A DOG has been learning to tightrope walk to help firefighters deal with disasters in China.The Alaskan Malamute walks over two 10m long wires in just 60 seconds as part of its daily training.“Don’t be afraid. Take it slowly. Be careful with the wires,” it is told by trainers at Chongqing Municipality Fire Fighting Special Mission Base.Underneath, 10 more dogs - which trainers hope will soon be capable of undertaking the same training programme, watch closely.Head trainer Wang Xianting said the idea was to prepare the dogs to work in disaster areas where they could encounter all kinds of obstacles.“Through these challenging training programmes, our dogs learn to complete rescue missions under extreme conditions,” he said.                        –MO