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Thread: Puppy Tracking

  1. #1
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Puppy Tracking

    One sport I've been wanting to try is tracking so I decided to do some foundation work with Presto. I've learned that you can do foundations early on and it's easier for the dog to learn that sport later if you decide to give it a go down the road. For example, I did agility foundations with Linus years ago, then left agility to focus on field work and obedience, then went back to agility almost two years later and we were able to pick up where we left off. I was told that you should do tracking before field work, if at all possible, because field work requires using eyes and air sniffing and tracking is no eyes and sniffing the ground.

    I am taking a Tracking 101 class online. It's being taught by a K9 Police Officer who trains dogs to track for her precinct. The goal for most people taking the class is an AKC tracking title, so she teaches it with that title being the end goal vs. SAR or IPO type tracking. I'm taking it at the auditing level with Presto. I'm not sure I'll like it, so didn't want to spend the extra time and money. I do like sports like this for puppies as it teaches them to problem solve and can boost confidence. All I do is lay the track and guide him somewhat passively, and his little puppy nose does the rest.

    So, yesterday we did his first track. He did as well as the other dogs in class, who are all adults. We had some flag attacking and target shaking (thankfully no swallowing) with a few SQUIRREL! moments, which the adult dogs did not do (obviously). I videoed our run, which is a mix of boring and funny and interesting and cute. There were a few things I did not do well (videoing your training is so important!) but at this stage, nothing to be concerned about. Right now, I'm just showing him there is value in being straight, or, rather, I'm helping him to realize it by putting little targets out with food, one step apart. I'll do this several more times, then separate the targets by two steps, and so on, adding articles once has more drive for the work (the gloves would be a major distraction for him right now!). If you turn on your sound you can hear his little sniffer working.

    Presto’s First Track 5.5 months - YouTube

  2. #2
    Senior Dog bmathers's Avatar
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    That is so awesome. I have Diggity in scent class right now and one of the other owners told me about tracking a few weeks ago. I looked it up and in my area there isn’t another class until the spring. I hadn’t even thought about taking an online class. Diggity is doing super well at the scent work so I think he’d be really good at tracking too.

    I love Presto’s nonstop wagging tail in the video!

    What do you put on those little orange things to get him to find it?

    What is the online class that you’re taking?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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    Labradorks (12-10-2018)

  4. #3
    Senior Dog Jollymolly's Avatar
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    Presto's happy tail all the way. It will be fun to see the progress.

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    Labradorks (12-10-2018)

  6. #4
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmathers View Post
    That is so awesome. I have Diggity in scent class right now and one of the other owners told me about tracking a few weeks ago. I looked it up and in my area there isn’t another class until the spring. I hadn’t even thought about taking an online class. Diggity is doing super well at the scent work so I think he’d be really good at tracking too.

    I love Presto’s nonstop wagging tail in the video!

    What do you put on those little orange things to get him to find it?

    What is the online class that you’re taking?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    There are some gold level folks doing both. Most dogs, when it comes to smelling, are naturals. It's so good for them, too.

    He's a pretty waggy boy. Loves to work!

    There is food on the orange things (targets), sliced chicken or turkey hot dogs. They have to be soft and flat.

    This is the class I'm taking. I know a couple people who trained online with Lucy exclusively to achieve the highest levels of AKC tracking titles. She came highly recommended. Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - TR101: Foundation Tracking 1

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    bmathers (12-10-2018)

 



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