Twenty-five volunteer handlers and 10 dogs from throughout the South Island tested their skills during a recent three-day training camp at Sandy Point and Otatara, near Invercargill.
LandSAR (Search and Rescue) operational dog handler Nicholas Sleeman, of Dunedin, said the dogs knew when it was time to ''work'' and some got quite excited about getting ready and going into the bush.
''When the dogs get their jackets on, it gears them up.
"Or in the case of my dog, Gus, when I put my jacket on, he gets excited.''
Finding missing people and saving lives is the result of hours of training for the dogs, their handlers and other SAR personnel.
John Taylor, of Invercargill LandSAR, said of the 27 operational search dogs in New Zealand, 11 were based in the South Island.
Two training camps were held every year, he said. Once handlers had completed the camps, they were eligible to attend an assessment camp.
As well as LandSAR personnel, the weekend involved Department of Conservation staff, a vet, the Invercargill City Council's Sandy Point ranger, kitchen hands and four people who volunteered to be ''missing people''.
Mr Sleeman, who has been involved in 10 rescues in the Otago and Southland bush over the past three years, said the exercise was an opportunity for both dogs and their handlers to learn and develop a ''good search team and good bond''.
Part of the criteria for a good team was strong bush skills for the handlers and the right temperament for the dog, he said.
Once trained, the dogs became known as ''wilderness'' dogs, specifically trained to search for people in the bush.
The camp also gave Southland SAR members who had an interest in searching with dogs an opportunity to find out if the training was a good option for them and their dogs, Mr Sleeman said.
''The local members can come along to the camp, without their dogs, to try it out and see if it suits everyone.''
- Janette Gellatly
