Training the Handler

I’ve often talked about how tracking made me a dog trainer. Recent conversations with several of you have encouraged me to reflect how that happened….so here you go.

Undertaking a tracking partnership with your dog requires two things: #1 is (as discussed previously), setting up the track to teach your dog what you want him to learn. In other dog sports this would be called “setting your dog up to succeed.” #2 is the equally important piece of learning to read your dog, otherwise known as learning to interpret your dog’s behavior.

If you know where the track is, where the scuff is, where the food is, where the articles are, there is no reason to do anything except keep your eyes on the dog and PAY ATTENTION. What does your dog look like when on the track? What do they look like when they veer off? Does the pressure on the the line change? Does his head position change? Any changes in how he uses his hindquarters? Do you see him do a full body shake? What happens after that? What happens as they approach a food drop—do they accelerate ahead, or swing wide from the scent pool? Same question as they approach an article, or as they transition from scuff to walk, or walk to scuff. When they loose the scent, what do they do? What do they do when they recognize the new leg (that happens before they actually take the new leg in many cases)

If someone else laid your track, their job is to keep you on the track (your feet should never leave the track). If they see the dog head down the leg, their job is to say “GO”—and you should. Don’t pause and look for the flag—if you do that, you just impeded your dog from moving forward, and that millisecond really matters. Remember, at all times we are training in confidence (in the end, we want a dog who can drag you when your feet suddenly grow anchors at a test). Confidence is gained by you going—even if just one step—when the dog indicates the track, even if it’s a weak indication.

For those of you who watched me handle Bean last weekend….When we got to the last turn, I asked Valerie (tracklayer) where the leg was. There was NO WAY IN HELL I was taking my eyes off a dog I don’t know long enough to look for the flag—my goal was to watch for any indication, no matter how small, and reinforce it by taking a step. That’s my way of telling him “yes, that’s right.”

I’ve reminded several of you to not keep letting line out—not only does that give the dog too much room to search (you know where the track is), it also makes it super hard for you to identify tracking/refind behavior. If you see 200 behaviors in an 80’ diameter circle, its unlikely you will see an identifiable pattern; if you see 20 behaviors in a 10’ diameter circle, it’s likely you will start to see patterns.

Finally, and old soapbox. All dogs look alike when tracking. The actual track/search/refind behaviors are the same across breeds, sizes, etc. You will see SO many more of these behaviors by watching other people’s dogs track. And, watch with an open mind—not “my dog does ________,” but rather just study the behavior. Over time, you will see the same behaviors in your own dog. Guys, when judging, I’m rarely on the track, and often way too far back to see line ups. We judge dogs by identifying tracking behavior—it really is that a consistent across breeds, ages, geography, size etc etc etc. Some might pull harder or less….some might be slow or fast, step track or buzz over the scent….but they all offer the same behaviors. Study the behaviors in all dogs….it’ll make you better able to read your dog.