Tracking

[Podengo]

Ooo have not updated here in awhile... Me and Elsie are still tracking and loving it, not going as often as we should... Maybe once every 2 weeks at the moment but she is coming on in leaps and bounds yay :) still another whole year off trialing as dogs have to be 2 years old to track here because of the jumps in UD (which tracking is a part of), but really enjoying training. Dd a 1 hour old track a week ago which she thought was easy, now just got to work on adding a lot more length to her tracks... We are still only at around 200-300m... Still using food every 5 or so steps too, to encourage her to keep her head down and foot step track a little more, not looking forward to laying really long tracks with lots of food, my poor back :laugh:

Need to vary up where we train too, we do a lot in forests and on short grass as thats what we have the most access to, but I think most trials are on long grass so totally need to do more varied environments! What sort of places do all of you track? How often are you training

[Tassie]

Sounds like things are going really well for you DiscoDobe. Can only imagine your back with putting down all that food. I don't teach footsetep tracking (we're not required to do it, although people can if they want to), so I only have to bend down when I put down an article (there's food tucked into that).

Rory got his TDX title at the last tracking trial of the year at the end of September - tracking in a boggy cow paddock with some standing water, and a flukey wind - not pretty - but good enough. So next year he'll be doing hi s Test 7 for Tracking Champion. 1200 metres, 90 - 180 minutes delay, blind start.

My agility girl Kirra got her Track & Search Dog title the first weekend in October - she did a nice job of her track - although I had to re-scent her after we had an encounter at a crossroads of tracks with an off lead poodle (pleasant - but got in Kirra's face, which she doesn't like) and a couple of peopl going in opposite directions on a track which crossed where we needed to go. Other than that she was motoring for the whole 100 metres.

No tracking training here for the moment - concentrating on Rally O, obedience and agility. And the snakes are out! You're so lucky over there to be able to train year round. We can't do anything in forested or paddock areas now until about April. Luckily, since I'm training Track & Search as well, I can train on some open public land near the centre of the city, which has some bush, some long grass, and some shorter grass - and lots of diversion tracks as it's a popular area with people and dog-walkers ... and no snakes have been seen there for at least 20 years :D .

[Podengo]

Tracking update... The South Island is hosting its first tracking only trial in February, so we don't have to wait until the UD trial in November to track! So exciting! Have upped training a little, went out and did an awesome hill track today, and heading off to a 3 day tracking seminar at the end of this month :D

[BC Crazy]

Hi folk's, sorry for just dropping in here but was after some ideas. I would love to do some simple exercises with my 4 year old BC 'Sonny' who seems to have a very keen nose & loves to use it.

We are absolute beginners with the whole tracking thing but I have a feeling Sonny might just have a lot of natural talent that I would like to nurture if possible.

We play this game every morning that can take up to 1/2 hour, all very basic but my boy thrives on it. I get a twig or a stick, rub my hands on it, break it up into tiny pieces, approx. 2mm each

ask him to wait while I scatter them in the yard. Then ask him to find them. His nose is to the ground until he finds every single one of them. He picks each one up , chews it a bit, them on to the next.

I did say it was basic :laugh: He finds them all & just loves it. He is so switched on the entire time. Not frantic but very engaged.

So if anybody has some simple tracking exercises that they know about & wouldn't mind sharing. Some thing's I could do down at the local park maybe? I would greatly appreciate it.

Feel a bit silly asking but everyone has to start somewhere. I did notice there was a novice tracking day advertised at Erskine park, would of loved to have gone but as it is 7 hour round car trip for us.

Just too far

Edited April 3, 2013 by BC Crazy

[megan_]

Squeee! Lucy loves tracking. We use the disturbed ground method like they do in Schutzhund. Takes ages to learn properly but then they do it perfectly.

You can start off by teaching her scent pads.

Get a flag (I use a chopstick with a ribbon tied on it). Plant it in the ground, leaning very far forward to do this so that your footsteps aren't near it. Don't do this in your yard.

Then, to the top right of the flag, stomp out a little scent pad, making it about 50 x 50 cm at least. Really work the ground at first. Then scatter some treats in the scent pad area while you are stomping. Make sure to include a treat in every pad corner.

Once you've done this, take a giant leap out of the pad so that you don't leave foot marks near it. Walk around it leaving at least a few meters.

Now you're ready for Stella to search the scent pad. Lead her up to it directly, on lead at all times. Talk in a low, slow calm voice, stroking her softly. Tracking takes concentration and controlled drive. Say "track" and wait. She should put her nose down and start sniffing. If she goes off track don't correct her or lead her back, let her work it out herself. If she gets to the end of the lead just stand still. You can offer a calm "good" if you want to when she is doing the right thing. When she has finished, lead her off (away from the flag) and calmly tell her that she is good.

I do about 3 scent pads in one go and then give them "thinking time" (either in the car, in the crate or in the house). This lets things set in.

The more you repeat this the better tracker they will be (the pros do this first step for months). Then you start adding a few steps away from the flag with treat in each step, ending with an article.

You teach the article as a separate exercise. Get something leather, wood or carpet etc and make it about 3 x 10 cm (approx). Teach her to drop directly in front of it, with it between her paws. I train this in the house, outdoors etc and did it by shaping with a bit of help.

Once you start adding steps after the scent pad, you then add the article at the end of the track so you know that the track has finished. The article should have your scent on it so they associate the article with finding the human - putting it inside your bra for 1/2 an hour does the trick.

I hope it all makes sense! Tracking seems very simple but it really tires them out.

[BC Crazy]

I had no idea there was so much to tracking megan. Thanks for taking time to explain the basic's. Now I will just re read your thread to make sure I have got it right.

I know Sonny will love it once he gets the hang of it. But I have to get the hang of it first :laugh: Don't be surprised if I am back with a million questions....

I'm really time poor as Stella being well reactive seems to take a lot of my attention & time, so I wanted to give Sonny something special for him & I to go & do.

Stella shows no interest in nose work unlike Sonny who is as keen as :)

Any other exercises come to mind, please folks.

Edited April 3, 2013 by BC Crazy

[Podengo]

Oooh I should update, Elsie qualified tracking level 1A at her first trial! YAY Elsie! One more "1A" qualification and she can have the TT1 title :D

[BC Crazy]

Discodobe, well done. That sound very impressive. Great going :)

[RubyBlue]

Wow that method sounds hard Megan. Someone once explained to me that the Schutzhund tracking test is more an exercise in obedience and precision than about finding the person.

I do ANKC tracking and it is more about finding the person at the end - the first test you don't even need to find the article.

We start off training with a favourite person revving the dog up with a toy or food reward, then the handler prevents the dog from 'seeing' where that person goes whilst they lay a short track with lots of articles (usually with a bit of food on them or half buried in them - to reward interest in the article).

Every time the dog puts its nose down - particularly at an article it gets a verbal reward from the handler -but not so much that the dog comes back to the handler. The dog should be encouraged to lead the handler towards the tracklayer rather than the other way around - though initially the handler might need to point out the articles. When the dog gets to the tracklayer then massive massive jackpot.

Start off with short hot tracks -20m or so - until you feel that the dog gets the idea that it is following the persons track to get to the person. Then you can start to stretch out the time and length of the track, add corners, cross overs etc.

[RubyBlue]

Oooh I should update, Elsie qualified tracking level 1A at her first trial! YAY Elsie! One more "1A" qualification and she can have the TT1 title :D

congrats :)

Both my dogs are sitting on one more pass for their next titles and I think Tassies got one more pass for her dogs next title too?

Exciting times for all of us it seems.

The weather is looking ominous - the season starts soon.

[RallyValley]

My dog does tracking :laugh: But I get my 'professional handler' to handle her and she has been training her too. I just come long, lay tracks and take pictures :)

It's a very interesting sport! I'm always in awe when I see dogs nail it.

[Red Fox]

Wow that method sounds hard Megan. Someone once explained to me that the Schutzhund tracking test is more an exercise in obedience and precision than about finding the person.

That is correct. The dog must search each footstep carefully and follow the track accurately to pass. They also must indicate each article cleanly by dropping with the article between the front paws and remaining in position until released be the handler to follow the track again.

To give you some further information:

Sch1/IPO1/TR1 is a handler laid track, minimum 300 paces, 3 legs, 2 x 90 degree turns and 2 handler scented articles. The track is a minimum of 20 minutes old and the dog has 15 minutes to complete it

Sch2/IPO2/TR2 is laid by a stranger, minimum 400 paces, 3 legs, 2 x 90 degree turns and 2 articles scented by the track layer. The track is a minimum of 30 mins old and the dog has 15 minutes to complete it

Sch3/IPO3/TR3 is laid by a stranger, minimum 600 paces, 5 legs, 4 x 90 degree turns and 3 articles scented by the track layer. The track is a minimum of 1 hour old and the dog has 20 minutes to complete it.

FH1 and FH2 are longer, more complicated and include cross tracks.

There are no people to find, only articles and each track always finishes with an article.

Scoring is out of 100 points - 79 for maintaining the track, 11 + 10 points for each article (SCH1 and SCH2)

A dog can still pass if it tracks well but fails to indicate articles but can only score a 'satisfactory' rating (the lowest passable rating)

For SCH and IPO titles the dog also needs to complete and pass their tracking, obedience and protection routine - all within the same trial.

It's not hard to teach, it just takes time and patience.

[megan_]

the explanation sounds complicated but as RidgieMal says, it is actually very, very simple to teach. You do need to repeat the steps many times over to get perfection.

A few of the dogs in our training group have the highest titles in ANKC tracking and are retraining their dogs in this method (which is used by Uta Bindel). I believe the same training method is employed for a lot of search and rescue dogs as they can't look up and see where they are tracking to, they need to scent every step.

I have a mini schnauzer and an oodle cross, so we are never going to get an Sch title, but they absolutely love tracking and it really tires them out. It is also a great sport for reactive & hyperactive dogs.

[Podengo]

Nothing exhausts Elsie like tracking!

Regulations for tracking level 1 in NZKC tracking only trials

A minimum score of 160 points out of 200 allocated for the track plus 1 article are required for a Level 1B qualification and 185 points plus 1 article for a Level 1A qualification.

Age of track: one hour.

One starting stake shall be used. Length of track should be between 600-700 metres. Land should be flat to rolling and should include fences, gates, ditches or swamps. Dog to pick up or indicate articles. Two articles placed on track (first article approximately half way and second article at finish). The surface area of an article must be no smaller than 100mm x 50mm. If the dog goes over the point where the tracklayer says the article was and the dog does not indicate or pick up the article and the tracklayer cannot find the article, the dog must be credited with the article points as though it was found by the dog. Articles’ should be placed on a straight line, on a flat part of the track and not hidden or placed within 10 metres of an obstacle or corner.

Time limit 20 minutes

Points

Track 200, Articles 10 each. Total Level One. 220

[megan_]

Dd are they allowed to look up?

[RubyBlue]

Interesting RM, Megan and DD. All the search and rescue training I have seen involves air scenting, it was explained to me that this was done as typically in disasters there is no track...the victim is buried under rubble/snow/whatever. Often they have to find people without knowing the target scent and have instead been trained to locate people based on the bacteria on their breath (and can do so for several hours after they have died - then cadaver dogs are brought in) or at least so I have been told though I am curious how they know what the dog is apparently smelling. The dogs search without the hindrance of a handler and when they find the victim they run back to the handler and alert then lead the handler to the victim.

I have also been told that the police train their dogs search out and track the freshest scent so it is important that the area the perp. was last seen remains uncontaminated.

[Podengo]

Dd are they allowed to look up?

Yes, AFAIK it's similar to ANKC and AKC tracking, but not at all like SchH tracking. As long as the dog gets around the track without leaving it and indicates their article the style doesn't matter too much.

More pics!

In some places the grass was so long you couldn't see your dog! Elsie and I had to track over a dried up pond, so it was all just cracked dried mud and through these chest heights reeds, could not see Elsie at all haha!

Elsie at the start of her second day track (which we failed, she spotted a hare racing across the hillside, and her already exhausted brain couldn't deal with that much excitement!)

[megan_]

Sorry rb I confused search and rescue with police tracking - where there is a track.

Dd - what a gorgeous location to track!

[Tassie]

Looks good DD ...and congrats.

Yes, ANKC is more relaxed ...some dogs map track, some quarter ....depending on wind conditions, there is a bit of leeway for how far off track they are downwind. They should come back on to the track for the articles though, and indicate them clearly, with at least a distinct outside.

Yes, Rory has his Test 7 to go for T.CH. ...1200 metres, blind start, 6 or 7 turns including an acute, 3 articles. Eek ..starting to get nervous..will have to start doing some training. Well miss the first trial in early June (agility workshop) so I think it will be mid July. Kirra will be trying Track And Search Test 4.

[Podengo]

Looks good DD ...and congrats.

Yes, ANKC is more relaxed ...some dogs map track, some quarter ....depending on wind conditions, there is a bit of leeway for how far off track they are downwind. They should come back on to the track for the articles though, and indicate them clearly, with at least a distinct outside.

Yes, Rory has his Test 7 to go for T.CH. ...1200 metres, blind start, 6 or 7 turns including an acute, 3 articles. Eek ..starting to get nervous..will have to start doing some training. Well miss the first trial in early June (agility workshop) so I think it will be mid July. Kirra will be trying Track And Search Test 4.

Yes sounds like tracking here :)

Good luck Tassie, that sounds fun!