I don't think that Johnson recommends anything as far as who lays the track (I could be remembering incorrectly), as long as the track layer knows what they are doing, and the handler knows exactly where the track is. That is one advantage of laying tracks yourself, is that it is a lot easier to remember where YOU walked than where someone else walked. Another advantage is that in the early stages, you'll be tracking quite frequently, and it can be hard to round up willing track layers, so doing it yourself may be your only option. Lastly, you may be better able to instruct other track layers in the future, if you have track laying experience yourself. On the other hand, with careful track laying and flagging procedures, you should be able to know where it is, no matter who laid it.

Oh, and one more thing. When I was doing sport tracking (AKC) I noticed that whenever I had laid the track, my dog was not as interested as when someone else had laid it. He always seemed to enjoy meeting the track layer after we had run the track, as if he were thinking "Hey, I know you! I just tracked you!). Has anyone else ever had this happen? Now it's not a problem at all, since we're doing SAR tracking. But at the time when I was trianing him for his TD, it was quite frustrating when I couldn't find a tracklayer.

I have a nagging question about this. How does the dog know (besides kibble in footsteps) where the beginning and end of the track is since I've walked to the park, laid the track, and walked out of the park? Also, do you have a preference for dragging vs. food in footstep?

Pamela, if you are doing SAR tracking, then you need to throw that Johnson book out the window! SAR tracking is a whole different ballgame. I started in sport and switched to SAR, and believe me, I really am wishing I had started in SAR from the beginning. There are zero good SAR tracking books out there that I know of. The only good SAR tracking training comes from experience. If you have none, you need to find a SAR dog team to join, or at least fine someone that knows about this stuff who is willing to help you.

Read "Scent and the Scenting Dog" by Bill Syrotuk (sp?). It is not a training plan, but explains a lot about how the canine olfactory system works in relation to scentwork. "Ready" by Susan Bulanda is about the closest thing I have ever found to a SAR tracking training book.

Lastly, are YOU certified or qualified to do SAR? Your dog can be as trained as they come, but YOU need a lot of foundation in SAR work before you should ever get out there as a K9 handler. Again, I urge you to join a team. But beware of team politics........find one that is professional, where the egos are at a minimum. The folks on this board are great, but they are no substitute for a good teacher. A lot of SAR teams, from what I am told, are unprofessional and ego driven. But, there are good teams out there, if you look hard enough.

If you are doing sport work, disregard the above message. I just noticed in your profile that you were interested in SAR.

Thanks for your help. I surmised I was probably trying to combine sport tracking principles with SAR principles. I've read Bulanda's book already, and I agree with you that it's good. I'm enjoying Johnson's book. Even though SAR initially interested me more, there is no reliable team in this area, and the one team I knew of comes poorly recommended. For my time and locale constraints, sport tracking would be easier. My background is EMS and as much as I'd like to do SAR if there was a local team, the one big drawback (for me) is that it's a tremendous amount of training for very little reward of actual searches. What is your personal story/experience with tracking and SAR?

 Quote:

Originally posted by Pamela:
I have a nagging question about this. How does the dog know (besides kibble in footsteps) where the beginning and end of the track is since I've walked to the park, laid the track, and walked out of the park? Also, do you have a preference for dragging vs. food in footstep?

Pam, I think what you are worried about is the dog tracking before you get to the track, correct? Well this can be remedied by bringing the dog in at an angle. You know where your start flag is, and should know where your track is, so walk your dog in to the start flag and scent pad from say a 45 degree angle(if you walked straight to your scent pad) That way, when you give your dog the command to track and point out the scent pad the dog has not been following your unintentional track from earlier.

My young dog was blowing through his first leg until I started changing the way I brought him in. He had learned to find where I had walked and just keep going straight, when I would tell him to track he would give me the teenager * I know what I am doing mom :rolleyes: * and bringing him in at an angle made him have to actually stop and think for a second.

You signify the end of the track by some sort of release command and really praising or playing with your dog. It is all up to what your dog needs.

So far as dragging, well I don't do it, but my dog is a wee bit fast. I figure the footstep weenies are as close to doing toe touches as I want to get so at least when I am tracking I am getting some excercize. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> (I am not using kibble anymore simply because I don't feed kibble)
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for your post. It was helpful. What are you training for with your dog?

Thanks for your post. It was helpful. What are you training for with your dog?

You are welcome. Schutzhund. Sar is not for me. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> My TD is the TD for the SAR group here as well though. I went out to take photos of the group for them and I know it wasn't my thing. I like hiking, but not that. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I am blonde, paying attention is not my strong suit. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Pamela, thanks for the clarification. For sport tracking, the Johnson book is great. I found it to be a good read. There is also another one, "Tracking From the Beginning" by Gary Patterson. I don't have it, and haven't read it, and probably won't read it, as I don't want to clutter up my mind with too much info right now. I'm trying to keep tracking simple.
Deanna pretty much explained it, just bring the dog in from a different direction from which you entered to lay the track, and exit the track in a different direction from where you left after having laid it. Takes a little preplanning, but it becomes second nature. All the things you have to keep in mind might seem like a lot at first, but it all starts to sink in and seem less complicated after a while. That's the experience factor. Even in sport tracking, it helps sooooo much to have someone else's guidance, when you're just starting out. I can't tell you how much the instructors in the local club where we got our TD title really helped.

To answer your question about me, I'm a trainee with a local dog team. I've been training for a year now, and while I'm extremely close to being mission ready (meaning certified by the state that I live in), my K9 will not be ready for some time yet. I'll be functioning as support for certified K9 teams until my dog is ready. I really enjoy all the training, from first aid, to man tracking, to navigation, etc. etc., and I do like getting out there in the tick infested woods and sweating my butt off in the pouring rain, sloshing through muck and getting my skin ripped off by brambles; and that's just the training!!! Not everyone's idea of a good time, but I have fun with it, and actually find it very life affirming. I've also met a lot of great people in law enforcement, medical professionals, firefighters, military folks, and lots of civilians like myself. To put it bluntly, I am hooked. But, if you want to know more, you should probably PM me. This is off topic, and probably not as interesting to everyone else as it is to me. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Hell yes this is off topic. 10,000 words about SAR in the sport tracking section irks me. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Chuck, Richard? Where were you guys at? When I'm not there to make the big play, I expect you two jokers to pick up the ball and save the day. . . <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />