Trooper is leaving the scent pad too quickly when I don't put food in it. He races up the track for the first deposit of food, if that should be greater than 20 feet, he gets hectic and backtracks to see if he has missed anything. How do I slow him down? I have stopped working him up as we approach the scent pad and ave him sit (correctly) before giving himthe suchen command. There is ALWAYS food somewhere on the track and I try to vary its placement so as not to run into pattern training issues. I guess the question is more " how do I get him to track more methodically"? All of his 300+ training tracks have been motivational with no corrections on the track. He also successfuly navigates stretches of over 200 paces w/o food and no panic. Thanks, G.

My male jump starts the track. If your dog knows articles, you might try putting an article really soon after the scent pad. It helped mine slow down, a little. He got his food without it being on the track. Cathy

Gordon, your post raises many questions. How old is the dog??? Does the dog know; article indication, straight tracks, serpentines, corners, jump-offs, wind directions, locating the scent pad on his own??? Sounds like you may have patterned trained him already. If he has done 300+ motivational tracks maybe it’s time for training (compulsion) tracks. Articles and compulsion will methodically slow him down but find a knowledgeable Trainer that can go on the tracks to instruct and critique you and the dog.

Gordon - your post says he races up the first leg to the first food drop. That sounds like your tracklaying is too predictable and too easy for him. When you approach the scent pad, come from an angle, don't approach from behind it so all the dog has to do is walk straight ahead and he's on the track. Put him into the scent pad from an angle and let him work out which direction the track goes. Lay a turn, or two, or three! right off the scent pad. Don't make the track simply go straight ahead. If you go only 4-5 steps and then make a turn, let him shoot forward, expecting the track to be a straight line and wait until he makes the mistake of overshooting the turn before you correct him. As for the scent pad, starting the track at odd angles will help some, cuz he'll get more cautious checking where the track goes out from the scent pad, but I've also heard of people taking a small garden trowel or other sharp tool and making a small divot in the dirt and putting the food under the divot so the dog has to search more carefully and work to get the food out. Never tried it myself, but worth a shot.

Yeah like that will work Lee! hehehe Just kidding! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Trooper is 2.5 years old. He is 99% on his article indication and has been for about a year. Serpintines, cross tracks, corkscrews, jump offs, switchbacks, distractions, ( we began working a track when some hamburger on the hoof decided to walk all over it, so we tracked through or around them, with much trepidation I might add, and a few tracks only 10 feet from I-40 westbound traffic) so that aspect has been taught, trained and tested. Different articles of different materials have been used (probably not frequently enough).

I think the patern thing is right because I can not remember approaching a track from other than directly behind it and not making turns until well after a decent straight leg was done. I thought about the food in the ground idea but was concerned he might start pawing at the ground in a trial setting. I also caught myself laying the first turn as a left turn 90%+. I have been tracking primarily with the wind to our backs so as not to let the food pull him over the track as opposed to it rewarding him for working the track.

I hope to take something from all of these ideas and work them into a more comprehensive and successful program. I will keep you all posted.

Thanks,
Gordo