This unit of search and recue dogs started in 2004. , At that time the Italian Red Cross has sent a dog trainer-Mr Tony Luvera to help us with our dog section that forms part of our disaster response team. For now we have 3 dogs of which 2 of them are already trained. We are training our dogs to search for missing persons especially those trapped under collapsed building. We always extend and offer this training to the civil protection department and in fact between the Red Cross and the CPD we have achieved a high standard. Their training consists of:

Phase one - obedience: in this level of training the dog needs to get use to the handler and to the orders given. When the basic is learned like sit, down, stay, the dog can procedure to the next level of training. Care is taken so that the handler uses the same tone and the same movement like body language to do these 3 first basic orders. These 3 basic orders are the basic of all training for search and rescue because these are the 3 basic orders that are used all time.

This section of the training consists in that when you call the dog he has to leave every thing and goes to his handler. It is important during search and rescue has one has to have complete mastery of his dog. Basic search patterns and searches are introduced at this point.

During the last training phase, some more commands are introduced. The search and speak are the most important. Search is the command to find the person that is hiding somewhere "for the dog". The command speak is the last command to be learn and it is the last and the longest to be mastered by the dogs. It closes all the training given because the speak is used when the dog finds the missing person and it starts automatically to bark so it will mark the position of the missing person.

For the dog finding the missing person is like a game that is having some one hiding from him to play, but because it cannot reach so him it starts barking. At the is time the dog is called by his handler; and the rescue team starts the extrication of the victim.