In SAR operations involving dogs, standards need to be developed that govern the training and utilization of volunteer SAR dog teams. The ultimate responsibility for SAR lies with Canadian provinces, and this authority has been delegated to police agencies. Provinces are still responsible, however, for developing standards for training and using volunteer SAR dog teams, and not all provinces have developed such standards. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has responsibility for land and inland SAR operations, and the RCMP promotes the development and use of trained and certified volunteer SAR dog teams. Dog handlers must be in good physical condition, patient, able to make sound judgments, and trained in SAR. In addition, dog handlers must pass a security screening so that dogs can be used in criminal cases. The dog training philosophy in Canada and certification procedures are described, as well as breeds and types of SAR dogs. Guidelines for training a volunteer SAR dog team are offered. 2 photographs and 1 map