Canine Tracking Guide by Don Abney

Author:Don Abney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CompanionHouse Books
Published: 2008-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Diane Lewis © AKC.

Working a straightaway track on the long line.

In straightaway track training, practice a minimum of three repetitive sessions, once a day for five days. You may practice twice each day, but pad these with a four-hour separation between practice sessions. You want to make this a game and not become drudgery for you or your dog.

Tracking dogs learn that they find a reward at the end of the trail, wherever the trail may lead.

In this beginning phase of training, it is okay to work with your dog in the same location, but as you advance in your training it is important to take your dog to various locations. If you conduct all of his training in one location, he will acclimate to that location and will not want to perform elsewhere. By changing the surroundings, the dog will learn that he must work under varying circumstances and despite distractions.

L Tracks, Part One

When your dog is consistently successful at straightaways, you can move on to his second lesson, the L track (see diagram on page 98). At this point, he should understand that the scent you have pointed out to him is what you want him to locate. Since he understands that going directly to you will result in praise or reward, he will work harder to locate the source of the scent.

Prepare for this exercise just as you did for the straightaway. Leave the dog and travel about 100 to 150 feet away, but then make one 90-degree turn to the left or right. Once you have made the turn, find a place to hide out of sight of the dog. Give a signal to the handler to start the dog tracking.

Once the dog is given the command to start, the handler should stop talking to him. Most handlers believe that talking to their dogs while they are working is a means of encouraging them, but constantly talking to a dog will only serve to distract and confuse him. The handler’s voice is the source of commands, and if he is constantly talking, the dog will be listening for a command instead of doing his job. Give him a command, and allow him to go to work. If he has a problem that he cannot solve, encourage and help him, but do not continue giving the same command. You should have to talk to your dog only to get him started, to get him back to work if he becomes distracted or after a rest period, and to praise him. It is OK to give him instructions; just avoid constantly repeating them.

The handler should watch the dog closely as he approaches the place where you made the turn. The dog, in his excitement to find you, may overrun the turn. Do not be concerned, as most dogs will do the same thing. If he overruns the turn, allow him time to realize that the scent trail has disappeared and that he will have to use his nose to relocate it.

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