Tracking: A Different Kind of Training
Contributed by Martha Heath Bowman
Many Boxer owners enjoy spending time with their dogs in some kind of training. Whether you and your dog are working on house manners, preparing for competition, or just having fun, the time you spend training together can be a special part of the relationship between Boxer and human. Tracking is one of my favorite training pursuits; it’s a sport at which Boxers excel! Boxers are seldom seen at AKC tracking events, but it is my hope that more Boxer owners will explore this fun and challenging sport.
WHAT IS TRACKING?
The sport of tracking involves training a dog to follow a human scent. When a person walks across a field, their track has a distinctive odor that a dog can discriminate and follow. The scent is composed of the “ground effect” (the odors of crushed grass and disturbed soil) and also human scent (odor molecules from the tracklayer’s sweat, skin, and clothing). In AKC tracking competition, the dog must also find and indicate “articles,” personal items which carry the tracklayer’s scent and are dropped on the track.
Canadian Champion Shadowdale On With the Show (Addie) WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT TRACKING?There are several reasons I think tracking is especially rewarding. A primary reason is that tracking is the one sport where the dog is in control; some tracking handlers refer to themselves as the “dope on the rope.” Your job as the handler is to learn to read your dog’s body language and respond appropriately. The dog’s ability to scent is so far beyond our own that the handler absolutely must trust the dog if the team is to succeed. If you think you would enjoy building this kind of teamwork with your dog, maybe you should consider tracking!
Another enjoyable aspect of tracking is that the training is generally based completely on inducement. Some trainers do use methods that force the dog to track, but these trainers are in the minority. Most successful tracking dogs are trained using food, play, and praise as motivators. The goal of the tracking trainer is to teach the dog to want to find the end of the track. Most trainers report that their dogs respond with pure excitement and enthusiasm when they see the harness come out!
Tracking trials may be particularly enjoyable for those people who enjoy training, but not competition. Because tracking trials are graded on a “pass/fail” basis, there is no winner or high-in-trial team. This lends itself to a warm sense of camaraderie among participants; people cheer for the other teams when they succeed, and commiserate with any teams that have not passed. A tracking trial is truly a day of fun and good fellowship.
Tracking is a sport that almost any dog and handler can enjoy. Before a puppy is ready for the show ring or for competitive obedience work, it can be introduced to the fun of tracking. Tracking can also be a great pursuit for older dogs that have been retired from showing, obedience, or agility. At the TD level, the trainer and dog need only be able to walk over relatively even terrain, a task that is feasible for many dogs (and handlers) that are physically challenged in some way. Tracking provides gentle exercise, and allows the dog to use its head to solve problems; this makes it suitable for young and old alike!
The aspect of tracking that is most enjoyable to me is also the most difficult to put into words. There’s nothing quite like sharing an early morning tracking with your dog; walking through a field of tall grass, watching the dog’s tail wagging twenty feet ahead...you wonder whether he is on the scent, and follow him, trusting him to lead the way...the dog leans into the harness willingly, his nose intently to the ground, and suddenly indicates the final article! It’s just an altogether different kind of training, and one that is truly rewarding for both dog and handler.
I’M READY TO GIVE TRACKING A TRY; WHAT DO I NEED TO GET STARTED?Before beginning any training regimen, make sure your dog is healthy. You actually need very little equipment; two “must-have” items are a non-restrictive tracking harness, properly fitted to your dog, and a tracking line at least 25 feet long. Many trainers start new dogs by baiting the track with tiny morsels of food; whatever bait you choose should be easily swallowed without much chewing (tiny bits of hot dog or cheese work nicely). It’s helpful to have a few surveyor’s flags to mark your tracks (you can make your own flags if you like). And of course you need some kind of scent article for the dog to find; you knew you were saving all those lonely unmatched socks and gloves for something, didn’t you? Many handlers like to use a log book to map tracks, keep a record of the dog’s progress, and make notes. And of course you need an area in which to track; your own back yard may be good enough to start with!
There are lots of good tracking resources on the Web and in books. Two books that are often recommended for beginners are Sandy Ganz and Susan Boyd’s Tracking From the Ground Up, and Glen Johnson’s Tracking Dog:Theory and Methods.
Some web sites that are terrific sources of information include: Dan Tratnack’s Tracking Page , The Southwest Tracking Association Website, Craig Green’s Tracking Articles (from the Basset Hound Page), and of course, you will want to read the AKC’s Tracking Regulations to get a detailed picture of what to expect at an AKC tracking test!
Happy Tracking!
Copyright 1997 Martha Heath Bowman & The Boxer Mailing List
