RubyBlue Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 HI Guys, How do you actually get into tracking? Are there any training clubs in Sydney that offer this sort of training? Or do you have train yourself? In which case- are there any books/DVDs, Websites etc you would recommend? I found a group that did it, it made it much easier to start and be motivated for the early morning training sessions lol. It also means that there can be a tracklayer at the end of the track to feed and play with your dog and if you have enough people in the group then someone else can organise the track so that you dont know where it is. (and its always good socialise with other doggy people whilst waiting for the track to age ;)) I think a lot of people do it on their own simply because there is no one else around - I sometimes lay my own tracks mid-week now but I dont think I would have stuck with it if I didnt have other people to motivate me. Im sure its different once you have trained one dog - but this is my first attempt at tracking. Maybe try the local obedience or breed clubs and see if anyone there does it or ask the NSW tracking club. There will be someone in Sydney it just depends on what times you're available and how far you're prepared to travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 It's great if you can find a group even if just to get you started - and as you say RubyBlue to keep you motivated. Thanks for the congrats for Kirra BTW - very pleased with my little girl. She's back to being an agility dog now until the next TSD trial in October. I laid a track for my Rory man on the way home from work/school this afternoon - grass very long - and forgot that half the area had been ploughed up last year - so hard going laying it - though the long grass held the scent nicely. Ran it fairly hot (running out of light) and I'm happy to say he did a great job - he's so much more accurate and methodical than warp-speed Kirra (do tracking before competing in agility is maybe a good idea LOL). Another nice thing was that he was dropping at the socks - (maybe to have a little rest from ploughing through the long grass ) - so I'm happy to encourage that - makes for really clear article indication. He's entered in his first Test 1 in a couple of weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kynan Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 (edited) Have just started some intensive tracking training with Kynan. I have three weeks off work so thought I would try and follow Glen Johnsons method. It is only week one but Kynan is doing really well. It is amazing to watch him work and I think we have finally found something that he will be good at and enjoys. Johnson's method is pretty full on and I don't know how it would be possible to do if having to go to work during the day. Has any one else followed hs method and was it successful? It involves tracking 6 days a week and doing three tracks three times a day so that is 54 tracks a week! Edited June 9, 2011 by Kynan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Wow, 64 tracks a week? I'd worry that would turn a dog off tracking, unless it was very drivy, especially once the tracks start getting longer and older. We're advised to do only a few sessions a week. But, I haven't followed his method myself, so it could work excellently for all I know. I'm playing around with some heavily baited off-leash tracking at the moment, trying to learn how to read corners better (and trying to teach her to take some responsibility for paying attention at corners!) Not sure how that will go for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kynan Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 (edited) Its full on! Have just done the first week and I don't think we can sustain it. We only did two sessions today with three tracks each time. Kynan is coping well but I'm struggling to find the time and I'm on holidays at the moment and we havent even started aging the tracks. From past experience with other training I know Kynan needs his rest days so I think next week we will only go out three times a week and only twice a day. Edited June 10, 2011 by Kynan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcandari Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 Thanks Ive entered in the Hastings trial and plan to enter in the GSD one too - I will hopefully see you there, though I can only be there on Saturdays .... work is interfering again. Out of interest - on the entry form for the GSD trial should I put test 2 or test 3? I will have done the Hastings trial by then so do I assume we'll pass or do I put test 2 'cause that is where we are up to when I put the entry in? Does anyone want to practice around Melbournes north east during the week? Its easier to be motivated to get up on cold morning if there are other people to practice with. Hi RubyBlue and congratulations on your result yesterday at the GSD trial!!! I just found this thread and wished I'd seen it before the trial yestrday. We are the ones with Ari the Vizsla who passed his track 1 yesterday. We live in Melbourne's north east and can train mid-week. PM me if you'd like to arrange something. Hi also to Mia&Oskar!! Good to meet you yesterday too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 Has anyone else read Kris's book on tracking since it was posted awhile back? I want to buy it but would love to hear others opinions first....though I would ideally like to borrow it first so have to track down someone who has it :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 Has anyone else read Kris's book on tracking since it was posted awhile back? I want to buy it but would love to hear others opinions first....though I would ideally like to borrow it first so have to track down someone who has it :p KCC library? He certainly has some great reviews there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 Yeah I will be ringing them tomorrow (if they are open) to see if they have it or not, fingers crossed they do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyBlue Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hi all, going to have a bit of a gloat seeing as I cant wipe the grin off my face. Milly passed test 2 at Hastings a fortnight ago and passed test 3 at the gsd trial at Ballarat on Saturday. Going to send off for her title today. Many thanks to my smelly tracklayers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyBlue Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hi RubyBlue and congratulations on your result yesterday at the GSD trial!!! I just found this thread and wished I'd seen it before the trial yestrday. We are the ones with Ari the Vizsla who passed his track 1 yesterday. We live in Melbourne's north east and can train mid-week. PM me if you'd like to arrange something. Hi also to Mia&Oskar!! Good to meet you yesterday too. Awesome - congrats on your pass too. Id be keen to do another training session - how do Tuesday mornings sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyBlue Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Its full on! Have just done the first week and I don't think we can sustain it. We only did two sessions today with three tracks each time. Kynan is coping well but I'm struggling to find the time and I'm on holidays at the moment and we havent even started aging the tracks. From past experience with other training I know Kynan needs his rest days so I think next week we will only go out three times a week and only twice a day. WOW - thats heaps! How long are the tracks? We usually only train once a week, though with trials almost weekly and on the same day as we usually practice (and getting progressively harder) I think itd be good to do an easy track during the week to keep Milly keen every time she starts one. When we started we used to do two tracks a session but now the tracks are getting longer Milly gets more tired, so now we only do the one. I figure she knows how to track so its more for me to practice reading her and making sure she doesnt forget that articles sometimes contain goodies. Out of interest - what does everyone else do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Out of interest - what does everyone else do? At the moment for our scent work, we do one air scent problem a week (i.e. finding a real person), a few article searches (finding dropped items on a paddock or football field), and usually also a few tracks per week. Tracking isn't really our focus at the mo, so we just doing it for fun. If I were only tracking her, I'd probably try to get out every second day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcandari Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Awesome - congrats on your pass too. Id be keen to do another training session - how do Tuesday mornings sound? Hi RubyBlue, have PM'd you. We were so pleased with our result on Saturday, but now working hard on reading Ari better after the feedback re him being an excellent dog (and basically) pitty about the handler . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kynan Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hi all, going to have a bit of a gloat seeing as I cant wipe the grin off my face. Milly passed test 2 at Hastings a fortnight ago and passed test 3 at the gsd trial at Ballarat on Saturday. Going to send off for her title today. Many thanks to my smelly tracklayers. Wow, well done! Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mia&oscar Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Hi RubyBlue and congratulations on your result yesterday at the GSD trial!!! I just found this thread and wished I'd seen it before the trial yestrday. We are the ones with Ari the Vizsla who passed his track 1 yesterday. We live in Melbourne's north east and can train mid-week. PM me if you'd like to arrange something. Hi also to Mia&Oskar!! Good to meet you yesterday too. Hi jcandari - was great to meet you and your husband, and of course the dogs! Excellent result to get a pass on your first outing in Tracking - well done! Hopefully will see you again soon, either at a dog show or a tracking trial!! You should enter Ballarat at the end of July as it's also held around the Haddon grounds. I'm stewarding / tracklaying - so will be there all three days of the trial. Hi all, going to have a bit of a gloat seeing as I cant wipe the grin off my face. Milly passed test 2 at Hastings a fortnight ago and passed test 3 at the gsd trial at Ballarat on Saturday. Going to send off for her title today. Many thanks to my smelly tracklayers. Awesome RubyBlue! I wished I could have stewarded on Milly's track so I could watch her work. From the feedback I heard, she is a great little tracker. At least I can take a small partial credit by being a smelly tracklayer for her Test 3 LOL. Fantastic achievement to get her Tests 1, 2 & 3 in a row, with no fails. Good luck for her test 4 :-) Will see you on Saturday, it should be a good day - hopefully the weather will be kind. The GSD trial was a successful one for all of us - my Great Dane Oscar passed his Test 2 with a grading of good :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mia&oscar Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 A question for you trackers! How much is too much when it comes to a 'gift' for the tracklayer? My thoughts are that the 'gift' should be equivalent to the tracking test - so for a Test 1 or 2 a bar of chocolate (easy to pick a favourite as it's a known tracklayer!). As you progress through the tests and your tracklayer has to walk further and sit out in the cold longer, I think the 'gift' should be a little better - if that makes sense? For me a family sized block of chocolate for a test 3 is waaaay too generous (but it was shared around & much enjoyed ;) so thank you!!) What are everyone's thoughts? Personally, I love a muslei bar instead of chocolate LOL. Once I was given a small puzzle toy and a chump-a-chump lolly - I laid 6 tracks that weekend, so it was a pleasant change from so much chocolate!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Was just thinking about this - have to organize something for this weekend. One of the things that if I think about it in time, I like to include, is a couple of scratchies. Not expensive, but could be really, really good. :D Usually some sort of eatables as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyBlue Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 For me a family sized block of chocolate for a test 3 is waaaay too generous lol - it was on special. Ill keep museli bars in mind. Someone got a small bottle spirits for a test 7 at Hastings and I got a family sized block of lindt chocolate for laying a test 3. I was told that you give a bit more when its for a title...... Yay for you and Oscar. I got to see a bit of his track but wish I could have watched more (I was torn between not standing in one place and not distracting him - seems I need not have worried about the latter) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pirate Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Pirate the Pointer passed track one Last Saturday at Cressy. The tracklayer laid 2 tracks for me and wanted a fruit so got her a banana for each track she was very wealthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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