Two out of 22 dogs pass test

Only two new potential search and rescue dogs made the cut at a training camp for 22 canines in South Canterbury during the weekend.

Dog trainer and assessor Mark Allen said dogs and their handlers from across the South Island were put through rigorous wilderness air-scent and tracking tests at Raincliff, near Geraldine, to test their suitability to join Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) teams.

"It's rigorous training," Allen said.

"It's a matter of getting it right because at the end of the day we have to be absolutely assured that if a dog goes into a subject or an article, that they identify it back to the handler because it can mean the difference between life and death."

Operational assessments were conducted under the supervision of police who had to give their "seal of approval", Allen said.

The 14 dogs undergoing air-scent testing had to find a person or article hidden in the bush.

Only two of those dogs made it through to the next stage in September, when they would be assessed to become operational LandSAR team members, while three seasoned air-scent dogs would be reassessed, he said.

No new dogs made it through for assessment as operational tracker dogs, but three were eligible for reassessment.

"There are people at different levels of training. To get to an operational status it normally takes about three years to train a dog team."

Search and rescue dogs and handler numbers were low, with only four operational air-scent dogs in the South Island, and five tracking dogs, Allen said.

"We are quite short of dog handlers. We don't have any air-scenting dogs in the North Island."

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