Breed dogs for avalanche search dogs? Advertise here
Buyers and trainers use this page to find breeders whose lines do this work. List your kennel free, tick the industries your dogs work in, and advertise litters and stud dogs from proven working lines.
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Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?
In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.
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About avalanche search dogs
The UK has no separate avalanche dog service. In Scotland, the dogs most likely to be called to a snow incident are SARDA Scotland’s mountain search dogs, which train and search through the Scottish winter in support of mountain rescue teams. This page explains the history, how the dogs train and what a breeder can offer someone hoping to train an avalanche rescue dog in Scotland.
What this work involves
After an avalanche, anyone buried needs to be found fast. An air-scenting search dog can pick up human scent reaching the surface of the snow and show rescuers where to dig.
SARDA Scotland handlers demonstrated their dogs at a Level 2 Avalanche Course run by the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland in Fort William in 2013. The dogs are trained to travel in helicopters and to be winched in and out if necessary, and the association has held winter training weekends in the Cairngorms, working in snow.
For most of the year the same dogs search hills, forests and open country as air-scenting dogs, indicating on any human scent. Training starts at 12 weeks, with a person running away with the dog’s toy; the dog follows and barks when it finds them. Snow and avalanche conditions are one part of a broader mountain search role.
The tradition goes back to Glencoe. Hamish MacInnes, the Glencoe team leader, had attended an avalanche dog training course in Switzerland, and he set up the first UK training course for mountain rescue dogs in Glencoe in December 1964. The Search and Rescue Dog Association was formed in 1965 and by 1971 had split into Scottish, English and Welsh associations.
Who trains and supplies these dogs in the UK
- SARDA Scotland is a Scottish charity and part of Scottish Mountain Rescue. It trains dogs and their handlers to search for missing people anywhere in Scotland, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and deploys at the request of Police Scotland and mountain rescue teams.
- Scottish Mountain Rescue represents Scotland’s volunteer mountain rescue teams; both SARDA Scotland and SARDA Southern Scotland work within it.
Handlers train their own dogs. To join SARDA Scotland you need at least two years as a full mountain rescue team member, evidence of Scottish winter mountaineering experience and a written reference from your team leader. It takes an average of two years to reach full search dog team status. Trained avalanche dogs are not for sale in the UK. A breeder can supply a puppy with the right aptitude, and the handler and SARDA do the rest.
Breeds and lines
SARDA Scotland’s current dogs are mostly Border Collies and collie crosses, with Labrador Retrievers and gundog crosses. German Shepherd Dogs also qualify as mountain search dogs elsewhere in the UK, for example with SARDA Wales. A good snow search dog needs a weatherproof coat, stamina, strong play drive, calmness in helicopters, and a steady temperament around sheep, deer and people.
What to ask a breeder
- Do dogs from your lines work in mountain rescue or search, and can I talk to their handlers?
- How do the parents cope with cold, wet weather and long days on the hill?
- Are the parents steady with sheep and deer?
- What health results do the parents have? For Border Collies the Royal Kennel Club recommends eye testing with gonioscopy, hip and elbow scoring, and DNA tests including CEA.
- How were the puppies socialised to noise, vehicles and handling by strangers?
Frequently asked questions
Do SARDA Scotland dogs only search avalanches?
No. They search for missing people in all seasons and all kinds of terrain. Winter and snow conditions are one part of their training.
How do I train an avalanche dog in Scotland?
Join a Scottish mountain rescue team first, build up winter mountaineering experience, then apply to SARDA Scotland with a written reference from your team leader.
Can I buy a trained avalanche dog?
No. Dogs qualify with their own handler through SARDA Scotland’s training and assessment. A breeder can offer a puppy from lines with aptitude, not a trained avalanche dog.
Breeders whose dogs work in mountain rescue or avalanche search, or whose collie, gundog or shepherd lines have produced search dogs, are invited to list on the site.