MAR Dog Training
© 2007 Missing Pet Partnership. All rights reserved.
One of our goals at Missing Pet Partnership is to facilitate the training and certification of MAR (Missing Animal Response) dogs. We believe that only dogs that have been properly trained should be out working lost pet investigations. There are three types of MAR search dogs that Missing Pet Partnership trains and certifies: MAR Cat Detection dogs, MAR Trailing dogs, and MAR Dual Purpose dogs.
MAR Cat Detection Dogs
WHAT THEY DO: MAR Cat Detection dogs are specialists in locating lost cats. These dogs are used to search an area for any cat that is out there. Just like other detection dogs (hunting dogs, bird dogs, drug detection dogs, bomb dogs, etc.), MAR Cat Detection dogs are given a simple command and will search and react when they detect the slightest scent of any cat. If during the course of the search they find the wrong cat, they are simply told "Good dog--find another!" and they immediately begin to search for more cats.
More details on MAR Cat Detection dogs
MAR Trailing Dogs
WHAT THEY DO: MAR Trailing dogs are specialists in tracking the scent trail of lost dogs. Eventually in their advanced training they can be cross-trained to track the scent trail of other animals that can travel great distances like horses, ferrets, and even cats under certain circumstances. The traditional picture of a trailing dog is a bloodhound, in harness, dragging its handler while on the hot scent of an escaped fugitive. Nowadays, many different breeds are being trained in trailing. The MAR Trailing dog is trained to follow the trail of scent left behind by a missing animal that has moved out of an area. This will be scent that has drifted in the air, settled onto the ground, or clung to bushes and vegetation. The scent might also be pooled in certain areas if the missing pet stayed in one spot long enough and created what is called a "scent pool." The MAR Trailing dog also reacts to airborne scent particles and works into the source of the scent should the dog encounter the fresh "air scent" of the missing pet.
Even in traditional search and rescue, trailing dogs hardly ever make a "walkup find." Yet they often provide critical information such as a direction of travel that can result in other resources making the actual find. MAR Trailing dogs can retrace the path that a missing pet took and help develop witnesses who can provide further information. They can provide a direction of travel and help the pet owner know which direction their dog initially went, thus helping them know where to place their missing pet posters. However, only in cases where they are called out within hours will they likely catch up to a lost dog.
The only time that MAR Trailing dogs would be used to search for a lost cat is when the cat is an indoor-only cat that escaped outdoors or is an outdoor-access cat that was displaced into unfamiliar territory (e.g., escaped from a veterinarian's office, involved in a car accident and fled the accident scene, etc.). The reason you would not use a MAR Trailing dog to search for an outdoor cat that disappears in its own territory is that the missing cat's scent will be heavily concentrated in a giant scent pool within the entire search area, making it impossible to follow a scent trail--which is what trailing dogs are trained to do. While a giant scent pool of cat scent is not a problem for a MAR Cat Detection dog or a specific scent dog, it is too much of a challenge for a trailing dog. But when a cat is displaced into an unfamiliar area, then a MAR Trailing dog can effectively pick up the single scent trail--one that starts at the point where the cat escaped and ends where the cat is hiding.
You can now watch video footage of MAR K9 pet detective A.J. as he tracks a lost Jack Russell Terrier named Bubba.
More details on MAR Trailing dogs
MAR Dual Purpose Dogs
WHAT THEY DO: MAR Dual Purpose dogs are trained to search for BOTH lost cats and lost dogs. If an outdoor cat is lost, these dogs are used (just like MAR Cat Detection dogs) in an "area search" mode in an attempt to detect the scent of any cat that is out there. If a dog is lost, these same dogs can be deployed to track (trail) the scent trail of a lost dog (or other animal) using scent discrimination trailing techniques (just like MAR Trailing dogs) in an attempt to establish a direction of travel.
More details on MAR Dual Purpose dogs
MAR Dog Training Opportunities
Our MAR Technician course includes the opportunity for a limited number of registrants to bring their dogs to the seminar where they will receive at least six hours of MAR dog instruction. In addition, certified MAR Technicians are also encouraged to attend these same seminars where they can "audit" the classroom training and spend time outdoors training their dogs with available trainers. Although you might not be invited to bring your dog to your first MAR Technician seminar, you will be able to bring your dog to a future seminar. Below is a list of upcoming planned MAR dog training events:
Sorry, there are no MAR dog training events scheduled at this time.
MAR Dog Training Resource List
Legal Notice: Missing Pet Partnership does not endorse the trainers listed on this referral list (below) and makes no representations, warranties or guarantees as to, and assumes no responsibility for, the training services provided by these individuals. We are simply listing dog training resources that you are welcome to use at your own risk. Missing Pet Partnership expressly disclaims all liability for damages of any kind arising out of the use or performance of the services provided by these trainers.
The following people are certified MAR Technicians whom we believe (but can't guarantee) have had sufficient dog training experience to help train a dog in MAR work. They are available for evaluations, consultations, and MAR dog training lessons.
| Landa Coldiron | Los Angeles, CA | 818-442-2952 | Website | |
| Tara Walldorff | Hastings, MI | 269-948-4054 | ||
| Laura Totis | Baltimore, MD | 410-239-4746 | Website | |
| Becky Hiatt | Santa Cruz, CA | 831-336-3243 | ||
| Cathy Orde | Centennial, WY | 307-761-1799 | ||
| Vicki Wooters | Malvern, PA | 484-343-5204 | ||
| Donna Holsten | Crockett, CA | 510-333-9321 | Website |
Recommended MAR Dog Training Book
Dog Detectives: Train Your Dog to Find Lost Pets (Dogwise, November 2007) is the first book to fully describe the endlessly fascinating "pet detective" profession. It begins with an overview of Missing Animal Response (MAR) work, lost pet behaviors, and an intriguing chapter on scent. The book features step-by-step instructions on how to train a dog to find missing cats and trail lost dogs. It concludes with opportunities to work (or volunteer) in this new industry as a professional MAR Technician. The final chapter includes lost pet recovery cases solved by author Kat Albrecht and her search dogs.
Starting November 1, 2007 you can order Dog Detectives from your local bookseller, Amazon.com, or Dogwise, the publisher.
*Our pages are copyright-protected. To share our lost pet information with others, please link or refer people to our website. To request permission to reprint material from our site, please contact us.