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Training weekend on Cairngorm: 12/13 February 2011
 Snow conditions were good, so we focussed initially on avalanche work. We are grateful to Mark and Charlie, two of our volunteer “bodies”, who agreed to be buried. This is important practice for handlers and dogs; a significant avalanche came down Coronation Wall in Coire Cas the morning of training.
The remainder of the weekend, trainee dogs worked the lower slopes, including forest areas, extending the area and range of their searching. They have three weeks more intensive training before a well earned rest just before their assessment.
Fully qualified handlers and dogs refreshed their skills in searching for articles of clothing. In this work they find small articles of clothing or a rucksack. The articles contain human scent so dogs learn to alert the handler, as this can be a clue to the location of a casualty.
 Finally, this was Jess’s first weekend. Jess is a 12 week old Border Collie. She and her handler, Phil, hope to train her up as a search dog. The weekend provided valuable socialisation for her with the “big” dogs and handlers.
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