Herding and Tracking

Herding

Entlebuchers and Herding

The Entlebucher Mountain Dog was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in the Herding Group: January 1, 2011.
The Entlebucher along with it's cousin the Appenzeller, were originally bred to herd cattle and they both continue to have a stronger ingrained herding instinct. Cattle are bigger, tougher and more stubborn stock which requires an intelligent, strong and sometimes physical approach to control. Entles are drovers so their herding style is like a Corgi or Australian Cattle Dog. Drovers generally use their voice and mouth more than heelers (like Border Collies or Kelpies) which are famous for their "eye".

One of my first adventures with Bayla was a sheep herding weekend seminar and AHBA (American Herding Breed Association) test in southern Illinois. It was an incredible experience! What a special thrill to see her instincts kick in and observe the way she handled herself. Bayla received high praise for her great ability, power, presence and natural talent.

That weekend, Bayla easily earned her HCT-s title. HCT is: Herding Capability Tested, which is the American Herding Breed Association's instinct test. The smaller letter designation after the hyphen is the type of stock the dog was tested on; s = sheep, c = cattle and d = ducks. This was the first time Bay had ever seen sheep. Though encouraged, we did not pursue herding at that time.

I have taken Kai out for one herding experience so far. In a short time, she did really well and seemed to spark to it. I guess I could be called a recreational (and fair weather) herder. I like to get out a few times a year and justify motivating myself to do a little herding by reminding myself that our dogs are willing to do and try anything I ask..., the least I can do is be willing to "go along for the ride" doing an activity they may be naturally good at. Ironically, not all herding dogs have talent or solid herding ability. I like to have a dog evaluated just to see how true they may be to their heritage function. This photo of Kai (far right) during her first herding experience was used in the AKC Gazette Entlebucher feature, Jan. 2011.

Data has been herding a few times. I did not find (or make) the time until he was over 2 years old. Data took a little more patience and encouragement in his first experience. It is important to evaluate a herding dog's pure instincts while they are younger - before they are influenced by working / training in other areas. Initially on his first exposure, Data kept looking to me, to see what I wanted or if it was really OK to chase the sheep. I wonder if he thought the experience was some bizarre "recall" proofing exercise. It took a little while but he finally decided it was OK to chase the sheep then he was able to get a feel for their movement off his body and actions. On his second exposure Data was much more comfortable and confident. This photo was taken when he earned his Herding Instinct Certificate at Lanark Farms.

Herding fascinates me! I have read a lot about it and spectated at quite a few herding trials... yet I have a hard time bringing myself to DO herding. Sheep freak me out. I was sandwiched between two and they "walked" me a couple feet (my feet did not touch the ground). I do not like the feeling of being out of control. Herding offers so many variables and just too much going on for me, plus it is counter intuitive to agility handling in many ways. I would much rather watch or take herding photos. Then I can be mesmerized by the beauty of it and marvel at the dog/handler's talent and skills, all from a safe distance. I love it when we have herding instinct tests at our Entlebucher Specialties. It is very eye opening and awe inspiring to watch different Entle styles. Some are more vocal, some use more physicality, and others tend to be thoughtful. At our 2016 Specialty I worked Data on ducks for the experience. I was a lot less stressed and enjoyed being inside the pen much more.

Herding Links

AKC Herding Getting started in herding
AKC Herding Group- Link to Herding Group of American Kennel Club
AHBA- American Herding Breed Association
Working Dogs Link to article about styles of herding by Ann Garner
Herding on the Web- Website for herding resources on the internet

Tracking

I always wanted to try tracking with Bayla but never seized the opportunity. When we adopted Kai, I decided that tracking would be the perfect sport for the two of us to learn together... it would be new for both of us and a discovery we could call our own. Tracking really helped me bond with her and learn more about Kai as an individual.

Kai started taking lessons with Lois Ballard, Spring 2010. What a great way to appreciate fresh air, beautiful scenery and time spent outdoors with your canine friend. Along the track we sometimes find unplotted treasures, sometimes unexpected surprises too! We always enjoy ourselves and marvel at the beauty of mother nature!

To develop as a tracking team, the handler needs to learn how to give up control, read and trust their dog. After all, the dog really has the superior nose. In Tracking the dog follows the specific scent of the path a human walked. There are many variables to scent; the kind of vegetation and the way it holds scent, wind and weather conditions, any distinctive scent influencers- perfume, strong body odor, a medical condition like diabetes, hills and obstructions within the terrain, how long the scent path has aged (or how long it has been since the person walked the original path), and any other influences like deer, bunnies and other wildlife crossing the scent path or critters living in area. We continue to learn and make progress growing in this sport. It is very humbling to behold the power of your dog's nose. Their sense of smell is astronomically greater than ours! Check out this article: The Canine Sense of Smell.

Data began tracking, spring of 2013 and Jaylah just started in June 2017. We live only 25 minutes from Hartman Creek State Park where I am lucky to train with a great group, on a weekly basis. To make progress in any dog sport you need to train/practice more than once a week. As a city dweller, finding adequate land/fields to track in can be tough and time consuming. Our local business park has a wonderful area but as more businesses fill the park, there's less usable space. It can be a challenge finding an area to lay a track, letting it age and then being able to get back to run that track. But there is something magical about tracking in the great outdoors! Even for me with a quirky bug phobia, especially spiders, large ant colonies, and ticks. Thankfully Wisconsin does not have a large amount of poisonous or dangerous threats like Southern states.

My tracking adventures with each individual dog has taught me valuable lessons about the power of observation, the nuances of scent and the magnificance of our relationships. Every adventure has inspired and left me in awe at the wonder of our dog's unique abilities. It's incredible to me that we can cross interspecies boundaries to communicate and work together for such fantastic results.

The way I approach it, tracking with my canine partner has two distinct training behaviors to teach: value for the articles and value for using their nose to follow a specific scent trail. I like to break it down to teach and reward the skills separately. I like to play a game in steps. First I drop 6-7 articles on the floor in a small room. I let the dog into the room, when they come across an article and investigate I click & treat with good stuff like chicken, cheese or steak. Next I up the ante using a bigger room with 5-6 articles and once they are driving to the articles I wait for a behavior like a sit or a down at the article before I click & reward. By playing this simple article game away from the tracking field it instills value for the articles. Once we track and they comes across an article in the field, I usually get the same behavior that was rehearsed and rewarded.

Historic First Entlebucher Tracking Dog

May 10, 2017 Data became the first Entlebucher Mountain Dog to earn an AKC Tracking Dog (TD) title under judges Inge Suchanek and Eibhlin Glennon! I am so proud of this special boy! We had taken the Tracking test two times prior but I'll be the first to admit, I made many mistakes. Data is brilliant, I was the weak link in the team with a steep learning curve! I talked to him... a lot, I did not know how to read him, I pulled him off the right path because I thought I knew where the track might be going (most times I guess wrong). I had a hard time giving up the control. The motto of tracking is: train your dog, trust your dog. So I went back to my tracking journals and reviewed our progress along this journey. I evaluated our efforts to learn from those past attempts. I asked questions and advice of more experienced successful tracking handlers. I read anything I could about tracking, scent, and the anatomy of a dogs nose. I restrained my urge to talk or give him feedback constantly and started to observe his body language closer for signs. We took it to the next level and when the day of the Tracking Test came I felt calm and confident, unlike our previous tries where I just felt nervous and sick.

K9 Nosework

I joke that I'm a fair weather sport enthusiast. I'm probably a little heartier than some yet not as hard core as many others. When the weather is what I consider "iffy", I stay indoors. A fun, similar activity that can be done largely indoors is K9 Nosework! It has an outside component as well but can be practiced inside. Many of the exercises are useful to give our dogs enriching, mental games (great option for Wisconsin). I have decided to try Nosework as a new learning experience with our Entlebucher puppy Jaylah. I have always been interested in Nosework, even took an intro seminar but never pursued it. I do play nosework type games as a trick and fun activity to do with our dogs. I am excited to learn another new sport and see where it goes with the baby!

Tracking and K9 Nosework Links

FAQ's about Tracking- Link to the AKC website FAQ on tracking
K9 Nosework- The sport of K9 Nosework