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Tracking Resources by
Geoff Stern
Regulations
• AKC Tracking Regulations: www.akc.org/pdfs/tracking.pdf (e-mail:info@akc.org)
The PDF file requires the free Adobe Acrobat reader; or you can get a printed
copy from the AKC.
• ASCA Tracking Regulations: www.asca.org/Programs/Tracking/Track4.htm The
Australian Shepherd Club of America has a tracking program similar to the AKC’s.
It is one of those extraordinary mornings that tell us fall is coming. The
air is crisp; the trees now striped with reds and yellows in an otherwise summer
colored world. On the thick grassy mat lies a dog breathing calmly with
eyes expectant. The handler picks up the old, worn leather line and speaks
to the animal. It stands, stares, and then lowers its dark muzzle to the cover,
moving slowly, steadily
along a line no human can know. Its warm breath turns to steam and spreads, for
only an instant, across the forward path in burst, like an engine. As it moves,
the power increases so it is driven by only one
desire, the fusion of scent and animal. When it reaches the first corner, it
senses the change and shifts to another direction, confident of its skill and
purpose. As the dog moves towards the distant hills, the
trainer—only walking behind—has a solitary wonder of what voice from nature this
child of the wolf is hearing. — Gary Patterson, *Tracking: From the Beginning*
Clubs
Here’s a list of some tracking clubs whose Web sites provide events calendars,
training tips, and other information:
• Big Sky Tracking Dog Club (Montana): http://bstcm.homepage.com
• Gateway Tracking Club (Missouri): www.jcn1.com/mbamford
• Greater Lafayette Kennel Club (Indiana): http://flowers.hort.purdue.edu/dw/trackindiana.html
• Houston Ob edience Training Club (Texas):
www.hotdogclub.org/tracking.htm
• Western Carolinas Tracking Club (North Carolina): www.neverblue.com/lrchtrac.htm
• Moraine Tracking Club (Illinois):
ww.geocitiwes.com/heartland/valley/4425
• Oriole Dog Training Club (Baltimore MD):
www.orioledogclub.org/track.htm
• Pecatonica Tracking Club (Illinois):
www.homestead.com/pectracking
• Southwest Tracking Association (Houston TX):
www.pawmark.com/sta
• Texas Gulf Coast Vizsla Club: www.vizslaclub.com
• Tracking Association of North Alabama:
www.teasel.com/tana
• Tracking Club of Vermont:
http://personalweb.smcvt.edu/mrussell/TCV
• Yankee Golden Retriever Club (Massachusetts):
www.yankeegrc.org
The TDX handler’s prayer, from *Practical Tracking for Practically Anyone*:
Please let me start.
Oh, little dog make a choice.
Go. Go somewhere and
Look like you know where.
And if you must fail,
Please put me in the woods
Where no one can see me.
Equipment — harnesses, tracking lines, flags, books, videos, etc.
• Dogwise — 800 776-2665 — www.dogwise.com
• J & J Dog Supplies — 800 642-2050 —
www.jandjdog.com
• Bridgeport Leather/Trainer’s Choice — 800 678-7353 —
www.bridgeportleather.com
• PawMark — Ed Presnall (co-author of a book on VST):
www.pawmark.com
• Ray Allen Professional K9 Equipment — 800 444-0404 —
www.rayallen.com
An extraordinary number of failures at [tracking tests]
happen when the handler pulls the dog away from the trail,
which may be one of the reasons the bigger, stronger dogs
do so well at tracking. — Vicki Hearne, *Adam’s Task*
Training Methods and Hints
• Dan Tratnack: http://personal.cfw.com/~dtratnac
• Craig Green: www.basset.net/track.html
• Dennis Helms: www.big-planet.org/Tracking.html (see also the training
articles on www.danika.com)
• Gary D. Murray’s “Tracking Through Drive” and other articles:
www.memlane.com/business/tightlines
(see also www.k9resources.com/articles)
• Martin Lerchbaumer’s fundamentals of tracking:
www.hile-haus.com
(click on Training and then under Training Articles, click on Tracking)
• Steve White’s “scent-in-a-bottle” technique: www.malinut.com/write/siab.shtm
and
www.shirleychong.com/keepers/archives/tracking.txt and www.uspcak9.com/html/training_toc.shtml
• “Tracking with Your Newf” from the Newfoundland Club of Seattle:
www.marylouz.com/ncs/tracking.html
• “Tracking with Your Berner” from the Sierra West Bernese Mountain Dog Club:
www.sierrawest.org/tracking.html
• Two sample tracks — one for certification, one for TD: www.duke.edu/~hartman/gimel/tracking
• The Road to Germany: Training for the FCI Fährtenhund (FH) World
Cup: www.schaferlake.com/diary.html
• “Serpentine Tracks: A New Method of Introducing Dogs to Tracking”:
www.siriusdog.com/serptrk.htm
• Canadian-style tracking (CKC): www.geocities.com/ckc_tracking
• Dr. P’s Dog Training — The Nose Knows: www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/work2.htm
• “Have Dog Will Track” has good introductory pages and an events calendar for
CA, WA, and OR: www.havedogwilltrack.com
• André Brun’s “blood tracking” in Norway: www.thetroutbum.com/hundesideulv.htm
• Hans van der Stroom’s tracking in the Netherlands: http://home.wanadoo.nl/stroomh
• Schutzhund tracking: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Jeffery_B_Tuttle_Sr/tracking.
htm
A dog can never tell you what she knows from the smells of the world, but you
know watching her, that you know almost nothing.
— Mary Oliver, "Her Grave"
Readings
• Glen Johnson’s *Tracking Dog: Theory & Method* is a classic of dog training
literature.
• Sandy Ganz & Susan Boyd’s *Tracking from the Ground Up* is well-written
(notwithstanding a somewhat unrealistically diligent training regimen). The
companion video, *Tracking Fundamentals*, is a
good introduction to the sport, well produced, and concise.
• *Enthusiastic Tracking: The Step-by-Step Training Handbook* by Sil Sanders
also has a nicely laid-out curriculum. Interestingly, you can buy the field maps
for this book separately.
• *The Puppy Tracking Primer* by Carolyn Krause (www.firedog-enterprises.com)
is a great little booklet by an accomplished tracker.
• Julie Hogan & Donna Thompson’s booklet *Practical Tracking for Practically
Anyone* has some good advice for the beginner to TDX and VST.
• Lue Button’s *Practical Scent Dog Training* is a good general introduction to
scent work. Also good: John Rice & Suzanne Clothier’s pamphlet, *Following
Ghosts: Developing the Tracking Relationship*.
• Ed Presnall & Christy Bergeon’s *Component Training for Variable Surface
Tracking* is the first book to cover the VST test.
• Also handy: Betty Mueller’s *About Track Laying: Guidelines for Dog Tracking
Enthusiasts*.
• Gary Patterson’s *Tracking: From the Beginning* is based largely on drive
theory and is mostly concerned with Schutzhund-style tracking but has some good
hints for AKC-style tracking.
• Some older books that have some good advice: *Go Find! Training Your Dog to
Track* by L. Wilson Davis; Milo Pearsall & Hugh Verbruggen’s *Scent: Training to
Track, Search, and Rescue*; and the trackingchapters in Winifred Strickland’s
*Expert Obedience Training for Dogs*.
• William Syrotuck’s *Scent and the Scenting Dog* is a technical discussion of
scentwork by one of the founders of U.S. canine SAR training.
• Roy Hunter’s *Fun Nosework for Dogs* has some training games that can help
motivate a reluctant tracker — and amuse a dedicated one.