Tracking question

[scooterjohansen]

We are very lucky to have a great exercise track. It is on 100 acres and made by the local council. It's ok to take off leash because everyone is respectful and the moment there is another dog on the track in the distance both owners put leash on... greet..... then pass ..... then leash off. It works well here.

The track is up hills, down hills, there is pipes and ridges. In a controlled exercise around the track, it take 45 mins. Usually there is a bit of a sweat however it depends on the time of the day.

We let the boy off on the inside. Our council is good they supply plastic poo bags but no one uses them. The first 10 minutes is a bit of a minefield but... after that, clean track all the way to the end.

We let him go 100 yrds and then come. He can then go 100 yards and them come again etc. If he picks up something he likes we give him a few seconds and then its aus, come.... and he is back.

He is nearly 6 months old.

So he is having a very good time.

If I make a path on the track he makes to the end. So far about 100 yards

My Question? Is it possible this dog is going to be good at tracking?

[Judi W]

You won't know until you try it but most Rottweilers can be excellent trackers. However, tracking is a disciplined activity and not just following your nose when interest is peaked.

[scooterjohansen]

Originally Posted by Judi W

You won't know until you try it but most Rottweilers can be excellent trackers. However, tracking is a disciplined activity and not just following your nose when interest is peaked.

I agree. I want to try, however I want to do the prelims properly, this will make actual more beneficial. I hope with what I have described I am doing it right.

[Judi W]

I did not see anything you described that would introduce tracking to your dog. Like I said, it is much more than a dog simply following its nose.

There are several good books, and tracking is built carefully one step at a time. It is not random.

[Canadianrotti]

What books are you speaking of?? What would you recomend for someone who has NO idea about tracking, but would like to learn where to start.

[Judi W]

There are several, but I prefer the old standard Tracking Dog by Glen Johnson. Theory and step by step (no pun intended) process. It is no longer in print but I understand that some people have beena able to find it at Amazon

[damp]

All dogs can sniff and smell (so no big surprise a pup/dog will follow a public path)

Tracking/scent work is all about to teach the dog, what WE want and what we have decided it to track (bombs, drugs, a dear, a human etc. etc.) and how to do it.

The keywords are, energy, thorough, concentration, staying power/stamina and joy, besides to ignore all other impression of senses.

[rottnkidd]

CR- Two of my favorites are "Tracking from the Ground Up" (166 pages, paperback) by Sandy Ganz and Susan Boyd; the other is "Following Ghosts: Developing the Tracking Relationship, (54 pages, paperback) by Susan Clothier & John Rice.
Best wishes -
kathy

[scooterjohansen]

Thanks for that. There is some good reading there I am sure. I will try to source one of these books an take it from there. I guess the reason I asked the question was because I have an interest in shutzhund and I think he may be a candidate. However I want to test each component first to see if he really is right for it. He is very quick with his responses to commands. He has good energy and excellent concentration as well as the stamina. he is athletic and agile and has a cool head. He is not very easily distracted. I probably should have rephrased my question a little.
The biggest issue currently is I need to drive 200 miles for an evaluation and I want to do some stuff first before I make the drive. I believe only a very few actually make the test.
Its all prelim stuff anyway but a little bit each day counts. Thanks again.

[damp]

Originally Posted by scooterjohansen

I guess the reason I asked the question was because I have an interest in shutzhund and I think he may be a candidate. However I want to test each component first to see if he really is right for it. He is very quick with his responses to commands. He has good energy and excellent concentration as well as the stamina. he is athletic and agile and has a cool head. He is not very easily distracted. I probably should have rephrased my question a little.
The biggest issue currently is I need to drive 200 miles for an evaluation and I want to do some stuff first before I make the drive. I believe only a very few actually make the test.
Its all prelim stuff anyway but a little bit each day counts. Thanks again.

An evaluation is not about, what we have already taught the dog (we go trials and competitions for that) but what is in its genes and if the dog by nature has the potential to do SchH. You CAN’T hide the dog's genetic to a good tester by training, but an inexperienced handler can ruin any good dog with wrong training. (E.g. kill the spirit, the joy to work and the drives, and it is much easier to teach right, than avert and rehabilitate wrong learning.)

An experienced trainer and helper in any decent Sch H. club can evaluate your dog, and the less training the better. (Raw dogs are preferred, to give the true picture of the dog, but they are not very often available in modern societies)
Join a Club and let them guide you in your training and you will soon find out what your dog is made of!!!

[scooterjohansen]

Thanks for the advice. I believe I will make an appointment and drive to Perth and get him evaluated. At least this way I still do have raw talent so to speak in him and I wouldn't want him to be ruined. I guess a lot will depend on the evaluation. I will keep you posted. Thanks again.

[Jeff M]

I just got Tracking Dog by Glenn R. Johnson off of Amazon.com about three weeeks ago.BUY IT!!!It is very Detailed It has to be the best book out there on tracking!! If there is one out there better I have yet to see it!

[MontanaRott]

Originally Posted by rottnkidd

CR- Two of my favorites are "Tracking from the Ground Up" (166 pages, paperback) by Sandy Ganz and Susan Boyd; the other is "Following Ghosts: Developing the Tracking Relationship, (54 pages, paperback) by Susan Clothier & John Rice.
Best wishes -
kathy

These are really good books, Phil is currently using the Ganz/Boyd book to correct some issues and lay a better foundation for Guerin and it is really making a huge difference for him. And this is a dog that has been in tracking classes for almost 18mo. It has made more of an impact on the dog then a tracking seminar we attended a few months back. Get a book and give it a shot, it is so much fun!

[scooterjohansen]

Thnaks again guys will be ordering those books very shortly