Tracking - Page 2

I have been working two dogs in tracking recently.... One is a joy. Pulls me down the track, deep nose, good "concentration." The other could probably be titled, but would have to be forced. She is flighty, gives up easily, etc.

FOR MYSELF, I want a dog who is a natural. IMO, if we are using titles, etc as breed worthiness indicators, then we need to take into account what the dog brings to  the table. Not what the training accomplishes.

To me, tracking is a talent, not just an obedience routine.
And with this attitude, you probably won't see me win any trials, but I will be having fun:)

--Mary

 

 

ITA, Mary!

IMO, any dog that has to be forced to track isn't worth titleing!

My very first GSD had no drive to track at all. If I hid on her, she would use her eyes to search for me, not her nose. If she couldn't find me that way, she'd get scared and run home!

The gal in my sig on the other hand, was ALL nose! We never did cure her of crotch sniffing...saying 'NO SNIFF!' was like asking her not to breathe. If you brought her into a strange location (e.g., motel room) she wouldn't settle until every square inch of the room had been checked out with her nose.

If only they'd had the CKC PEN number in those days, she would have cleaned up at tracking trials!

Okay, well it isn't a matter of a dog HAVING to be forced in order for it to track, Sunsilver. Please believe me, dogs that are shitters can't handle force methods anyway, they just fall apart.    As I said, ALL dogs are born knowing how to track.  What force method does is it teaches the dog he must track and he must not quit, no matter what.   He will find every article, come hell or high water, and he will be correct every time, whether he is tired, whether it's 110 F, below freezing or raining.  The dog will give 100% every time because he has learned "I must".  Before anyone starts screaming about anything, I have seen many dogs who have been trained with this method, and when it is done right,  the dogs are not "unhappy" or "scarred" for the rest of their lives.  Is it stressful during the force training?  You bet!   It is NOT the right method for every dog?  Oh absolutely not for every dog.  Nor is it the right method for every trainer.  But it is a valid method and as we know there is no one method that works for every dog anyway.

I've said my piece.  If you don't want to force train your dog, don't.  I don't do it because I am not a good enough trainer.  I wouldn't hesitate to do it if I was with someone I felt was competent at it and if I felt I had enough dog for it. 

Huh ! A glimpse at a way to teach tracking I never seen before . Very interesting .

Go Sue,. I don't fool with the electric ethier. I am not comfortable with the nuances. I will and do secure all dogs with force for tracking though. Some will do it real quick which is win win for both of us. Some just say no and fight for a while. As long as you use strength and do not use power {Wallace Payne} your dog will get through it and with a clear goal.. The tracking we want is not natural anyway. Why should they naturally do it?

Sueincc how many dogs have you titled to SchH3 and FH2 and what were your scores as a matter of interest?

      My dog is an excellent tracker.He loves to do it. He 'was' born with a natural ability it seems. Like I have stated before, he is a very fast tracker.This is a wonderful thread on tracking with two lines.

    My question now is, would anyone suggest I get out there with two lines to try to slow him down? I have been told, "never-ever" use the pinch collar when tracking. (I actually don't like using the pinch, I had to be taught the proper way to use it, I put it on him, but had the prongs turned out.)

      I use it now, very rarely, only when other dogs are present while I am doing OB.

Forced tracking is a technique usually employed by national/world level competitors to produce optimum results. the average person doesn't use forced tracking nor should they because it is a method that requires an indepth ability to "read" the dog, to effectively use. To track effectively to acquire a title most methods will suffice to acquire the title. Most dogs that are forced tracked; are very worthy dogs, that they are tweaking the extra points for exactness in the routine. I think that all training measures are appropriate in the right hands, and I think all methods have room for ineffectiveness in the unskilled hands. 

gotcha,thanks

If I was going to try tracking Ccatti I would use the two line method as she tends to wander a bit.  Abe needs a pinch collar to slow him down a touch.  I will try the two line next time I track any of the ones home now.  Thanks for the picture to help explain.