Tracking is a great sporting event to get your active dog involved in which will hone in on his ability to follow a scent trail and find strategically placed scented items, such as a glove, leather wallet, bandanna, etc.
Tracking tests usually take place outside, and depending on the course, may be laid over a natural surface (such as a field of grass) or over what is called variable surface (several surface types, including gravel, concrete, dirt and grass).
Tracking isn’t an easy sport to master – plenty of distractions can lead dogs astray, such as furry or feathered critters, or yummy-smelling food fragrances. Even so, your energetic sporting breed could quite possibly make an excellent tracker depending on his intelligence and willing to learn. It all depends on the dog’s ability to focus on one scent and its desire to find it.
To get started in tracking, look for a professional trainer who trains and competes in AKC tracking events. Look in your phone directory under “dog training” and contact trainers who specialize in obedience. Many obedience training facilities also offer tracking training.
To compete in an AKC tracking test you must first arrange to have your dog certified by a tracking judge. The judge (or tracklayer – a person chosen by the judge) will mark out a Tracking Dog (TD)-level (most basic) scent trail. If your dog successfully follows the track under the gaze of the judge, you’ll receive four tracking certificates which are viable for one year.
Next, find a real tracking test and sign up, presenting one of your certificates with your entry form. The TD-level test calls for your dog to follow a 440 to 500-foot-long track with 3 to 5 turns that has been aged 30 minutes to two hours. The dog must clearly indicate or retrieve the scented item at the end of the trail.
You can’t yank, pull or otherwise tell the dog where the trail or scented items like. You can, however, offer verbal praise and commands. Two judges decide to pass or fail a dog depending on how well it follows the track and whether it actually finds the article. A dog can earn its first title after passing only one test, or leg.
To earn a Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) title, you must follow an 800 to 1,000-foot-long track that has been aged 3 to 5 hours and has 5 to 7 directional changes. This task is made more challenging because other human scents cross the true track.
Variable Surface Tracking (VST) tests are the most challenging. Your dog must follow a three to five-hour-old track over a minimum of three different surfaces, including two that have no vegetation, such as sand, gravel or concrete. A dog that has earned all three of these titles is awarded the Champion Tracker (CT) title.
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