Tracking Training

[Sayreovi]

Dogdayz: Where abouts do you train?? Ive always wanted to give tracking a go but never really started cause no place and basically no idea haha

Only just starting. I spent last weekend at a beginners course (KCC) run by Hastings Dog Club (who are fairly active in that area). Tracking club also runs one each year but it is held near Ballarat. Am now going to train with an experienced person (who knows collies well) over towards Hastings on Tuesday mornings.

The best way seems to be to find someone who can accomodate you into their training group.

Its an interesting lesson in reading a dogs body language, how it changes as it finds and loses the scent. I handled a cattle dog pup who was fairly calm about it all. Pitied her owner who handled my weim - wasnt ready for the strength/speed that a weim moves when on a mission.

The main problem is travel, trials are generally held at a distance and start at 7am, so you travel early hours and are there all day. Most training is done early morning from what i gather, and out of snake season of course.

Sounds great!!!

Im not going to start tracking till after i get my license as i know my dad is not going to drive me at 7am to somewhere an hour away for only a couple of hours

I will go to the tracking course next year at Ballarat to get me started and then Darcy will be old enough to stay awake for longer then 1 hour

I guess i will just attempt at "training" them until next year.

Thanks Natasha

[Sparty]

Hey Nat you will have to come visit and see Bodie.. if the evil Toller twins have not eaten him by then!!

Did you see pams property for sale in this months Vic Dog?

[Sparty]

Thanks Skes Dalimit, Bodie has his nose down quite a lot which is why i was thinking about it besides with a Lab and 2 tollers in the family now he can branch out from traditional BC things to do, although we might see what he thinks of sheep

[Sayreovi]

Yes i will have to hehe has your mum decided if you are bringing the bubs to the obedience trial?

Nope why is she moving?

[Sparty]

Didnt ask, wasnt sure if it was appropriate to at the time, dont think Mum will take the Pups and im thinking of leaving Bodie behind too lol can you imagine my Step mums comments if the first wife's puppies destroy anything while we are there?

we will be coming down more now with day trips so we might catch up with you on one of those

[Sayreovi]

Cool, thats fine cant wait till i meet you all though

[Sparty]

Well we will be there on the 15th entered for morning and arvo, if you cant find the BC's we will ahve a new Collapsable canvas tent thingy we will be trying out

we will be in encouragement with Kira in anycase so see u there

[Sayreovi]

Cool i will be up the back on the slope (hopefully) with a large pen with 2 tollers shouldnt be that hard to find

[EddyAnne]

G'day, Eddy here.

Out here in the country our local Training Club at the time just had Obedience and nobody that trialed in Tracking, and at the local GSD Branch a few there did do Tracking but they didn't want to know us as we didn't have GSDs. Well my wife and I decided to start Tracking training and all we had was the ANKC Tracking Rule book, and here is what my wife wrote about how we started:-

Eddy came up with the bright idea lets try TRACKING. "Eddy you must be joking Charmaine Track, she hates the cold and wet, and tracking is done over the winter." However with a bit of encouragement we started to train, there was to be a Preliminary Tracking Trial locally in 4 weeks and all confident Eddy said we should aim for that.

Well Nelson quickly got the idea but Charmaine was going very slowly. It was obvious to us that what we were doing wasn't working for Charmaine. We tried a new line of training for Charmaine. We headed to a local oval that was surrounded by trees, while Eddy held Charmaine behind a club building, I disappeared across the oval and concealed myself behind a big tree. Once I was in position Eddy brought Charmaine out and she immediately started to look for me, Eddy just stood there Charmaine began to whimper and finally put her nose down. She couldn't see me but realized "Hey I can smell mum went this way". Before long here was Charmaine licking my face and yipping at the top of her voice. This yipping was to become Charmaine's tracking trademark. Charmaine never looked back from this point, but I had missed the close of entry for the Prelim Test. Nelson would go and be successful but Charmaine would have to wait a month for the next trial of the season, 4.5 hours away.

During that month it became obvious that although Charmaine loved obedience work her true calling was tracking. Charmaine hated the wet and is known for her excellent bladder control on wet days, also for her ability to walk around anything that appeared to be even slightly wet. In obedience to get Charmaine to drop or even sit on damp ground was an impossibility. But when she had her tracking harness on, neither rain nor sleet nor swamp would deter her from her track and articles. Articles were there to be not dropped on, but slam-dunked, then you yodel and tell the world what you have found, then run back to mum, and jump on her just to make sure she is as muddy as you.

Our first Tracking trial arrived. I was expecting paddocks but when we got there all I could see was trees. I was in absolute panic. I had never practiced with trees. We camped overnight in the shed that is on the grounds, everyone tried to reassure me that everything would be OK, even going to the extent of telling me some tracks were in paddocks.

The next morning arrived very quickly and we all went through the checking in procedure and lead measuring routine, then waited. All too quickly Eddy was called to lay my track and as he disappeared into the bush all hopes for a paddock track disappeared. The judge and steward returned and told me to get Charmaine ready, we then all headed off into the bush. My stomach was in my mouth, my legs like jelly as the judge said, "There is your start" as she pointed to this flag amidst the trees "when your ready you may start." I thought dam Eddy and tracking. I headed to the start post and Charmaine was tracking before we started. When she smelt the sock she bolted off like a greyhound out of its box. Full length of the lead I followed around trees through prickle bushes, at one stage Charmaine did a beautiful Fig 8 around a few trees I desperately tried to untangle the mess as Charmaine pulled and pulled. Off again my hands were full of prickles and I desperately tried to hold onto the lead. Finally Charmaine was jumping all over Eddy as the judge and steward approached with deep furrows on there forehead. "What the! #$%^&&^%$#~!@ do you think you were doing. Fantastic dog but your handling #%(*&$#&&$#*&".

Charmaine passed and I limped away to lick my wounded dignity. I was later heard mumbling "no one told me that I could shorten the lead." I made a vow I would learn to track in the bush and how to handle the lead even if it killed me. Bush here we come.

Eddy and I returned home Charmaine with her Prelim Pass, and well Nelson had followed some Kangaroo's so the pair was even yet again.

We practiced and practiced in the bush and both dogs did very well through the season and when it came to the final track for the year both had their Tracking Dog Titles and were up to Test 3's. Now this final track of the season was to be held at the same location as Charmaine's Prelim, however now I was in a much better state of mind I knew how to handle those damn trees. Once again Charmaine took of like a rocket but I was in much more control as I let the lead out to an appropriate length and followed Charmaine keeping an even tension on the lead. We proceed along the track managing to avoid tangles; at about the half waypoint I overheard the steward and judge talking. Judge "well who do you think is the better handler" Steward " Just wait and see how she gets herself out of this." Just as this conversation was taking place Charmaine had decided to double back around a bush, she was looking for the turn. I quite calmly dropped the lead and picked it up again on the other side of the bush and Charmaine continued on the track without any break in concentration or pulling of the lead. The steward then replied, "I will have to give it to Anne." My bruised and battered ego from that Prelim had just been fully restored, Charmaine was awarded a Very Good for that track and I had been given back my Ego.

Nelson was also successful that day and we would return to the same place next year to finish our Titles.