Are there certain breeds which make better SAR dogs than others?
Not necessarily, though many people would argue with me on this. Some breeds seem to have a better “work ethic” than others, and their combination of strength, stamina and coat would give them an advantage over other breeds. Generally speaking, the working, herding and sporting breeds can get the job done, with differing amounts of training and longer or shorter maturation/development time. I’m of the school of thought that it’s possible to find as much difference between different dogs of the same breed as it is between dogs of different breeds. Certainly it’s possible to say something like “golden retrievers tend to be highly trainable” or “german shepherds tend to be one-person dogs” … but watch out for when someone says all dogs of a breed have a characteristic (or lack it!). What are the characteristics which make a SAR dog? What I am trying to figure out is, how do you know a particular dog is a potential SAR dog? Biddability (what some call a “desire to please,” ability to be
