Tracking – Week 8
Well done you made it to week 8. I hope you have been enjoying the course and discovered a new addiction for you and your dog.
This week is graduation week, so be ready for some fun and a few challenges to film and post in the group!
Tracking – Week 7
This week we are going to start to increase the difficulty for the turn but also try to take some step right back and make sure your dog is enjoying tracking without feeling any handler pressure.
Handling turns is a skill that may take a while for your dog to develop so do not feel pressurised to move to week 7 before you feel your dog is confident with tackling the basic turns. There is no rush. You can attempt the exercises that we will introduce this week at a later date.
Tracking – Week 6
During weeks 1 to 5 you have only trained your dog to follow straight tracks. As you cannot travel the whole circumference of planet earth without obstacle in the way, you will obviously need to introduce turns to your dog
This week’s topics are all about teaching your dog to follow turns.
Tracking – Week 5
This week we are going to be introducing tracking on different types of ground. Until now all our tracking exercises have been laid out on short grass. Moving to a different ground type will add a new complexity and challenge to your dog’s ability to differentiate and follow a track.
Tracking – Week 4
In this Week’s topics we are going to start increasing the difficulty and test your dog’s skill by reducing the number of treats along the track. Up to this point we have been placing treats at every footstep so that the dogs associate that when they follow the scent trail they get lots of regular rewards. We will also introduce irregular spacing of rewards along the track.
Tracking – Week 3
This week we are going to look at how you can quantify how well your dog is tracking. This will be an important guide as you continue towards increasing the length of the tracks you are following. We will briefly look at your dog’s vision and how this can affect what we use as track markers when we start to measure how accurately your dog is tracking and will also discuss the affect the Wind will have on your track.
Tracking – Week 2
This week we are going to work in consolidating last week’s skills, increasing the distance of the track, developing your dog’s skills and motivation for tracking. We will also review your position and how you are handling your lead and position as this can have a major impact on how you dog will behave whilst tracking.
Tracking – Week 1
In this week’s module you are going to start teaching your dog to follow scent tracks and to create value for tracking to your dog. We will discuss and illustrate:
- how to build the track
- How to introduce the track to your dog
- How to build your dog’s skills, motivation, and resilience for tracking
This week there are a lot of videos to review. These were recorded during a live beginner’s class with the handlers building and following their first tracks, just like you will be when you attempt the exercise.
Please watch the videos, check how the handlers are building their tracks and how they are handling their dogs and note the comments which will help to guide you when you start with you own dog. Note that the videos are not necessarily perfect examples of how to mark out a track or follow it. We will be covering improving track laying & tracking skills in upcoming weeks.
