Tracking to fast - Page 1

I'm looking for different ideas on how you get a pup to slow down on the track.  This dog keeps his nose down, deep but flies through the track.  I'm using a starting flag, one scent pad and then food in steps.  I've tried small pieces, skipping steps, dropping food in different areas of each step, stopping when the lead gets to taut. I think he gets overstimulated when he see's the flag come out and there's no settling after that.  My next track will be without the flag but I'm sure once he gets to the scent pad he'll be off like a race horse once again.  He's 10months, corrections don't bother him, he's not handler sensitive.  If I can ever get him to slow down he's going to do awesome.  Am I perhaps not advancing (meaning difficulty) enough so this is routine to him?  So please, what are some of your ideas

Hi westdog. I have an 11 month old pup that has such a strong desire to work and he gets so excited about working that his challenge is slowing down and focusing on the track also. I found that giving my pup a good work out with obedience and play before tracking helps him slow down and focus better - get some of that zing worked out of him. I would also suggest short tracks with food every step to encourage him to move from step to step and be thorough. The director at my club gave me this advice last week and I have been putting it into practice this week and I think its helping. He emphasised the need for getting the foundation of step-to-step thoroughness before introducing longer tracks and turns.  Before last week, I was laying much longer tracks - nearly Sch I and he did well, but he needs to be more thorough so we went back to the foundation and i think it is helping. Good luck!

I always have a flag at the start - you'll have a flag at the start of trial tracks, so for my dogs there is one at the beginning of every training track.  Enthusiasm is good.  The key IMO is to slow him down without correcting him for that enthusiasm - drive for the track is GOOD.  First, more food will help slow him down - always in the toe so he works each footstep before getting rewarded at the end of each.  Serpentines - make sure you know exactly where your track is - put stakes down in a straight line and serpentine (large, gradual turns) between them - better yet natural markers such as trees or bushes, use anything you can see, do a little straight-line then serpentine again.  You as a handler are in charge of laying the track - remembering where it is so you can help the dog if need be - and handling the line - you must keep him slow.  Don't correct, let him pull, you lean into the line and simply keep him at a slow pace.  Later he will regulate himself.

molly

Try putting out 5 or 6 flags and let the dog check them out. When he is calm take him to the real tracking stake and follow the good advise given by Molly. It shouldn't take too long before you can start removing flags.

I agree completely with Molly, agree it may be time for a more difficult, challenging track. I'd try putting more turns,  perhaps not too acute, (lots of food) to keep him focused. I have a couple of dogs I run awhile before the track, just to get some of the energy out of them so they can settle down and track without blowing up/goofing off. I start my pups with horseshoe and serpentine tracks right of f, instead of straight "voraus" tracks, so they don't just run from the scnet pad to the pile of food at the end. I don't need the speed demon habit that can happen when a dog is always expecting a long, straight leg off the scent pad.

Good luck and happy tracking!

SS

What about "down"ing on the track?  Good idea, or bad?

downing on the track - for sport tracking - I'd say no.  Maybe if you want to break up the track in this manner, teach articles, then put articles, more or less of them depending on what you're working on - the dog can then down on an article and "take a break" as the article suggests.  But downing the dog on command while he is tracking is interrupting the track, interrupting the concentration and the dogs "rhythm".  I wouldn't do it.  But there are many different "right" ways to train, I say "whatever works for you" however if you're training a dog for sport, you must realize that some methods will not work for sport - if you're training for police, some methods will not work for that. 

Molly - resume includes 5 dogs with V FH scores, and the 2007 AWDF FH Champion, HOT trained.