Tracking Training and Competition

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Tracking Training

We usually hold two dedicated tracking training classes each year separate from the regular Sunday training sessions.  The first is a single day basic beginners Introduction to Tracking training and the second is a more advanced “Beyond the Basics” weekend held over a two days.  Members interested in tracking also get together to share tips and techniques and assist each other laying tracks once the initial courses have been completed.

The club normally holds 4 Tracking Competitions each year during the cooler months.  See the events calendar for more details.

Competition Tracking

Tracking competitions test the dog’s ability to follow a track laid by a person.  Dogs have amazing scenting abilities, their sense of smell is many, many times more powerful than ours and tracking is a natural skill for all breeds of dogs.  Competition tracking requires the dog to follow a specific track when asked by the handler.  The dog tracks wearing a harness which doesn’t restrict its breathing in any way.  The dog is attached to a 10 m long lead and the handler follows behind the dog for the length of the track.

In tracking competitions dogs are able to earn 3 progressive titles, TD (Tracking Dog); TDX (Tracking Dog Excellent) and TC (Tracking Champion).

To earn a TD title a dog must successfully complete 3 tracks.

The first, TD1, IS 400 m long, has a minimum of 2 turns, is at least 20 minutes old and has 2 articles (usually socks or similar sized items) dropped on the track.

The second, the TD2, is at least ½ hour old, 800 m long, has a minimum of 2 turns and has 2 articles dropped on the track. The dog must follow the track, find at least one of the articles left along the track and must find the person hiding at the end of the track.

The third test, the TD3, is also at least ½ hour old, 800 m long, has a minimum of 2 turns and has 2 articles dropped on the track. The dog must follow the track, find at least one of the articles left along the track and must find the person hiding at the end of the track. For TD1 and TD2 the person laying the track may be someone known to the dog.  For the third test, the TD3, the person laying the track for the dog to follow is a person unknown to the dog.

The tracks for TDX (TD4, TD5 and TD6) become progressively older, longer, have more turns, have extra articles on the track and have diversion tracks (decoy tracks that are laid across the track to test the dog’s ability to stay on the track he was asked to follow).

Finally, the 2 tests for Tracking Champion (TD7 and TD8) require the dog to follow a track between 1 ½ and 3 hours old, 1200 m long, with 6 turns, 3 articles on the track and with 2 diversion tracks across the track.

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