Foot Step Tracking versus Tracking Through Drive -question - Page 1

Is there ever a time when FST is advantageous over TTD for a tactical dog?

Foot step tracking has it's application for sport but is not really effective in a real world situation.  All tracking should be done in "drive."  There is a time that the ground disturbance may be stronger than the air scent and the dog will footstep track at that point.  Different styles of tracking with different goals.  My dogs whether SchH  tracking(FST) or tracking a wanted felon are always in "drive." 

Tactical tracking is a whole topic on it's own which I am not going to get into here. 

Just passing through,

Jim

Jim,

I know you said you dont want to get into it. But I am very interested in learning about tatical tracking. Could you just give me a brief overview? Please. I really enjoy learning from you!

Kelly,
For you, I'll get a cup of coffee and send you a PM. 

Jim

haha...thanks so much!

I disagree Jim.  If you are relying on ground disturbance to teach tracking, how is it I can teach a dog to track on pavement?  What kind of ground disturbance is your dog "scenting" when it is doing a drug search?

Dude, Did you actually read what I posted? I didnt discuss training or using ground disturbance to train Police dogs. I actual train hard surface scent discrimination tracking for our K9's. It is very effective and apprehensions have definitely increased. I have a cross trained patrol / narcotics K9 and I don't see your correlation to a drug search in the context of this thread. Please enlighten me on what type of tracking you do with your dogs?

YOU MENTIONED GROUND DISTURBANCE IN YOUR EARLIER POST.  Did you read what you wrote?  My point is, scent discrimination is scent discrimination.  The dog does not need to have "disturbed anything" to differentiate scent.  Teach your dog to do footstep to footstep tracking on short "undisturbed" earth and it will be a much more efficient "all surface" tracker in the long run.  I can speed up a dog's tracking behavior anytime, but to teach it to focus and separate scent calmly is much more effective.  I can't tell you how many police, SAR, and AKC trackers I have laughed at and even stopped watching because they basically cinch their hands to the leash like a champion bull rider and go off running into the sunset.  Wasted energy, remember the story of the tortoise and the hare?  How about the "old bull of the woods"?  It's all about effective training.

Dude,
Please since you have only been on this forum for a short time under the name "Duderino"  tell me what dogs you have trained and what titles they have achieved.   Based on your post above, I see you are a SchH guy.  I may be wrong, perhaps you work dogs in a different venue. 

I have been involved in SchH since the mid 90's and have HOT my dogs from pups to SchH 3.  I still do SchH and enjoy FST or ground disturbance tracking.  You mention to teach your dog to track on "undisturbed earth."  Do you understand the scent picture that is given off by undisturbed earth?  If you step on "earth" or dirt you disturb it, that is ground disturbance.  Asphalt and concrete are a different scent picture. 

I actively, as in every day do urban hard surface tracking.  We do this for specific people and will track through groups of people in apartment complexes, upstairs to a specific apartment where the suspect is hiding.  For me footstep tracking is ineffective and I do not want my dog to rely on footstep tracking, I do not want my dog tracking a suspect at a walking pace or foot step to foot step.  I want my dog moving, I have ran at a jog for up to 2 miles on tracks and apprehended suspects. 

Do hunting dogs track slowly and methodically when running a deer, bear or pig?  Do wolves tracks at a slow pace when hunting?  No, and although my dog is an excellent footstep tracker I will never catch anyone using that style of tracking, it is not real world. 

Now, start all of your dogs tracking on asphalt and train the way we do and you will have a dog that can truly track on any surface, any time and through heavily contaminated areas. 

By the way the OP asked in the post: 

Is there ever a time when FST is advantageous over TTD for a tactical dog?

So we are clear, FST is foot step tracking and that is also "ground disturbance"  where ever you walk you leave a scent picture.

I hope I am not coming off as obnoxious in my reply to you as you come off in most of your posts.  The tortoise will never catch a bad guy tracking in real life, to cite your analogy.  Please don't be so condescending, keep in mind that there are people on this forum that have a varied experience level.  Some may have a different opinion than you or I, it doesn't make them wrong just as it doesn't make you always right.

Jim