Tracking Introduction
What is Tracking: Tracking is where a dog follows a pre laid scent of a person and finds various articles eg. a sock, of that person along the way and finds the person at the end of the track. All dogs have a natural ability to track (so breeds are better then others) our task is to train the dog to track the one scent you direct it to.
Getting Started: The main focus here is to make the activity playfull. We are trying to guide the dog to follow one scent and to encourage them to indicate the articles.
Have a known person tuck four or more clean socks up their jumper for at least 30-60 minutes. Prepare some small pieces of chicken necks, cooked liver or some other treat that your dog likes. In the back yard or park early in the morning (so there is not to many distractions nor other people’s scent around. Now with the dog out of sight have the known person (the track layer) leave a sock at the starting point with a small treat under it. The tracklayer walks off in a straight direction and repeats the placement of the article every five to ten meters. Close to the last article the tracklayer hides themselves in a water proof sheet (green or brown) and lays down and keeps very still.
Say five or ten minutes later the handler and dog approach the starting peg, with the dog on lead approach the article and allow the dog to sniff the article and encourage it to turn over the sock to seek its reward, give plenty of praise at this stage, guide your hand in the general direction and encourage your dog to find follow your dog to the next article and again plenty of praise and excitement. At the end of the track the dog must find the tracklayer, who is to give the dog a much larger portion of his treat.
If you now consider to take up tracking you will need to get a harness and a 10 meter lead. Competition is done on harness and no treats are presented until the end of the track.
Further training, venture out into larger and different surroundings. Gradually increase the distance and introduce some turns, both left hand and right hand. Slowly remove the treats from the articles, but keep the excitement up by giving plenty of praise when the article is found. The one treat given on the day is the large one given by the tracklayer at the end of the track.
Competition and Titles:
When do you track: Due to snakes and heat concerns most Clubs generally track during the cooler months ie. May through to September.
Where do you Track: We track in the bush, in farm paddocks and large reserves. Some tracks can be on the flat, underlying or hilly areas.
What time do you Track: Generally when you undertake to enter a trial you need to register just before dawn at the location chosen. This allows the first track to be undertaken as soon as it is light.
A judge may have eight or more tracks to judge and can only observe one at a time, hence your turn to track will very, it may not be until after lunch in some cases.
Becoming a Champion: Tracking is a recognized titled event, to gain a tracking title the dog must achieve passes in seven tracks. All of which have an increased element of difficulty.
The Qualifying Test (TQT): This is set over 300 meters with one ninety degree turn. For this test the track layer (person laying the scent) can be a known person to the dog. The track must not be less then ten minutes or more then thirty minutes old. The track layer is to place a sock at the starting point.
Test-1: This is set over 800 meters with two ninety degree turn. The track layer can be a known person to the dog. The track must not be less then 30 or more then 60 minutes old. The track layer is to place a sock at the starting point and two additional articles along the track.
Test- 2: This is set over 800 meters with two ninety degree turn. The track layer in this case will be an unknown person to the dog. The track must not be less then 30 or more then 60 minutes old. The track layer is to place a sock at the starting point and two additional articles along the track.
After completing test two a title of Tracking Dog (TD) is awarded.
Test- 3: This is set over 1000 meters with four angle turns and two articles placed on the track. The track layer is to be an unknown person to the dog. The track must not be less then 60 or more then 120 minutes old.
Test- 4: This is the same as Test-3 however we introduce a second tracklayer known to the dog, who crosses the track once 30 minutes after the first tracklayer.
Test- 5: This is set over 1200 meters with five angle turns and three articles placed on the track. The track layer is to be an unknown person to the dog. The track must not be less then 60 or more then 180 minutes old. The track is to be crossed twice either by one unknown tracklayer or once by two unknown tracklayers who crosses the track approximately 30 minutes after the first tracklayer.
After completing test Five a title of Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) is awarded.
Test-6: This is set over 1200 meters with six angle turns, two of which are to be acute turns. For this test there is no starting point or flag, three articles are to be placed on the track. The track layer is to be an unknown person to the dog. The track must not be less then 90 or more then 180 minutes old. The track is to be crossed twice either by one unknown tracklayer or once by two unknown tracklayers. They must make the crossing approximately 30 minutes after the first tracklayer.
The start for this test is set between two flags approximately twenty meters apart there is no article or defined starting point for this test. When starting this test the judge will hand a scented article (in a clean bad) to the handler approximately 30 meters from the starting line, the dog is to track from this point onwards.
On successful completion of this test the Title Tracking Dog Champion CH (T) is awarded.
Track layers: As a competitor after completing your TQT or Test-1 you will be asked to lay a track or two for the other competitors. You need to be prepared and have some small articles (socks etc.) on your person on the day, this helps to pass the time and shares the workload. Tracklayers are rewarded as the dogs are at the end of there track (regardless if they pass or fail).
We hope you take up this activity as you will get out and about the country side and meet friendly people who have a lot in common
Further information can be gained from the Tracking Club of Victoria’s website at hppt://www.trackingclubvic.org.au
