novosti

Some time ago, my friend Ana and me got invitation for judging this excercise. The organizer was ERPS (special SAR dog units from Slovenia). This experience is very interesting because it's different from usual exam rules.
So, this is some of rules from IRO guideline: Exercise has to be carried out in two disciplines of nose work (e.g. tracking, area and rubble) at the minimum and can include further work areas. As a minimum 6 search works should be carried out - area and rubble search should be prioritised to tracking search. The number of hiding persons should always be between 10 and 14. Further worksites are first aid, night march, roping exercise. These worksites can not count more than 50 % of the total number of worksites (e.g. at 5 searches not more than 2; at 6 searches not more than 3).
Each team (consisting of 3 dog handlers and 3 dogs) has to work at all worksites. The decision how many dogs/dog handlers are deployed at each worksite can be taken by the team. Anyway the evaluator has the right to let the dogs work alone on the worksite for part of the time.
If a team does not show up at the worksite or a dog handler inflicts cruelty to a dog the whole team is immediately disqualified. If a dog is aggressive and hurts a hiding person the dog and his dog handler are disqualified immediately. Each team can be awarded a maximum of 100 points for the behaviour of the group (tactics, work-sharing, leading, communication, safety security, alerts, discipline and general behaviour) at each worksite. For each search work there is a period of 30 minutes available. The respective tactical specifications for each worksite have to be determined by the organiser and have to be implemented for all teams by the evaluators. For each hiding person found 100 points are awarded. A person can only be counted once per team. Search time, if within the given limits, is not evaluated. If the dog is supported with the alert the hiding person can not be counted/evaluated. For each false alert 30 points are deducted. For the first aid exercise a maximum of 100 points can be awarded. For the roping exercise, if completed by the whole team, a maximum of 100 points can be awarded. Roping equipment of dog handler and dog and rope technique are evaluated as well. For each dog hander who does not do the roping 33 points are decucted. In order to complete the Team Mission Exercise positively 70 % of the possible total points have to be gained and 70 % of the hiding persons have to be found.

That's the rules. And what happened here?
It was totally 16 teams from Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungaria and Slovenia). They searched on 6 different locations: 4 ruins and 2 woods. They should cross the river by ropes and show knowledge of first aid.

Nobody except main organizer Katja Skulj (even judges didn't know), didn't know total amount of victims. Only at the end of the last day, we got information that it was 12 victims totally.

VEHAMINI
This wood was moderately dense scattered with thorns, 500m long and 120m width. There was one road by the middle of terrain. Uphill was left and downhill was right. The most density was first 10m of width from the road, the other was pretty ok. Teams searched for one or two victims but they were told that there's possibility for 0 to 5 victims.
Differences between teams could be seen almost at the start. Those experienced ones would asked many questions before their searches.
At the end of first and second day, I could see the tiredness both in dogs and handlers and in this moments was very important to stay with clear mind. In moments like this, when handler is tired, it's important to know the dog well, to have a routine of recognizing the body language of the dog. Because of the microlocation. It was splendid to see some handlers how they know their own dogs so well. how they give them as many time as they need for quality search; how they send their dogs on spot where they think they noticed a little movement of tail; or just how they don't interrupt their search. There were moments, however, when the dog was following the smell and handler didn't recognize and call him so the dog stopped and turned back.
In dense part of the wood there's also times when the handler can not see the dog. It seems to me that the worse thing is to keep on moving very fast without any word because of different reasons: the dog can go out to previous spot of handler, he can stop and do nothing and the time is clocking. The most simple solution is to tell the dog to keep on searching because then we know that dog heard us so he know where we are but also, we can move him if he stopped. If we recall the dog, we're at risk of loosing the victim because of obedient dog or the dog can come back without reaching the smell for the first time because he was too far away.
So, it's tricky to call the dog when we don't see him because of several reasons:

the dog catched the smell and he follows it and handler recall the dog because he didn't recognize the dog body language correct
the handler direct the dog deep in area and before dog reaches proper distance, the handler turns his back, he moved and drag the dog to him again
the handler direct the dog deep in area and before dog reaches proper distance, the handler talks something and, again, the dog is coming back

It's esspecially tricka for those dogs who are very obedient and easiliy to direct so they react on every movement of the hanlder and on every word of him.

Then, search tactics. It's always important to have a good tactic.
The teams did as follows:

shooter formation - one on the road, one on left and one on right in the wood
two on the road (one dog left, one dog right) and one hanlder from the end of the area
searching in sectors - 3 sectors, one by each handler and dog
one handler is searching one side of the wood and two handlers the opposite side
shooter formation by they don't look at each other, they only search each his own line

Shooter formation showed one imperfection. If it's classic shooter formation, then all handlers should look each other. But, when they look each other, from time to time they forget the dogs. Or they don't look their dogs all the time, most of time they tried to follow each other. Or we moving too fast and with our body language drag the dog all the time.
Not every dog is fast the same, has equal good nose etc. Also, not every handler is the same. At the end of that combination, some of dogs search all the area, some not. And maybe, victim is by that dog who didn't search well. Because of that reason, I think, shooter formation is good only for equal dog and handlers if they want to move with the same speed. Sectors are good if dogs are the same. Because, team depend on each dog.
Then, searches where handler is searching one side of the wood and two handlers the opposite side must be formed that handler with best dog cover the biggest area.
The best were two tactics:

two on the road (one dog left, one dog right) and one handler from the end of the area - the area was very big and with search like that, handlers covered all the area.
shooter formation by they don't look at each other, they only search each his own line - with this type of searching, every handler covered his part very good and was looking only for his dog

It was beautiful to see some teams how they comunicate perfectly, talking enough, not to much. They knew in every moment where they are.
Some teams made great impresion on me and also, some dogs.