4.1 An area search dog crew or team is required to have, at a minimum, the knowledge, skills, and abilities outlined within this document.

4.1.1 An area search dog crew or team which meets the requirements in this guide is a Canine Search Resource of the category Area Search Dog as defined in F1848 Standard Classification System for Canine Search Resources.

4.1.2 Additional differentiation of the specific Canine Search Resource is defined in F1848 Standard Classification System for Canine Search Resources.

4.2 This guide only establishes the minimum knowledge, skills, and abilities required for an area search dog crew or team to perform area searches. No other skills are included or implied.

4.3 This guide is an outline of the topics required for training or evaluating an area search dog team or crew, and may be used to assist in the development of a training document or program.

4.4 This guide can be used to evaluate a document to determine if its content includes the topics necessary for training area search dog crews or teams. Likewise, this guide can be used to evaluate an existing training program to see if it meets the requirements in this guide.

4.5 The knowledge, skills, and abilities presented in this guide are not in any particular order and do not represent a training sequence.

4.6 Though this guide establishes minimum training requirements, it does not imply that an area search dog team or crew is a "trainee," "probationary," or other similarly termed part of an organization.

4.6.1 The AHJ is responsible for determining the requirements and qualifications for its member ratings.

4.7 An area search dog crew or team shall document training by completion of a position task book, compliant with ASTM F3068, or by field demonstration under qualified supervision. Where proficiency in a skill or ability must be demonstrated, unless stated otherwise it shall be demonstrated for initial qualification, and then as often as required by the AHJ.