Just returned from a tracking session. My puppy now understands what to do on the track thing, and we have so much more fun now. But he is such a wild animal, he is crying like a hound the second I unstake him and we move to the box. Lunging around, crying, whirling(but nose is down!) Crazed is not too strong a word.
I dig the gusto with which this guy approaches EVERYTHING in his life, but he's missing weinies, and thus some footsteps, in his great enthusiasm. I want to refine his technique and bring a calmer element to his style. Is it pushing to expect this at this stage?
I am keeping the leash very very short, but it is similar to trying to keep a hungry fifty pound weasel moving in a straight line.

Hey Alex,There are different things to do but right off hand one thing would be,if your pup is understanding what tracking is and is searching the ground good,Id say lay your tracks with the wind at your back.If the wind is blowing into the face of the dog when he is tracking (and tracking is still new to him) he will smell the treats on the track out ahead of him and want to rush forward to get to it or sometimes all that scent coming at him can overwhelm him and he'll get excited and start looking everywhere for the track or treat.With the wind to your back the only way the pup can smell the track is with its nose on the ground and to keep moving forward.You might already be doing this I dont know.

Thanks David
I have not been too concerned with wind-it never seems to blow much here to me, but I guess the dog would notice that much more than I would. I will make notes of the wind direction next time.

Stop staking the dog out while you lay your track. That is a technique used to build drive to go find what you've teased him with, when either a dog is first learning or when he has little interest. Your's understands what it's about and is eager to do it, so stop hyping him up, which is totally counterproductive to calm, intense tracking. Leave him in his kennel or in the car/crate, out of sight, while you lay your track. When you bring him out to the field, do it calmly, give him ample opportunity to walk along the edge of the field, sniff, pee, whatever. Be calm and quiet and in no rush to get to the scent pad.

Very often, if you remove the cues that he associates with getting excited, they track much better. Instead of his usual flag/marker, use a small stick or landmark as your start flag; meander around on the field rather than proceeding in a direct line to the start, then "meander" over the scent pad. When he drops his nose and finds the first piece of food, stand still, silent, and loose leash. When he starts to search for the next pieces, don't move and don't tighten up the line. Half the pups that develop pulling/hectic problems learn it from the handler's restrictive line handling. They feel like they're being pulled off the food, so they dig in and develop a habit of hurrying. And don't lay a straight track. It doesn't take even an 8wk old pup very many repetitions to learn that the food is straight ahead so no need to be careful or slow. Lay a track with bending lines (serpentines) but food in each step. Try to keep the line loose unless he loses the track; and then only stop him from going beyond one body length away from the track. The instant he begins working back in the direction of the track, loose line again. This cures a great many "wild man" tracking problems.

Hey Lee, Alex had posted in another post that she has been doing her tracks on grass.Dont you think that serpentine style tracks are better suited for tracks layed on dirt.At this stage of tracking I would think knowing exactly where the steps are is very important.Serpentines on dirt are no problem because you can see each step,but serpentines on grass with a new pup could be very tricky to keep up with ,without the advantage of line ups to know exactly where the track is.Or are you assuming with food in every step she can visualy keep up with her track.I guess depending on the kind of treats in the foodsteps would make a difference if your relying on a visual.I use frozen Biljack so I cant see it good enough.I only run serpentine tracks on dirt or snow.

David

If the handler can't see the track, either by seeing the line in the grass or seeing the food, then yes she shouldn't do it. You do have to know where your track is. But if that were the case, I would still do a track with multiple 90 deg turns. Somewhere on the field where she tracks, there has got to be 3 small landmarks in close proximity which she can use to mark her corners (small clump of johnson grass, clump of bright green fescue in the middle of dormant bermuda, in the south we use fire ant hills, something, some feature which she can identify, walk to and make her corner around. I don't remember the age of the dog, but even the smallest pup can handle 2 turns in his first track, and that will keep him from associating tracking with a straight ahead charge for the food.

Thanks David, Lee. I will try the serpentine thing on Wednesday-the pup is so wound up this morning that I think we're just gonna take a break from all work for a couple days, so my nerves don't get shot!

Alex,

Check your P.M.

Has anyone posted how to establish a lineup for tracking? I am a real stick on knowing where the track is or where it will be even if working trailing training for young hounds.

Great advice Lee. Your suggestion is one I will incorporate with a new pup that has high food drive and a deep nose but eager to move. I have used the technique of multiple turns before and set them at various angles can you explain to me if this is the same as you call bending lines? I have always suggested a change of angle but it was an angle and not a curve.

How do you teach the curve and keep your knowledge of the exact track laid in grass? Do you look for natural markers? I am very interested to learn about it.

Continuous curves or serpentines are tougher for the dog to follow perfectly than corners with straight legs between them, but both are very useful. I won't do serpentines unless I have the appropriate terrain for it. Dirt is ok, but I'm very wary of doing too much where I can clearly see my prints cuz that means the dog can too. I'll find a grass area with multiple landmarks in it, usually taller clumps of Johnson grass or some other kind of noticeable weed. When I look at it, I can picture the flow I want to walk thru, around, between the landmarks. Then I write it down - I NEVER try to just remember it. If necessary, I draw a pix, but normally, I just write it down in shorthand. I never have any trouble staying right on my track cuz I can refer to my notes as we go along.