AT July-Aug 2005

Tracking Field Notes
dog typically canvases the entire space,
checking every pebble and leaf until he
finds the article.
Clearly, your tracking dog must not
be reluctant to approach and sniff articles.
On the contrary, he has to feel driven to
discover and investigate objects scented
by human strangers, so you must adopt
training methods that invest these objects
with value, and you must work continually
to develop and maintain your dog's article
drive. Off the track, play tug games with
articles to enhance their value, shell games
to acquaint your dog with articles made of
hard materials, and search-and-find games
to develop your dog's scenting skills. On the
track, maintain article value by rewarding
your dog lavishly for every article find,
and allow him to resort to natural search
patterns when he detects article scent. Let's
look at the details of this training.
Off-the'track training is the criticalfirst
step.
*Glen Johnson, the first trainer to design a
reliable step-by-step method for tracking
training, devoted his initial training sessions
to off-the-track work: playing retrieving
games with gloves. Johnson worked to
intensify the dog's natural retrieving drive
until he could rely on using the glove as
a lure for tracking training. The dog's
article drive was well-established before
he began running his first training tracks.
Johnson maintained the value ofthe glove
by playing retrieving games every time the
dog found it at the end of a track.
The advanced tests that have been
developed since the Johnson era require the
dog to detect and indicate a wide variety
of articles —check-book covers, socks,
gloves, metal switch-plates and plumbing
fixtures, and hard plastic glasses cases
and soap dishes, to name a few. Johnson's
preliminaryoff-the-tracktrainingprinciple
is even more critical to the dog's training
for these advanced tests. Whether or not
he is willing to retrieve them, the dog must
feel excitedabout approachingand sniffing
objects made of all kinds of materials.
Building and maintaining his enthusiasm
for interacting with these objects requires
continual reinforcement.
Positive trainer attitude toward the dog's
natural sniffing behavior during the
course of everyday activities underlies
successful off-the-track article
training.
Investigating objects by sniffing them
provides the dog's most important and
detailed information. The successful
trainer respects the dog's need for
scent-workeducation through sniffing
experience. By contrast, discouraging
sniffing inhibits the dog's learning.
A frustrated sniffer becomes a dull
sniffer. When training your tracking
dog, keep in mind these important
"do's and don't's:"
1.Do encourageyour tracking dog to "^
approach, sniff, and interact with a
wide variety of safe items in your
home, including your clothing and
belongings. Dogs naturally love anything
that carries human scent, especially their
owner's scent, so use this trait to your
advantage. Leave one of your old stinky
t-shirts in his crate.
2. Do allow your dog to sniff new items
you bring into your home, grocery bags,
for example. Dogs are naturally curious
about new things, and a tracking dog
needs to feel empowered to investigate
what interests him.
3. Do actively promote new scenting
experiences, just as you would promote
new opportunities for socialization.
1. Do not punish your tracking dog for
sniffing. If he sniffs on his Obedience
"long downs," he's worried or bored.
Provide interesting distractions. Lay
some baited targets infront ofhim, just
out of reach, to give him something to
think about.
2. Do notpunish your tracking dog severely
for chewing up shoes or other personal
belongings. The risk of trying to teach
him a "lesson he'll neverforget" is that
you may succeed! You can't afford to
instill avoidance behavior for the very
items the dog will be required tofind on
the track. Remember, your dog makes
all ofthe decisions when he is working
twentyfeet ahead ofyou on the tracking
line, and ifthe scent ofleather terrifies
him, it will take only one whiff to send
himflying.
No, ifhe's just ruined your comfy
fleece-lined slippers, you have only
yourself to blame, and you've acquired
a pair of excellent tracking articles.
Store valuable items out of his reach.
Spray bitter apple on baskets and other
chewables that you can't hide.
Formal off-the-track article training
gamesfall roughly into three categories:
tug games with gloves and socks, shell
games designed to entice the dog to sniff
and mouth objects made of different
materials, and search games such as ball
play or "hide-the-toy," that develop the
dog's ability to find objects by scenting
them.
1. Play tug with tracking articles to
transform them into highly valued lures.
Favorite tug toys are used as lures in Agility
training for distance work and to build
drive for contact obstacles and tunnels.
"Tug" is the game of choice for training
scent detection dogs to alert on drugs and
other contraband substances. The trainees
play tug with rags impregnated with the
substances they will be commanded to
find. The working dogs are rewarded with
vigorous games of tug for each of their
finds. Take a tip from the professionals and
play tug with old work gloves and worn-out
socks; tie knots in the socks to strengthen
them so your dog can't tear them to pieces
during the first session.
2. Play shell games to encourage your
tracking dog to interact with objects
made of metal and hard plastic. It's
relatively easy to teach dogs to detect
and discriminate cloth and leather articles
because those materials areattractive totug
and retrieve, and they hold human scent
AUSSIE TIMES I July-August 2005 97