article introduction in tracking? - Page 2

I started mine by making a game off the track.  I would hold the article and food in one hand, sort of wave it a bit on the ground to interest the dog, then give the "platz" command and as soon as he was downing, mark the behavior and flip the article to reveal the food treat in the hand (like how many people will teach a baby puppy to platz, by holding a treat in the fist and waiting for the dog to platz, then opening the fist).  I did this until the dog would do the platz on his own without the command.  Then, I took several articles and scattered them on the carpet or grass and the dog would platz on one, get a reward, then I'd say "OK" (important that the dog understand to platz until YOU give a command to get up and move on) and let the dog find another one, until they were all gone.  Once the dog was platz-ing on articles in different environments, I started short "article tracks" which were a small scent pad with a few treats, then an easy straight track with a dozen articles maybe 20 feet apart.  At the same time I was still doing my other tracking which was SchH1 length or longer tracks, still with a little food here or there and on turns.  When the indicating behavior on the article tracks was correct and consistent, then I switched to doing full length tracks, now with articles and no more food on the track except a few pieces on the scent pad and maybe a few on a difficult turn.  I always use the same article as the last one on the track, my dog gets to this one and understands the track is over and he will be release to play ball.

If the track is a bit tricky, I often do like Jim says and toss a piece of food out ahead of the article AFTER the dog has indicated, so that when I give the "search" command he stands up with his nose going straight down into the track and not getting hectic and losing the track.

I've never put food on and article, once I put articles on tracks, all food came from me, other than the few things I've already mentioned.  However, I do store my articles in my tracking sack which is where I keep the kibble I'm hand-feeding at articles, so my articles do smell like me and food.

Liesjars,
Very interesting.  I will add I never end the track on the last article.  The track always goes a little further than the last article.  The dog does noit expect the track to end on an article.

Jim

Liesjars,
Very interesting.  I will add I never end the track on the last article.  The track always goes a little further than the last article.  The dog does noit expect the track to end on an article.

Jim

I agree with Jim. I never bait under the article. Teach the dog the right way from the start. The dog isn't supposed to touch the article. You can pick up the article and reward. By putting it under the article you are allowing him to self-reward for an inappropriate behavior.

Jim, I can see the point of that as well. 

My dog is just training SchH, so tracking is specifically that style, and especially in that phase I have a lot of rituals, so the dog knows his job at each moment and knows when his job is over.  I used to have problems with my dog trying to track all the way TO the track and then by the time we got there he'd be getting tired or anxious so I had to make a clear ritual on when the track starts.  I like him to know when it ends so I can release him and he literally springs off the track into his reward toy.  Genetically he's not really a tracker.  He's done FAR better ever since learning articles because he now has a reason to track, and he knows at the very end he gets to load into that toy.  Of course that particlar article will never be there on a Schutzhund trial track (it's a "special" article, not something you'd see in a trial), so in a trial it would basically be as you describe, he wouldn't really know when the end is the end, but in training I like to make it clear because other things are happening that wouldn't also be there during a trial.  Sometimes I also use a bit of pressure, which he can take for sure, but I like to then give him a clear release, if that makes sense.  To me that seems fair.

Liesjars,
I was talking specifically about SchH tracking.  The reason you don't end on the article in training is so that the dog is always ready to go on past the article.  Tracking is all about rituals.  You could end the track with food and reward with the dogs toy.  It is just a thought for you to consider.   I went years ending the track on the last article, then I learned differently.  Also vary the articles, I use wood, leather, plastic, carpet, old hotel keys, anything I can get my hands on.  I have bags of articles that I use. 

Pressure is also a part of tracking.  If I tell my dog to track and he understands how to track, he must track.  It would be similar to me telling my dog to heel or sit and he doesn't do it.  I never correct a dog for loss of track, just for not working or losing focus on the track. 

Jim

I could but food has never really meant that much to him, at least not in tracking.  He never finished food piles at the end or they are crawling with ants.  To me there's not a right or wrong way to do it, just what motivates that job and most effectively gets him to do the job correctly. *shrug*   This particular dog has never refused to go on after an article.  I have a large variety of articles, many of which are random household objects, some of which are the types you purchase and would see in a trial.

I built a table 2 foot wide and 30 foot long (like a peir) and start them all on the table I drag my hand down the center of the table and put bits of hot dog every 8 or ten Inch,s and numorus articles with food in frt and behind behind. I put them on a short tab on the collar and start them down the table at the article I use the platz command and reward with a diferent ppiece of food chicken,beef ect... the food stops before the article and starts about a foot after. I don,t restart them till there looking down the table in the direction of the articles. Normally 2 trips down and back there platzing on the article with no influence from me.

Bob,
That is an excellent method of teaching articles, the "such platz" method.  I have been wanting to construct a table like that for teaching several things.  That is one great way to do it. 

Jim