Daily training, aptitude tests and certification: The preparation of rescue dogs in the SESU

Dogs selected for work in the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) canine units undergo daily training in various disciplines. To qualify for deployment, they must demonstrate their skills through rigorous certification tests.

Yuliia Secheiko, an instructor at the SESU Interregional Center for Humanitarian Demining and Rapid Response, who works with a beagle named Toto, shared these details during a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine.

She emphasized that training must begin early—when puppies are only three or four months old—to prepare them for future rescue work.

According to the trainer, the dogs are trained in different areas on a daily basis, as the subsequent certification includes obedience and agility, as well as a separate category—search.

“Each dog has a different search ability. No dog is universal, and that’s a good thing. A dog may be fantastic at finding people under rubble, but struggle in open terrain. Fortunately, our service allows us to specialize dogs in their strongest areas,” she added.

There are special days when the dogs are trained in search, and separate days dedicated to obedience and endurance. Separate sessions focus on acclimating dogs to vehicles. In addition, activities are organized for the puppies to meet as many people of different ages, genders and professions as possible.

The program is extensive and lengthy and begins at a young age. At 15 months, dogs undergo their first professional aptitude test to determine if they are ready to conduct searches. Only certified dogs are later used in real search missions.

“We only have 66 dogs, but these 66 dogs are 100% reliable in finding people. We have annual certifications, and if a dog does not pass the certification and does not find a person during training, it is not allowed to participate in searches. Then an investigation is conducted, and the dog gets three tries to prove it was a temporary problem,” Yuliia Secheiko explained.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news