MAR Cat Detection Dogs
© 2007 Missing Pet Partnership. All rights reserved.
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.
How They Are Trained: MAR Cat Detection dogs are trained to alert on the scent of cats. A cat is crated and hidden and the dog is taught to search for it. Dogs that are trained in this work are ones that naturally get super wiggly and excited--happy beyond control--when they detect the scent of a cat.
We suggest using cats who love dogs to train dogs who love cats!
Advantages: There are two advantages to training a MAR Cat Detection dog. First, since you are simply shaping behavior (a natural excitement for kitties) the training process tends to be rather quick--three to five months. Second, since a MAR Cat Detection dog does not require a scent article (scent of the lost cat) and since it will alert on any (and every) cat that is in the search area, you can work almost all lost cat cases, including multi-cat households where there is no clean scent article available.
Disadvantages: The only disadvantage to training a MAR Cat Detection dog is that you are restricted to using your search dog only to search for lost cats.
Best Dogs For This Job: Only dogs that have a superior level of excitement to lick and play with cats will excel at this job. Some of these dogs will even chase cats if given the chance. They are often too exuberant to live with a cat because they can't contain their excitement. The key is to select a dog that would never injure a cat. This requires a dog that will back down when slapped by a cat.
How They Are Certified: The certification test that Missing Pet Partnership administers for MAR Cat Detection dogs include the following components:
- Dog being tested must find a concealed jar of cat decomposition and indicate by pawing or digging at the jar;
- Dog being tested must show no fear or aggression towards humans, cats, or other dogs;
- Dog being tested must locate a cat that is crated and concealed within a specific five acre search area;
- Handler must demonstrate their dog is trained to "check this";
- Handler must be able to read their dog's body language when it detects cat scent;
- Dog being tested must give a predictable indication (tail wiggles, lays down, whines, jumps on handler) when it locates a cat;
- Handler must demonstrate proper search strategy; and
- The handler will not know where the crated cat is located.
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