Can Some Dogs Just Not Smell Stuff Very Well?

[Staranais]

Ummmm what jumps are you talking about?

The jumps that you need to do if you want to enter in a tracking trial if you're in NZ (like I am). I'm guessing you don't do any jumping in tracking trials in Oz, then?

In NZ tracking trials include a little obedience as well as the tracking. You need to do a long (broad) jump, a scale jump, and a clear jump in both the first two levels of tracking trial. My poor boy is simply not able to do these anymore.

As you don't use food rewards are you laying the track and having someone else take your dog on lead to track you?

Nope, I razz him up with the toy, then I lay the track and drop the toy at the end, then I circle back and pick him up to run the track. Since we're only running short tracks, it's pretty easy to do.

There are so many different ways you can do to get the dog intereseted in tracking.

He's very very interested in finding the toy, and gets quite ecstatic when we come across it at the end of the track. I'm just not sure if he's using his nose to follow my track, or if he's just pulling with his nose down, relying on the tracking line to guide him in the right direction.

[dogdayz]

okay, you have raised my curiousity twice now referring to jumps, can you explain what jumps are required. My two have T.Ch titles and have never been required to jump?

As for your original question, i think it would be a rare dog who cant track, there certainly are titled staffies, some do take longer to get the idea though. The kibble experiment Im not sure about, my personal interpretation would be that strong smelling food may flood the area with too much scent, it becomes harder to pinpoint the position.

As others have said start straight lines only, when progressing to corners you can either do gentle curves, or help the dog a little by doing a right angle turn but leaving a scent article about 10m after the turn to help draw the dog.

IMHO Biggest motivator for any dog learning is to find its owner....if you have access to someone experienced handling the dog, its worth leaving you at the end of the track, and having them handle the dog, for a few weeks until the dog shows he has the idea. Take the food and toy with you and make a big fuss when he finds you. Once he is excited by the sight of his toy/food rewards you can start to leave just them at the end of the track. Alternativley if you have another family member he is very fond of have them lay the track. Whichever way let him see them walk off, then hide him so he doesnt see where they finish the track.

[Staranais]

okay, you have raised my curiousity twice now referring to jumps, can you explain what jumps are required. My two have T.Ch titles and have never been required to jump?

In NZ, there are 3 leves of tracking titles (we call them working titles). These are UD(X), WD(X) and TD(X). UD and WD require the dogs to jump, as well as do other obedience exercises, and of course do tracking. The tracking is worth the vast majority of points, but the dogs must also complete the jumps and other obedience exercises in order to qualify. I assume it's different in Australia?

The kibble experiment Im not sure about, my personal interpretation would be that strong smelling food may flood the area with too much scent, it becomes harder to pinpoint the position.

Interesting idea, thanks. So you think if I threw something less smelly down (small bits of bread or water cracker) he should be able to find them, if his nose is functioning OK?

he is excited by the sight of his toy/food rewards you can start to leave just them at the end of the track.

He's pretty excited already by the toy, honestly. It's really not that the motivation isn't there. Honestly.

[dogdayz]

that would be assuming he cares for water cracker or bread

I know people who believe that once a dog has been trained out for the higher levels here, they find it hard to then do a fresh track as there is simply too much scent around, also people scuffing their feet on the corners can throw them, too much scent pool. Think of it if you stand in your garden and there is a fire off in the distance normally you could pick the direction its coming from, but if stood an area filled with smoke you would find it harder to say where the source is.

If he is motivated then i would say mark your corner with something (as you lay the track) so you know its true position...its always looks different when you are behind the dog compared to when you walked it. Keep the leash to 5 metres. Dont let him go too far past the corner marker in a wrong direction, by not letting him take any more leash from you, and dont you walk nearer to the marker than you already are, you dont wnat to add scent in the area. Encourage him to find, loud sniffing noises often encourage a dog to put its own head down and sniff, when he finds the right direction good boy and release some leash too him. With practice he should learn that once he loses scent he needs to cast for it not just continue pulling in the direction he was going hoping it will reappear. If he gets totally stressed at the corner or just sits there looking helpless then go to the corner yourself, put you hand low, head low, sniff noises and encourage him on the correct line.

Most of all patience some dogs just take longer to get it...i have a collie here who is hopeless but has her TCh and acheived it in the same time frame as my weim who knew first time up what to do, she just needs more help and encouragement from her handler.

Edited September 26, 2007 by dogdayz

[Staranais]

that would be assuming he cares for water cracker or bread

Oh yes, he cares for just about any type of food you could possibly name.

If he is motivated then i would say mark your corner with something (as you lay the track) so you know its true position...its always looks different when you are behind the dog compared to when you walked it. Keep the leash to 5 metres. Dont let him go too far past the corner marker in a wrong direction, dont let him take any more leash from you, and dont you walk nearer to the marker than you already are, you dont wnat to add scent in the area. Encourage him to find, loud sniffing noises often encourage a dog to put its own head down and sniff, when he finds the right direction good boy and release some leash too him. With practice he should learn that once he loses scent he needs to cast for it not just continue pulling in the direction he was going hoping it will reappear.

Thanks! Are you saying I should start throwing in some corners in now, then? I think he's still a bit confused about the straights, but if you think adding corners will help him understand what I want him to do, I'll give them a go.

[dogdayz]

I started oneof mine with straights the other with corners. The one started with straights was always hard work, she actually trials better than she trains, and i believe that is because its a stranger with her food reward nd she is very food possesive. In training she knows she will get the reward, in a trial she isnt prepared to take the chance that stranger will give it up .

There are many ways to teach tracking, every group has its own beliefs, its a case of picking what works for your dog. For instance we never put food on the track, occasionally we have put it under an article for a dog with too much enthusaism they dont want to indicate an article. Also remember that not all dogs track with nose on the ground and footstep track, some do cast even when on the right line. Dont expect everydog to track like a gsd, gundogs often cast about. If the dog is prone to wandering offline, consider if its just wind direction drifting scent across, also if you move across to stay behind the dog, it will often move back towards the track, whereas if you stay on the track while it goes off it will continue pulling into the harness. Soemtime you just have to mix things up, i can think of one i train with who really doesnt track well in open spaces, but when we tried him on a bush track he loved it and ran the track spot on the whole way, because he isnt a nose on the ground type having scent on high grass and bracken helped him a lot.

ETA; ah New Zealand, explains you tracking in warm afternoons...how i wishwe didnt have snakes here

Edited September 26, 2007 by dogdayz

[Staranais]

I'll give the corners a go then, and see if with patience he picks the idea up. Can't hurt!

Have you got any suggestions on how I can tell whether he's actually on track, or whether he's just "pretending" to track while letting the line guide him? By letting the line guide him, what I mean is that for all I know he just pulls randomly, and since I hold him back when he's off track and only let him advance when he's on track, he could easily be finding his way by pulling but not by scenting.

[dogdayz]

I'll give the corners a go then, and see if with patience he picks the idea up. Can't hurt!

Have you got any suggestions on how I can tell whether he's actually on track, or whether he's just "pretending" to track while letting the line guide him? By letting the line guide him, what I mean is that for all I know he just pulls randomly, and since I hold him back when he's off track and only let him advance when he's on track, he could easily be finding his way by pulling but not by scenting.

When you say you hold him back, how much leeway do you give him. I will continue to go forward even if the dog is 5 metres of the track so long as direction is good. Mine werent taught to footstep track so i dont expect them to be within cms at all time. Like i said if you drift yourself across the line not just follow he will usually drift back to the track. If the dog is pulling hard in the wrong direction then i will stop and wait for them to work back. And when they come back towards me, i back track so the dog is coming back to where he lost the track. The only way to know if he is really tracking is to learn his body language, some dogs are easier to read than others. Often an experienced person following will read his body language better than you, as you concentrate too hard on the dog, someone following will see the little clues like tail wags and posture better, ask them what they see when he is on and off track.