Anyone have any secrets or tips to slow a dog down on a track. He's staying straight on the track but trying to go as fast as he can and sometimes looking up. I'm tracking in reasonably long grass and using little slivers of hot dog slipped down into the grass where they cant be seen but now that he has the idea there's food there he's pulling like a train. I've tried leaving his prong on and it didnt help. Thanks for any suggestions.

Steve,

With my older Bloodhound who loves to work fast...I lean back a bit on the line and harness and give an "easy" command. He also has a "wait" for when we go through fences and anything else that is going to slow me down. He gets right back to work with a "good, suke".

I was leaning back on a prong collar yesterday and it didnt slow him down. Do you think it would cause any other problems if I down him in the middle of the track and give him time to calm down?

Are you using a harness or a flat collar?

I would tend to think that leaning into a prong would maybe condition the dog to ignore the prong in other areas of training....but I may be wrong.

How does he get at the start of a track? If he is excited and wanting to go, then I would calm him at the start. With my GSD and Mal working odor, the GSD has to be built up a bit at the start and my Mal I actually have to make her sit, stroke her a few times and talk quietly to her in order for her to focus on what she is about to do.

He's been on a flat collar until yesterday. Your probably right on about the prong except he's alot farther along in obedience and responds very well to very slight corrections. He approaches the track under control it's when he gets that first hot dog sliver he's full speed ahead. Maybe I should feed him first and sit him like your Mal until he's absolutly relaxed.

How far apart are your "treats" on the track? If the dog is doing well and progressing, can you space them out farther?

If they are the same distance apart every time, he may be in a hurry because he is anticipating the "reward"?

Yeah, thats a pretty good bet. We've done 7 tracks the first five he did real well with his nose rooting like a pig. I wasnt sure if I could start spacing the food out yet or if that might cause any other problems. I appreciate you replying Carol. Thanks.

I had that problem too, for a looonnnng time. I was dragged along at full speed even with a prong. If I had been lighter I probably would have done a Flying Nun imitation.

Then I was fortunate enough to attend a Bernhard Flinks seminar. His first bit of advice was not to put a reward at the end of the track. Make all the rewards come on the track itself. At first space them close together, then over time make the spacing farther apart, but keep the spacing uneven. Ditch the hot dogs and use his regular food (I use 1/2" cubes of raw beef heart or similar). The end should be almost a non-event. He suggests putting a small biscuit or other very minor treat to let the dog know he's done, but NEVER an article or a "jackpot of treats" as I'd been taught.

Second part: Make the track the dog's source of food for the day. Or if you feed twice a day, then the only food he gets in the morning is what he finds on the track.

Combine these two, and the dog pretty soon understands that the only food available is what he finds on the track, the WHOLE track, not just the end of the track.

I asked if I should use a prong to slow him down. Bernhard said "No, there's no need for it." Danged if he wasn't right. In less than a week my dog had stopped pulling and slowed down dramatically.

Notice there's no compulsion in this method, either, so the dog doesn't lose it's enjoyment of tracking.

May or may not work with your guy, but it's something you might want to try.

Regards,

Anita

Thanks Anita, I'll try eliminating the jackpot at the end. The rest of what you said is pretty much the same way I was shown. I don't think I'll bother with the prong anymore. Any thoughts about holding onto the harness itself? The harness I have has a handle.

I don't use a harness, so can't help you there. I use a fur saver on the dead ring, with the line under one of his forelegs. So if he does pull, it has the effect of pulling his nose closer to the ground. But recently I was introduced to "two-line" tracking -- one line on each side of the dog -- as a method of keeping them on the track more closely. Has worked well now that he's slowed down.

And yes, I think eliminating the jackpot at the end was probably the most important thing. If the dog knows he'll get a big reward at the end, there's not much incentive to slow down and look for the smaller bits along the way. Depends on the dog, of course.

Good luck, and let us know how it works!