May 19, 2011
The female I bought crawls on her belly when I take her to track. What can I do?
Full Question:
Dear Mr. Frawley,I have a 3 year old Shepherd that I am training for Schutzhund. She is an extremely confident animal with her obedience and protection, however, she cannot track. I spoke to the person that I bought her from who told me that she just never "got around" to tracking with her very much. Figuring that I would need to start back at square one, I laid out a VERY short, straight track for her, just to see what I would need to work on. She becomes really anxious before and while she is tracking (or trying to at least). She will lay down on the scent pad and then (for lack of a better word) belly crawls her way down the track. (Lack of confidence maybe?) I would like nothing more than for her to love this aspect of the sport as much as she loves the other two phases. Any suggestions? I would appreciate any input you may have. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
Kristan
Ed's Answer:
Here is my guess and it’s really a guess but probably pretty accurate.
The person you bought the dog from “force tracked” the dog or kicked the dog’s ass on the track. That’s why you have the belly crawl. I am not a fan of forced tracking or unnecessary compulsion.
It’s a long road to make a dog like this enjoy tracking. It involves using NO FORCE – NO COMPULSION and food. The only place the dog eats is on the track. I prefer a food drag. In the beginning keep the tracks short and straight – maybe 10 days of this. The dog’s food bowl is at the end of the track. Make sure the food you are using is really something the dog likes, (put the dog on an all-natural diet).
Tie a string to a hunk of meat and drag it down the track. No food drops along the way.
If the dog does not track, let it see you pick up the bowl of food. Take it back to the kennel and let it see another dog eat its food for the day. NO CORRECTIONS. The next day it will track.
Gradually extend the tracks and make them more complicated. Be very careful here, there is no hurry when you consider the goal. If you are willing to put 100 to 150 tracks into the dog then it may work. It must become clear to the dog that there are no corrections and this is how it eats.
The person you bought the dog from “force tracked” the dog or kicked the dog’s ass on the track. That’s why you have the belly crawl. I am not a fan of forced tracking or unnecessary compulsion.
It’s a long road to make a dog like this enjoy tracking. It involves using NO FORCE – NO COMPULSION and food. The only place the dog eats is on the track. I prefer a food drag. In the beginning keep the tracks short and straight – maybe 10 days of this. The dog’s food bowl is at the end of the track. Make sure the food you are using is really something the dog likes, (put the dog on an all-natural diet).
Tie a string to a hunk of meat and drag it down the track. No food drops along the way.
If the dog does not track, let it see you pick up the bowl of food. Take it back to the kennel and let it see another dog eat its food for the day. NO CORRECTIONS. The next day it will track.
Gradually extend the tracks and make them more complicated. Be very careful here, there is no hurry when you consider the goal. If you are willing to put 100 to 150 tracks into the dog then it may work. It must become clear to the dog that there are no corrections and this is how it eats.
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