Schutzhund tracking questions - Page 1

Hi all.


When I track it is dark and to be able to see the track, I am restricted to a lit area which is not very wide.  Right now, I am laying 80%-baited, straight tracks.  My dog does not get every single hot dog piece and I am worried that if I track too often in the same place, my dog may find an old bait without ground disturbance. 

In this area I can lay three tracks if I spread them about ten feet apart so the dog would be tracking in the same leg every three days.  Is this a problem?  How long should I wait before laying a track over an old track?

Another question I had was, if I lay the track parallel to a fence or wall, what is the closest I wanna be to the fence or wall?


Thanks. :)

How old is your dog? I think you need to find multiple varied places to track. When I am concentrating on tracking I change places every day, using the same area only about once a week. Even when I do use the same area, I try to change the angle & direction of the track from the previous track.

Mike

Thanks for the reply.  My dog is over two years old, but did not start tracking until recently.  As I mentioned above, I am laying 80%-baited, 100-pace, straight tracks.

i would not use the same place over an over for tracking your dog he will  memorize the track and no what to do on that track and when you move it say in a trial you may not even get off the sent pad.  i would find moltiple places to track even if you gotta take him to work and on your way home stop and track some wear. or wait till you can track in the light so you can change the tracking spot. just my two cents  best of luck

Do you have a neighborhood park anywhere that has lights during the evening or morning when you are trying to track?

A ballpark or soccer field it not necessary, but even if you go to an inudstrial business park, where they have five or six foot wide grass strips, that are long, these are usually lit well enough for you to see where you are going.  And for now since your dog is still green, you can lay serpentine tracks that are very long and this will still promote good behavior.  You should be able to find business parks that you can rotate, and if there is security there, just tell them you are training a Tracking dog and usually they will think that's pretty cool and let you go on your way!

If your dog is not picking up all of the food, you need to slow him down, and either cut his food back for his meals, or give him something that he really loves, I track with boiled chicken and the occasional meatballs from Costco!  My girl would not eat hotdogs.

Best of luck, hope that helps a little!

If your dog is missing the food because  he is too fast try slowing himdown. Hold his food for one day then feed him at the end of the track. You could also try double handling him.
Good luck

I agree with the others - find different places to track otherwise your dog will memorize the track. Don't go back to a spot until at least three days have passed since you tracked there or until after it has rained hard. Scout out places to track when you are driving around doing errands. Flat ground seems to be best for beginners but you should track on hilly ground too if you can.

You can start with straight tracks, but soon you are going to have to add corners. Use both left and right turns. You can use curves as well. Some dogs seem to "get" corners better after they learn about curves. Some go right to corners and have no trouble.

Another way to slow your dog down is by using two 6 foot leashes on him. Clip each leash to his collar ring and run one under his right front leg and the other under his left front leg. Hold each leash in one hand and walk right behind him. You will have a way to "steer" him and slow him down. Before you trial, be sure to get him used to only one long leash when you track.

Hope this helps and good luck.

In a nut-shell- Find another time and more places to track. Get in car. Go find attractive fields, ask farmers/owners for permission. I take a case of beer for bribery purposes, sometimes offer to train an unruly dog for the owner in exchange for use of the field. I also introduce a nice dog I just happen to have with me so they know my dogs are not dangerous.

If you can't see every footstep yourself, every piece of bait, how are you going to know if the dog is off the track or not? Don't use the same area more often than every 3-4 days,for a novice dog either. Your scent is all over the place, hard for a beginner to discriminate between old and new tracks, not to mention the confusion of leftover bait, the scents of critters who did find it overnight, the disturbance (and scat) they left behind.. Keep things simple and unchallenging for a beginner dog. (I let my old dog out to find and eat unrecovered bait before I leave the field. No way he is going to let a bit of bait go to waste, even after dark! :-)

I don't start youngsters on long straight tracks, thus I don't ever really have to teach them turns and they don't learn to track fast because they don't know where the track goes. They have to use their noses to find the bait and that's that. When they are gettting ready for SchH3/FH I start introducing contaminated tracks, varied terrain, step-offs, articles too close to turns, scent pads, cross tracks, food left off the track, even critters in cages near the track...  anything I can think of that might screw them up in a trial situation, with me right there on a short leash to correct them for being distracted. After awhile they learn that if there's something just TOO COOL near their track, chances are I am responsible, and they'd better ignore it!

This is called TRAINING. When they get to the point you lay awake nights dreaming up things to proof them on, and see your dogs learn to overcome whatever you contrive to try to screw them up, its really IS fun!

I love tracking. Can you tell?
SS

Great thread.  My girl pulls like a sun of a gun too, and wants to rush.  So, it is okay of me to steer her into the track or should I just let her miss some steps?