Divisions
avalanche
After avalanches have occurred, avalanche search dog teams can search for buried people under the snow. Despite technical progress through devices such as LVS or RECCO, avalanche dogs are sometimes the only and (then) the best way to locate buried people as quickly as possible. That's why our avalanche dog teams are always ready in the winter months so that in the event of an emergency, 1-2 teams can be flown immediately to the avalanche cone.
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This type of search work is very time-consuming and stressful for the dog and handler. Since he is one of the first to arrive at the scene, the dog handler must have extensive knowledge of clarification, risk assessment and operational procedures. The dog must not be distracted by other dogs, exploratory chains, avalanche transceiver search teams and other disruptive influences.
Area search/mountain area search
When searching for areas, the team has to search for missing people in difficult terrain or large forest areas and arrange medical help for them. The dogs are trained to search an area for human scent. The dogs must indicate people who are sitting, crouching or lying down.
Mantrailing
Mantrailing is a specialty of rescue dogs. In contrast to tracking, the dog does not follow ground injuries, but rather the individual scent of a specific person. The search begins at the person's last suspected location before they disappeared.
At this so-called departure point, the mantrailer is offered an odorous object (e.g. laundry worn by the missing person). The Mantrailer then follows the trail, whether in the big city or in the country.
