National Disaster Search Dog Foundation

February is #DogTrainingEducationMonth and to celebrate, we are sharing a few tips from our Canine Training Team that anyone can work on with their puppy or dog at home! A marker is a word or sound (like a click from a clicker) that occurs when a dog completes the desired behavior. This sound signals to the dog that they have performed the correct behavior and a reward is coming. We use markers constantly in training, whether we realize it or not! But choosing specific marke...rs can help make the training process quicker and more clear for the canine learner. To start creating value for whatever you decide to use, simply click or say the word (like yes or nice), then give the reward. Repeat about 10-15 times, and that’s it! You can begin to use your marker. It is important, however, to wait until after you are finished making the sound to deliver the reward so that your hand/arm movement doesn’t accidentally become a visual signal. You can train as many different types of marker as you would like, as long as you are consistent, and make sure that the dog understands what each means in comparison to the others. Duration markers, location-specific markers, and also markers that distinguish between food and toy rewards are all potential uses - the possibilities really are endless! Our search dogs have quite a few markers that they are trained on and it makes communication easier and facilitates a faster learning curve, which is so important during their training!

At the age of 13, we lost canine Martini last month on January 22. Martini graduated from training in 2009 and was paired with Aide Barbat of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department/San Diego Urban Search & Rescue - California Task Force 8 (CA-TF8). Martini was Aide’s very first partner but Martini didn’t quite have what it takes to certify for deployment, so he was retired to live with the Barbat family as a beloved LTC dog, and Aide was paired with his next partner, Sarge in 2010 then partnered with Delta in 2018. Although Martini wasn't meant to be a search dog, he found his purpose and remained dedicated to the Barbat family through his years and will be missed tremendously by his San Diego family as well as our entire SDF family. Rest in peace, Martini--you are a very good boy.

It’s THE big day for sports fans everywhere! Be sure to keep your eyes on the ball and these adorable pups during the #puppybowl2021! #repost from @animalplanet Happy Puppy Bowl Sunday! Who is your choice to bring home the Lombarky Trophy - Team Ruff or Team Fluff? Stream #puppybowl XVII beginning today at 2p ET on @discoveryplus. . .... . . #puppybowlxvii #teamruff #teamfluff #mvp #lombarkytrophy #puppybowlsunday #animalplanet See more

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF SDF You’ve helped us make history, now help us train the canine heroes of tomorrow. Comment below with your favorite memories to kick off our celebration and be sure to follow along starting this Thursday, February 11, as we revisit some of the moments that have led us to where we are today! #25yearsofSDF

Love is in the air! Paired last fall, Kiegon List and Chloe of CA-TF 7 stopped by our campus last week for some search, training and fun as they prepare to test for certification. These two have only been working together for months, but their bond is undeniableshe only has eyes for Kiegon #FlashbackFriday

What did the skeleton say to his dog? Bone-appetite! Happy Howl-o-ween to all the Labra-Thors, hot dogs, pug-kin spice lattes, and good ghouls out there!

#FlashbackFriday--Although it feels like yesterday, just over three years ago, we celebrated the Grand Opening of our National Training Center. As we fondly remember those past times when we were able to welcome people on our campus, we also look ahead to the milestones and achievements yet to come. In the meantime, we’ve had a bit of fun with this photo from the grand opening event--can you spot the 12 differences?

Sneak Peek : throwing it back this #throwbackthursday to the beginning of a special, top secret project we’ve been working on...Can you guess what we’re up to?

It was a little chilly this morning as autumn arrived overnight! But our candidates continue to do what they do besttrain to become the rescuers they’re meant to be across every area of our campus. The enthusiasm to their training (and their toys) is so evident by their laser focus on the toy! #MotivationMonday

Our October Employee of the Month is Sonja! Sonja and our Canine Recruiter, Katie Brennan, are always working on their agility to actively be prepared for whatever is thrown their way. Sonja helps with lots of moral support and energy when brainstorming and scouting where to find the next search dog candidate as per of our recruitment team! These two are a dynamic duo (along with her other siblings of course) and together, they help SDF engage in the nationwide search for our next canine recruit! Way to go Sonja!

Today is #NationalMakeADogsDay, so we are celebrating our Lifetime Care families as well as our dogs looking and ready for their fur-ever homes! The moment these dogs find their purpose is the bestday of their livesand we are dedicated today and every day to finding that for them. If your are looking to expand your pack, we hope, like us, you are visiting shelters with an #adoptdontsshop mindset when looking for a new companion These are our available dogs at the moment.... Most of our dogs are very high energy with high toy and play drive and are suitable for active pet/sport homes or detection jobs. Preference is given to placements within Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles counties, but committed sport/career placement outside our local region will be considered with references. To inquire, please visit https://searchdogfoundation.org/ltc-home/ See more

#TongueOutTuesday: Ready? Set? Our candidates in-training are! Today, tomorrow and everyday they can be found around our campus working on different disciplines learning how to be a search dog!

Nice job everyone! Thank you for doing the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills with us! Be ready to drop, cover and hang on at a moment’s notice and be sure that you have your disaster plan in place whether preparing for the next big earthquake or other natural disaster wherever you are!

It’s time! From Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills: While still under the table, or wherever you are, look around and imagine what would happen in a major earthquake. What would fall on you or others? What would be damaged? What would life be like after? What will you do before the actual earthquake happens to reduce losses and quickly recover?

Are you ready? The Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills starts in one hour! No matter where you are, get ready to drop, cover and hold on to be prepared to protect yourself immediately during the next big earthquake.

With heavy hearts, we must share that Search Dog Asta crossed the Rainbow Bridge at the age of 13 years with her beloved handler, former SDF head trainer Sonja Heritage at her side. Asta was not only a phenomenal search dog with incredible drive and determination, she was also a teacher of many new and veteran handlers alike. In true working dog fashion, Asta insisted on working each and every day of her career, helping many handlers and even other dogs learn new skills, and ...showing some where they could improve on others. She was an all-around wonderful ambassador for all disaster search dogs. Asta and Sonja were part of both Virginia Task Force 1, as well as California Task Force 5 when they moved to California to join the SDF family. Their final deployment was to the deadly Montecito mudslide in January 2018. In retirement, Asta was not one to sit around without a job and easily took to service dog work, helping a family member cope with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sadly, Asta’s passing was unexpected and when she became ill overnight, Sonja took her to the vet, not expecting a liver and spleen cancer diagnosis. Perhaps because of Asta’s stoic nature, one of the tumors had ruptured and Sonja knew it was time. At home, surrounded by her pack, Asta said goodbye and we hope she is now stealing all the toys and squeaking them to her heart’s content. Along with many others, your SDF family will miss you terribly, Asta.

We are so grateful to the veterinary technicians that help keep our dogs healthy--from our Director of Canine Operations, Tracy Darling, to the staff at @ohanapethosp who regularly help us ensureall ofour canine athletes are in tip-top shape! This week, during Veterinary Technician Week, we celebrate all of you!

With the stroke of the pencil, @dawntoussaint was able to capture the charm and quirk of adoptable Lifetime Care dog, Remi! Thank you so much for sharing your tremendous talent with SDF and our adoptable LTC dogs He’s up on our website and available for adoption if you’re looking to expand your pack!