# What Makes Canine Search and Rescue Successful? Insights into Environmental, Management, and Personality Factors

## TL;DR

This study explores how environmental conditions, management practices, and personality traits influence the performance of search and rescue dogs.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific environmental and personality factors that correlate with search performance in SAR dogs.

## Key findings

- Higher humidity and lower temperature and wind speed were positively associated with better search performance.
- Personality traits like high arousal and reactivity were linked to improved search performance.
- Management practices such as early socialization and litter size influenced performance outcomes.

## Abstract

Search and rescue (SAR) dogs play a crucial role in disaster response and missing person searches. Despite their high social value, however, research on the factors influencing SAR dog performance remains limited. We investigate key factors affecting operational performance in search dogs, including working environment, experience, and behavioral profiles. Information on the behavioral history, management, and personality of SAR dogs and dogs admitted to SAR certification testing was collected. The dogs then performed a simulated search for a missing person. Performance was evaluated using behavioral indicators and data collected via GPS devices. In our sample, associations were found between temperature, humidity, wind, and dogs’ behavior, search strategy, and detection ability. The performance of dogs was also shaped by management practices, including early socialization, as well as by personality traits. Understanding the contribution of these factors may support the development of evidence-based guidelines for dog selection and management, ultimately optimizing both performance and welfare. Nevertheless, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed, and greater research efforts should be directed toward this topic.

This study examined the effects of environmental conditions, behavioral history, management practices, and personality traits on the operational performance of search and rescue (SAR) dogs and dogs admitted to SAR certification testing. Thirty-two handlers completed a questionnaire collecting demographic data, as well as information on their dogs’ behavioral history, management practices, and personality descriptors. Each dog–handler unit also undertook a search trial consisting of locating a hidden person in a wooded area, which was evaluated both by professional instructors and the handlers through ratings of critical behavioral indicators. Objective measurements were obtained through a weather station and GPS devices. Handlers described their dogs mainly in terms of work-relevant traits, such as socio-cognitive engagement, assertiveness, and arousal. The performance evaluation form was practical and efficient, though the Distraction parameter may require refinement, and handler ratings suggested a self-reporting bias. Temperature and wind speed were negatively associated with performance, whereas higher humidity was positively associated with it. Performance was also associated with litter size, age at adoption, dog experience, and management-related factors. Finally, speed, ground coverage, and a canine profile characterized by high arousal and reactivity were strong determinants of good search performance (|ρ| ≥ 0.3; p < 0.05). Although these findings require confirmation in larger samples, search performance appears to be a multifactorial construct shaped by the interplay of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Defining the contribution of each factor could help optimize performance and dogs’ welfare.