Rescue dogs at sea: the rescuers of our beaches
Summer holidays often rhyme with the beach, the sun, the warm sand, the sunbathing sessions, the waves and swimming! If everything seems to be perfect for a well-deserved vacation, the sea remains a dangerous environment that claims lives every year. Our beaches are therefore monitored by lifeguards who keep an eye on our actions for our safety. Sometimes these rescuers have four legs! Have you ever come across rescue dogs at the foot of the guard post? These rescue dogs accompany their masters to come and help us.
I went to meet a water rescue club to understand the work of these sea rescue dogs, the motivation of the masters and to learn a little more about their profession. These incredible duos are risking their lives to save ours. I met Faun and his mistress, Noémie, president of the Club des Pattounes du Sud for an interview. Noémie gave me lots of information to better understand the job of these rescue dogs and especially how a dog becomes a rescuer! Ready to meet amazing Wouafer's duo? I leave the floor to Noémie.
rescue dog breeds
Hello all ! I am delighted to speak on EmmèneTonChien.com to be able to share my passion with you and explain to you how a rescue dog becomes a rescue dog. Above all, be aware that the practice of this activity is reserved for certain breeds that are more comfortable in the water, such as: Newfoundlands, Landseers, retrievers, Leonbergers and a few other lesser known breeds. They all have webbed paws which gives them power in the water and a very dense undercoat which serves them almost as a “suit”; which explains why they are able to work in almost any conditions. On the other hand, if another dog of another breed is very motivated by the rescue, he can do it in “amateur” mode.
The dog: natural rescuer?
First of all, I would like to clarify one essential thing: there is no rescue dog without a lifeguard. The dog does not work alone, he is part of an inseparable couple. The dog comes in support of his master to help him in his role of rescuer. He does not save people on his own. He obeys his master. It's hard work, passion, perseverance and patience. It's not magic. Your dog won't all of a sudden jump into the water, pick people up and bring them back to the beach. He will have to follow a training course to understand when to intervene, how to intervene and what he must do very precisely to help a victim.
The skills of rescue dogs
Not all dogs are good at this discipline… Some dogs don't want to work in the water and you don't see that very quickly during training. From the first lessons, the dog loses interest in what happens in the water despite the encouragement of his master. Whatever you want from a dog, it must always be done in the game. The dog must above all have fun. He is not aware of saving a human life, he only pleases his master by playing! Some dogs have no instinct for water… In this case, it is better to find another discipline to do with your dog to have fun with him. You won't get any good from forcing a dog. A dog will become excellent only if he develops a great complicity with his master on the discipline. So play, respect and pleasure are the key words to form these lifeguard duos.
rescue dog training
All the dogs in the club love these privileged moments with their masters. Everything generally starts at home when the teacher prepares the material for the session: combi, rescue harness, leash, clicker and bag of treats Wow race!
On the beach where the training takes place, the dogs are very often overexcited when their turn comes and it is with a lot of barking that they show their joy to start the exercises.
The magic word “the dog, the dog, the dog”! This is the call signal to retrieve an object from the water. In this case, it is better to be attentive, because the dog can take off at a quarter turn and you embark with him! You must see it to believe it. Dogs love it and it shows!
For lifeguard duos to work, everyone has to have fun; respecting the instructions of course, so as not to do and learn anything.
At the club, we only work on the motivation of the dog. We offer the dog small exercises. If he succeeds, he is rewarded. This is called positive reinforcement. We ask him to redo the exercise 2 or 3 times maximum so that he understands it well and then we move on to another exercise so that he does not get tired and fail for lack of motivation. It is essential that the dog ends each exercise on a high note! We try the exercise without ever forcing the dog.
Another important point, at the club everyone goes into the water. The work is done between the master and his dog. The group leaders are there to develop the duos with exercises, correcting errors, proposing solutions... but the work is done from master to dog.
Depending on the level of the dog and the master, we adapt the exercises offered. At the club, there are several level groups which each have their own training plan with specific objectives. Before obtaining his lifeguard diploma, the dog must pass three degrees and selectives. These are exams during which he must pass work exercises in the water and on land such as walking on a leash correctly, bringing back a dummy, swimming 10 minutes or more… Every Sunday, we train: masters as a dog. Very often, we are already beginning to learn the right gestures, the right postures, the right words, … from the master before making the dog work…”
The session often begins with a play time for sociable dogs. Usually the whole morning group arrives together for a convivial breakfast. Then each duo of rescuers has their individual session which allows follow-up and personalized work according to their desires, their objectives and their motivation.
The dog puts on his rescue harness composed of two rings that allow the victim to hang on to be dragged to the shore. Some exercises on the ground are planned to learn or relearn the basic commands (sitting, lying down, walking on a leash, stop, turn around…) and then we go into the water with a warm-up of a few minutes of swimming for both! Depending on the level of the duo, exercises are offered to them such as the sleeve report, mannequin or buoy report, jumping from the boat, picking up a person in difficulty, a drifting boat, bringing a rope or a vest to a boat. in trouble… "
The origin of the club
I've always wanted a Newfoundland since I was little and one day on a walk I came across a landseer. It was the revelation. I fell in love with these dogs. I adopted Faun, my first landseer in 2010! There was no club in the region so I created the club to be able to work in the water with her and we were quickly joined by other enthusiasts. I want to keep the “small club” spirit: we are a group of friends and all our dogs get along well! It is essential: we work in optimal conditions. Training takes place at Salagou lake in the Hérault, the setting is wonderful. Rescue dogs are as useful at sea as they are at the edge of lakes or rivers. The dog-handler duos can intervene wherever you bathe to ensure your safety during the holidays! And to think that some do not tolerate dogs on the beaches… If they knew what they are capable of doing…. We often limit the dog to the droppings he can make, but the life time of a dropping to be compared with the life time of a cigarette butt, a packet of crisps, a plastic bottle or any other waste left on the beaches is tiny.
Rescue dogs on the beaches
Our club is still young. Our dogs are in training. Many already have their second degree. But maybe you will find them under surveillance on a beach in the south of France next season... It would be a great outcome for the club.
Musher and Sophie: " As you may have seen Musher is present on some of the photos of the club. Indeed, She and I joined the club to pass our degree 1. Musher was a big lifesaving fan. To close this very nice interview with Noémie, I wanted to make a clarification. If you come across rescue dogs on your vacation beach this summer, don't go to meet them. They work !!! They're not here to get their belly scratched. They must remain focused and reactive to their master's instructions in order to be able to go to help in the event of an alert. Like guide dogs for the blind; Above all, they must not be disturbed during their working time so as not to endanger the dog and the person to whom he is assisting. In any case, I am happy to have been able to offer you this article, because I wanted to pay tribute to these rescue dogs on our beaches. They will once again watch over our beaches this summer and ensure our safety. Dedicating an article to them on the Mag' was the least I could do.”
You want to know more about the club and see even more photos of these rescue dogs: http://lespattounesdusud.jimdo.com/
READ ALSO : Hiking with your dog can't be improvised!, What should your dog's first aid kit contain?, Taking your dog to the beach: some precautions to take
You can also check out the guide I designed on dog training !