Would like to train my female pup to track..... - Page 1

I have a very bright, and I think talented, 7 month gsd female who accidentally helps me find my 5 year old daughter when she takes off on me down by Lake Superior. I can find her just by checking where Spunky is looking. Sometimes on walks I take unexpected turns and watch Nenz and Spunky to see what they do. He can't find me, just wanders around in circles until I call him. She flies through the area half a dozen times before going off the usual path to find me, and I praise her ecstatically! I would like to train her to track my daughter, who is a special needs child and has a tendency to wander. Spunky is using sight alone to find me or her and I think it would be cool to train her to track by scent as well. Can anyone give me some pointers? Thanks.........

Actually, I would not go with tracking with what you want, I would go with Air Scenting. That is quicker! most times. Easy thing to teach! You start with what we call Runaways. Someone has a favored toy, you hold your dog back, while the person (perferably a person the dog really likes)with the toy, runs away, yelling your dog's name and hides behind  a bush, a tree a shed, anything like that. You let the dog go, giving your search command, the dog starts out by sight, but learns to use the nose., when the dog "finds" the person lots of play, do it again. You do three of these runaways a day. Then on the third day, do two runaways to a same location, then on the third one, you don't let the dog see where the person goes. When the person is in location, let the dog go, saying Find him/her or such(whichever you prefer). The dog most likely will go to where the person has always been. The dog will act confused, you changed the rules to the game! Give the command again, and watch the dog lift the nose in the air, and then find the person.  Make it easy and fun for the dog. Do not do it in an area where the person they are finding has left a lot of scent. You want it to be easy and the dog to be successful.....as the dog gets the game and learns to love it, which most do, you increase the difficulty. Knowing when to change the game to YOU being the one who has the reward for making the find instead of the person who is lost is usually the tricky part for most handlers and dogs.

Deeswolf,

Thanks for a great lesson! I have a special needs child as well, and would love to teach Mojo such a useful skill. We can do this with my two kids and make it a game for everyone?

~Deb

As a person who has assisted in recovery efforts, PLEASE do not allow your 5 year old to go off, especially not by a lake. We would all hate if something awful were to happen.

k9sar, this is a case of where we are going down steps and a handicap ramp to get down to the lake. I am holding two dogs and my five year old is flying down the ramp or stairs, then hiding behind a tree, giggling because to her it's playing hide and seek. She has Asperger's syndrome and is high-strung emotionally, but she is not dumb. She does not get lost, in fact knows her way out of many places we have been to that I have been lost in. To her it's a game. To me it's a pain in the butt looking for her while she is laughing at me. Spunky helps me find her faster. I have anxiety problems and that is why I have dogs.