Search and Rescue also made me a better coach for the humans. In the SAR world, you donât just train dogsâyou train with a team. You have to communicate under stress, accept feedback, adapt, and show up with consistency. Thatâs exactly what dog owners need when theyâre dealing with tough behavior problems. They donât need fluff. They need support, structure, and a clear path forward.
Thatâs what I aim to offer at FireTeam K9.
If youâve got a dog with drive, energy, intensityâor if you just want to build something meaningful with your dogâyouâre in the right place. My time in Search and Rescue taught me this: when we give dogs clarity and purpose, we get partnership in return.
And that kind of partnership changes everything.
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Have you ever given your dog a real âjobâ or seen their personality change with purposeful work? What helps your dog feel fulfilled? Iâd love to hear about it in the comments.
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