Cross Breeds

What kinds of dogs are used for snow tracking?

For tracking people fallen under an avalanche.

Public Comments

1. Alaskan Malamute
2. alaskan malamute, huskies, saint bernads.
3. As a member of a Search & Rescue Team (SAR) and a former member of the Pro Ski Patrol at a nearby Ski resort hear in Washington we have used many types of dogs Golden Retrivers German Shepards St. Bernards And Several Other Breads There is no specific breed that is prefered over the other. Infact the Swiss Used the Saint Bernard exclusivly for Many years as Snow Rescue Dogs. In our group the two most popular are the Lab and Shepard and we had up untill last year a St. Bernard who retired due to old age. You may ask, 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!). Here are some good links on SAR Dogs http://www.comdens.com/SAR/ http://www.vidicom-tv.com/avalanche_angels/ http://www.saintbernard.org/working_dogs.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210580/Avalanche.htm