What methods do Schutzhund trainers use to teach footstep tracking when the dog is not motivated by food? We've tried not feeding the day before. We've tried a few different types of food. We've tried random food placement (not baiting all footsteps). These all help, but still, we'd like to see more drive. This is enough of a problem that it's holding up getting this dog titled. This is a confident, willing, enthusiastic high drive dog in the other two phases of the sport. He's also high drive with good scenting abilities during the SAR "runaway" game (he's not being trained for SAR, we just tried it to see what would happen). What other motivational tools do SchH trainers use to teach footstep tracking besides food?

Laura,

If the dog has ball drive, you can try a ball, but don't leave it in plain sight. Bury it just enough so it's invisible, not too far from the scent pad for the first one, second a little farther, third farther yet. When the dog finds a ball, play a little and then back to work. Big play at the end. Who knows, maybe it will work...

I had one dog that had no interest in tracking for food ON the track initially. His attitude was pretty much "track? what for?". He had plenty of drive, plenty of energy and plenty of desire to "do" but tracking to him was a "do what?". And hotdogs in footsteps didn't turn any lights on upstairs either. So I made him work for his supper. He had to find his food bowl everyday or he didn't eat. Food is a great motivator but sometimes it takes more than one day of fasting. I started him on real short tracks to the hidden food bowl until he figured out what tracking was. Pretty soon tracking became something he looked forward to doing -- he would drag me to the scent pad. Later I split his meal up into 2-3 portions on the track & increased the distance between portions gradually adding turns. Once I was sure he understood the tracking task and the drive was built up, I started putting hotdogs in the footsteps, restricting his speed by walking slow against his pull and encouraging a deep nose. Gradually, he started tracking with only hotdogs on the track -- he still didn't eat them but he did use them to work methodically footstep to footstep. I was able to wean him off the food bowl and onto a ball or tug at the end of the track. All this didn't take more than about a month. Some dogs are just a little "slow" figuring out the Zen of tracking. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Ellen's methods are very sound advise.

I like a food drag for dogs like this.

The only thing I would add that will build drive is this. If the dog quits tracking, take it off the track, clip on a training leash and walk it up to where the food bowl is.

Pick the bowl up and walk back to the car. Put the dog in the crate and the food bowl right outside the crate door (right next to the door)

When you get home, take the dog - with food bowl to the kennel (the dog gets excited because he thinks you are going to give him the food in the kennel) - put the dog in the kennel and then feed the food to one of your other dogs or your neighbors dog or call a friend to bring their dog over and "YOU" give the other dog this food.

I will guarantee that you will not have to do this very often to get the message to the dog. It will track after that and it takes no force on the dog.

Excellent suggestions folks!
I really appreciate your advice.

Ed, Your suggestion to use another dog to build a dog's food drive is right on the mark. I sometimes think my GSD wouldn't eat much at all if there wasn't my perpetually starving Lab/cocker mix hovering near his foodbowl. BTW Ed, what kind of food do you drag on the track?

For the moment lets forget about the dog with little drive to track. How about the dog that flies down the track. I have read that this might indicate that the dog is not comfortable with the track and in fact wants to get to the ends inorder to get his reward. It was suggested in one of the books that I have read to give him his reward before he tracks. In other words if food is the movitator (sic) you might feed him a little before hand. It the toy is the reward you would do the same. Neither one of these suggestions worked. In fact when I went back to putting food on the track he stopped tracking. I finally went back to the toy as the reward and his tracking is good but he will never score in the 90's until I can slow him down. thanks.

Griffen,

As long as the drive is high, couldn't you slow the dog down by tracking him on a prong collar? I've seen this work as the dog eventually learns on his/her own to slow down to avoid the the pressure of the collar.

Ditto

You are right about the prong collar I have used it for several months. However, this is where my dogs temperment comes into play, once he gets the correction he shuts down and doesn't track nearly as well or at all. Several months ago I had him ready for his Sch1 test however the heat in Phoenix hampers a great deal of training. I went back to food on the track inorder to polish up his corners and to slow him down.and it seemed that he had never seen a track before in his life. I trully believe that his problem with tracking began with using force on the articles. "Old trainer" I will never do this again. I have had more sucess with other dogs in our club with positive rewards at the article. thanks

Are you ageing the tracks at all? Sometimes aging the track will slow down a fast dog....