Endurance is the ability of the canine to put in long hours while operating safely under less than ideal conditions.

For the past twenty years, I have had rewarding experiences screening, developing and working canines that were problematic for whatever reason and thus cast aside by their former owners. Having had this privilege, the canines taught me what to look for when screening them for a particular task such as search and rescue, tracking, explosive detection, etc. When you've had to go to the animal shelter or rely on donated canines, you can appreciate having the luxury of selecting screened canines from a broker or breeder that has a quality canine at a reasonable price without all the negative baggage.

Two initial screening considerations are selection of the breed of dog to be used for the task and suitable personality traits. Other than having a track record on what breeds show prominence, there is not a reliable scale of measurement to make a determination. A continued and on-going screening process review should be conducted so as not to "'lock" into certain breeds or traits only.

Screening needs to address the age of the canine, hip and elbow condition, overall health of the canine and the temperament. Care must be taken in breed selection, health, intelligence, social skills, confidence, soundness of the body in relation to pain and environmental tolerance, loud noises, retrieve/drive, willingness to surmount an obstacle and willingness to please. The parents' pedigree should be examined whenever possible. Canines that are selected for explosive detection work, including mine detection, should be mature, stable and have strong drive.

The canine must be eager to please and attentive to the direction of the handler. The handler has to be confident that whatever the task, the canine will complete it with a positive result. It is always wise to remember that any canine that has to be forced to do a task is one that is unreliable. At any given point in time the canine can refuse to respond to the command.

After screening and selection, the ability of the handler to read the body language of their canine is the most important attribute a good handler can have. If you know your canine, he will inform you with a slight wag of the tail, a sharp turn of the head, an investigative sniff, twitching of the ears, dropping or raising the ears, or even that "look" which says "it's here." If these signs are missing when the canine is being exposed to a "find," then the canine is at the end of it's endurance and it needs to be rested.

Successfully preparing a canine to perform an extremely dangerous task is directly related to what the canine has been exposed to in training. Therefore, the training curriculum is of paramount importance. The curriculum should include team exposure to all types of terrain, weather conditions, man-made or natural obstacles.

In order to build the endurance of the entire team, training should take place at the same pace that operations will be performed at, and under the same conditions. However, as a caution it must be noted that this is a process that needs to be gradually worked into. The individual pace cannot be increased to operational levels overnight, especially with a green dog.

The standard procedure for initially building a canine's endurance is the use of an agility course built with the most extreme imagination. The course you build must fit the needs of the canine to become confident and build endurance to meet the challenge. While you're considering what style or type of course you are going to use, also weigh that the olfactory senses of the canine can be enhanced as well. This is done by incorporating the odors that the canine has to recognize within the agility course.

Dok & Chuck

Working with my primary explosive detector canine Dok, at a permanent site in Washington D.C. has taught me some valuable lessons concerning endurance. I acquired Dok about two years ago when he was seven and his former handler moved onto other lines of work. Dok was already a seasoned professional. He is very mellow, but has an assertive way about him. He was intent on the task when required to do it, but he also had his own agenda. However, I soon realized that Dok was not accustomed to working a full eight-hour shift searching for explosives. Like almost all work dogs, he was accustomed to working at random throughout the course of the designated work day. He would look up at me as if to say, "Hey, when do I get to lay back and chill out?" That's when I realized that he needed to be taught endurance.

About this time, our schedule was switched from an eight-hour to a ten-hour work day, seven days a week which lasted for forty four days without relief. Having knowledge of Dok's endurance, it was very apparent that something had to be done immediately without sacrificing the quality of work and without burning him out as well. I also had to keep in mind that I was not accustomed to working these long hours either. Whenever the opportunity arose, I would take Dok across the street to a park and let him fetch the rubber Kong that is his reward toy, but these times were few. After the work day, I would use the local playground equipment to put Dok through an agility course. Lastly, I instituted a formal swimming regimen as a safe and rapid technique for building endurance.

One of the largest single factors effecting canine endurance is heat. I have found that if the canine is working extended periods in hot conditions where we cannot take him out of service, that an occasional ice pack underneath the arms and legs will do wonders for extending the safe performance periods.

Endurance enhancement techniques are only valid as long as the canine is not overworked. If the canine is overworked, both the safety of the canine and the safety of the people relying on him are jeopardized. The responsibility is on the handler. I found that I could get the most out of Dok throughout the working day and still maintain the high level of performance required for the task. Primarily, I did this by close observation ("reading the dog") and adjusting the pace as necessary by providing breaks at every opportunity.

If it appeared that Dok was lagging regardless of breaks, I would motivate him using a combination of techniques I call "jump-starting." "Jump-starting" simply means that if the canine's endurance is waning you take some action to motivate him to continue the operation being performed. There are any number of things that can be done to accomplish this. Techniques which I use are to get excited myself, show the canine the reward item or pretend I've planted a hide. I also use a soothing voice or excitable tone (not loud talking, this might sound like scolding).

One technique I have found to be of great help is to set out numerous "hides" that were either placed by me or a helper. I prefer to have them placed so Dok and I don't know where they were. This keeps us both honest. Doing these exercises on several occasions has helped to bring Dok's search capability from fifteen to twenty minutes without rest to thirty to forty five minutes without rest.

In addition to helping to increase endurance, these hides are recorded and shown as training time. Since we are obligated to perform and document at least two training hours a day at this site, training for endurance has helped us accomplish both tasks.

Endurance is one of the most important factors in considering the canine for a very demanding and dangerous career. It can be enhanced without jeopardizing the safety of the canine or the handler. It simply takes time, imagination and experience.

Charles P. Smith is the Canine Operations Director for Explosive Countermeasures International, Inc. with offices in Marshall, Virginia. A retired law enforcement K-9 commander, Mr. Smith has over twenty-three years experience working with detection canines.