Tracking how to?

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bannerd
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Tracking how to?

Post by bannerd »

Hey all, I want to start tracking but I'm not sure where to begin. I thought about cooking bacon and then dragging it around the lawn to see if he could find it. Kota is very smart or he just knows. I went for a walk in the woods and then ran back to get him. He followed my foot steps for a really long time. Even when I cut 90 degrees he was right with it. Either that or he just knows those are my foot steps? This has to be his passion.. even with the tennis ball he doesn't give up until he finds it.
Dutch Shepherd Kota(Koda) Male Brindle with a white patch on his stomach!
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Re: Tracking how to?

Post by CaroleBoaz »

So, do you know what style? I think AKC is out because they don't admit DS (unless neutered and called a Mix). But the ASCA allows any breed to compete in their tracking events. So, you're probably interested in the IPO/SchH type of tracking events? Or are just wanting to play games hiding stuff for your dog to find? I know a lady with an AKC-style tracking dog that can find an earring under a foot of snow.

Puppies start out doing great in the beginning. Its the handlers that can really mess it up. I took my dogs to a seminar in Michigan when my Laekenois was a puppy and he impressed the heck out of me. But, I eventually stopped tracking because the ticks freaked me out so much. That was in 2010. I never went back out tracking again.
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bannerd
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Re: Tracking how to?

Post by bannerd »

Well I want to do it for hunting. We're allowed to hunt with dogs here for certain animals/rodents. I thought nothing of it when I went out walking but it clicked wicked fast to what he was doing. I do a lot of tracking because I hunt and I literally watch him rule out old tracks. As soon as we hit fresh tracks he was wicked excited and just went crazy. Started to pull on his leash and was doing a nice job! I lost the tracks in the swamp but he kept going and he was dead on as we jumped the deer. He was wicked happy and he's always been timid around me but I want to do it because it's good for the dog.

I never really looked into the competition side of it, the only place I know that does it is in canada near montreal but it's such a hassle to go across the borders these days.
Dutch Shepherd Kota(Koda) Male Brindle with a white patch on his stomach!
CaroleBoaz
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Re: Tracking how to?

Post by CaroleBoaz »

Praise him a lot went he does great, like that day. Dogs are always tracking stuff. My dogs track the neighborhood squirrels. LOL!

Just a lot of, good dog! and I think he will totally understand. That's really neat, btw. Make sure he'll come when you call him, and not be chasing deer out into the road, or something.
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bannerd
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Re: Tracking how to?

Post by bannerd »

Yeah I don't let him off leash, way to many predators around here. Mountain lions and wolves and common haha. He loves to go outside and this weekend I had a bond fire going. He sat tough on the hill and just observed. <3
Dutch Shepherd Kota(Koda) Male Brindle with a white patch on his stomach!
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Re: Tracking how to?

Post by k9katet »

FYI - you'd have to ILP as a brindle Malinois to do AKC tracking. They don't let dogs from the Canine Partners do tracking.

ASCA tracking tests are really hard to find.

Schutzhund style is your best bet but then you have to pay annual dues to someone to be able to get a scorebook to trial.
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CaroleBoaz
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Tell us about yourself: I am currently the Secretary and Treasurer of the Dutch Shepherd Club of North America. We are the national breed club for Dutch Shepherds, and have the support of the Nederlandse Herdershonden Club in our endeavours to record the Dutch Shepherd breed in the United States and Canada through the American Kennel Club. dscna.com Join us on Facebook.
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Re: Tracking how to?

Post by CaroleBoaz »

bannerd wrote:Yeah I don't let him off leash, way to many predators around here. Mountain lions and wolves and common haha. He loves to go outside and this weekend I had a bond fire going. He sat tough on the hill and just observed. <3
My guy loves it when he gets off the leash and can run...and run......and run. I almost thought I lost him one day at a truck stop while traveling. But he was trying to explain to me that he needs to run, and he'll be right back when he's finished.

(I didn't exactly intend to let him off leash. I dropped it for a minute and he decided that he wanted to run across a farmers field. :whistle: )
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bannerd
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Re: Tracking how to?

Post by bannerd »

hehe, yeah same here. I don't dare let him off leash in my back yard. I have a family of rabbits out here and they will run across the road to their holes. Almost happen tonight.. about 10F out and I was waiting for him to finish peeing and this rabbit bolted.. so didn't he.

On the weekends he's free and he loves it so much.. I'm so afraid he will run away though :(
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Re: Tracking how to?

Post by icvanstra »

Bannerd,

If you would please ... take a moment and create a signature for yourself.

...

You mention that you want to use your DS for hunting tracking. I suggest that you find other hunters that are using their dogs for this hunting purpose. In the time I've been following DS groups on Yahoo! and running this board I think this is the first time anyone has asked about learning how to hunt track.

If you want to do Schutzhund tracking then you are best to find a local club that is willing to accept your Dutch Shepherd. Around me Schutzhund is all about the GSD and nothing else... Sad. The kind of tracking done is Schutzhund it totally different than what I assume goes on with hunting.

Or, if you are wanting to do SAR types of tracking .. then again, you need to seek out SAR folks.

If I remember correctly KNPV, PSA, and the Ring sports do not have any tracking. Although I have seen scent work.

...

Absolutely the best of luck to you and please keep us up to date on how things are working out for you!
Eric
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Re: Tracking how to?

Post by Joxgirl »

Ugh!!!! No one told this guy how to actually start the tracking. Is it really taking something scented and dragging it around the ground? This sounds correct but too easy (but not saying it is easy) but to simple for me to believe that it’s this easy. Make sense? I want to play around with Rogue a bit as my time off is so limited I can’t do much but interest her with some games until I have time.... ( mid summer when school is finished for me) to commit to anything. At that point I will invest more time into something more for her. Not settled in anything yet. (Rambling)
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