Dog Community

Tracking?

Posted : 8/27/2006 6:10:59 PM

I wondering if anyone could tell me about tracking.

At the doggie daycare that I work we also teach classes for obedience, agility, flyball, etc. I was walking through one of the training rooms the other day and saw some pictures up on a bulletin board of dogs taking a tracking test. It looked really interesting and I'm wondering if my dog could do it.

My questions are, what exactly can you do once you've trained your dog to track and they pass the test? Is it just for sport? The bulletin board mentioned the AKC. I think the test was by the AKC. But is this what dogs that do search and rescue do? How would I go about getting involved in that, if I was interested?

It also said, "All dog breeds can be trained to track, though some are better than others." Besides bloodhounds obviously, what breeds excel at tracking? How would a Pointer fare?

Also if anyone knows any websites with some good info on tracking, please post [

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Stef w

Posted : 8/27/2006 9:08:21 PM

Mmmm!! Tracking is FUN!! We take classes with an x-K9 officer and it's great!! I'd like to try a tracking trial at some point - but we haven't been terribly serious about it.

I imagine that you could get into Search and Rescue - but the tracking is different for that than AKC or CKC tracking. S&R does more 'air-scenting' as opposed to the nose to the ground tracking for trials.

I really enjoy it - but we haven't competed so I'm not much help. It's a lot of fun for both you and the dog!!

micksmom

Posted : 8/28/2006 12:18:05 PM

Here's a link to the AKC's tracking page. There are links on the side of the page where you can go for more information.
[linkhttp://www.akc.org/events/tracking/index.cfm]http://www.akc.org/events/tracking/index.cfm[/link]

Here's another site with links to tracking information and tracking clubs.
[linkhttp://www.abtc.org/tracking/track_links.htm]http://www.abtc.org/tracking/track_links.htm[/link]

Hope this helps!

determinedX2

Posted : 8/29/2006 9:51:39 AM

Thanks guys. I read the AKC pages... the tracking test sounds hard. It's like a lottery to see if you can even try to take it. I guess you'd have to make 100% sure you and your dog are ready. Darn, there's no club in my state...

silver_wlf, which of your dogs does tracking? I'm just curious which breeds excel at it. On the pages I looked at I saw some GSD's and spaniels. Which others do well at tracking? I wonder how my dog (pointer) would do.

micksmom

Posted : 8/29/2006 1:43:18 PM

Take a look at the Lenape Tracking Club's site ( [linkhttp://www.lenapetrackingclub.org/photos.html]http://www.lenapetrackingclub.org/photos.html[/link] ). There's pictures of a few different breeds tracking. They must have updated the photos- I swear there was a picture of Papilion there not long ago. Really, all breeds can track- the hard part is the human learning to read their dog's signals.

Stef w

Posted : 8/29/2006 6:15:29 PM

In our tracking class we have 3 shiloh shepherds, a standard poodle, a lab and my dobie.

Any dog can track and all of the above do. The standard has more trouble but I don't think it's a tracking problem - he tends to be a little all over the board with everything.

I like it because it's social and the dogs really enjoy it. It's true - the hardest part is reading your dog - but if you have a good trainer they can help you.