Need help/advice - Page 1

So my question is how should i go about training my dog to track i really have no idea how to start off any help is appreciated

Check out a book by Gary Patterson titled "Tracking from the Beginning." It's a good source of info for a new person and might help.

There are amny ways to start, one I have used is food. Cut up hotdogs into very small bite size pieces, Lay a straight track and drop a pice in each foot step, not too long and a little pile at the end and the begining. Bring the dog up to the start point give him your command to track, let him eat the little pile at the begining and encourage him to go down the track. After he has the idea then go to a simple turn, the next to two turns opposite direction. Oh the first turn should be into the wind. After he has mastered this then slowly start cutting back on the hotdogs, every couple of steps, then in the turns, then later only at the end until finally none at all substtute a toy at the end. That is basically how I train them and when I get to none at all i start expanding the tracks and use a toy at the end for a reward. There are many other methods and plenty of books on the subject. Hope it helps Mike

how you train will depend on what you intend to do with this dog. i think the others must have assumed you will train for schh. is this what your are planning or are you interested in sar or cadaver work?

well i curently have two dogs one male and the other female i would defintely like to get one of them schutzhund titled but the other could become a sar/ so help to train in either would be great

I like the viedo set by Joanne Flemming -- a lot of really good information there. Almost too much for the first couple of viewings... but she explains the steps/theory very clearly. You'll choose your own method but for a complete novice, you can't get better than this video series, IMO. Also... it's totally motivational, so you'll do no harm. http://www.caninetrainingsystems.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd=action&key=V-TR-PLUMB-3