Tracking and Scent Work

Tracking

I wanted to try tracking with Bayla but never found the time. When we adopted Kai, I decided 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 our tracks we sometimes found unplotted treasures and 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 (how long it was since the person walked the original path), plus distractions 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! Enjoy this article: The Canine Sense of Smell.

Data began tracking, spring of 2013. Jaylah started in June 2017. We live only 25 minutes from Hartman Creek State Park. At tha time I was lucky to have a great group to train with 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 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, allow it to age and then 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 have 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 break it down to teach and reward the skills separately. I like to play a game in steps. First, drop 6-7 articles on the floor in a small room. Let the dog into the room; when they come across an article and investigate, I click and treat with valuable rewards like chicken, cheese or steak. Next I up the ante using a bigger room with 5-6 articles. Once they are driving to the articles, I wait for a behavior like a sit or down at the article before I click and reward. By playing this simple article game away from the tracking field it instills value for the articles. Once we track and they come across an article in the field, we get the same behavior that has been rehearsed and rewarded.

Two Historic Entlebucher Breed Firsts: Tracking Dog & Versatile Companion Dog

Data earned the 1st Entlebucher Mountain Dog AKC Tracking Dog (TD) title at Hartman Creek State Park, under judges Inge Suchanek & Eibhlin Glennon May 10, 2017!

Our test track was 450 yards, with 4 turns, aged 40 minutes. Data totally rocked that test! It took him 6 minutes to complete our track. Data nailed 3 out of the 4 turns with 100% accuracy! He surprised me by working his track so fast, I felt like I was running and could not keep up. What an amazing feeling when we got to the end and Data found that glove. In true Entlebucher style, he tossed it in the air then caught it before proudly retrieving it to my hand. The judges gave us high praise!

The motto for tracking is: train your dog, trust your dog. Earning the TD title with my special dude is one of the highlights of all our dog sports adventures. I learned so much throughout that journey and above all, learned to take my observation skills to a new level and gained a new awareness and appreciation for dogs!

Data already had Obedience and Agility titles so his Novice Tracking Dog (TD) title completed the trifecta to earn the distinction of being the first Entlebucher AKC Versatile Companion Dog (VCD1) on the record books! Data went on to complete the requirements for the Open level. In 2019 he earned the higher level distinction of being the first Entlebucher AKC Versatile Companion Dog2 (VCD2). The VCD Program showcases dogs with tremendous talent in many areas. VCD teams are awarded for achieving titles in Obedience, Agility, and Tracking. Since I began in dog sports in 1997, it was a dream of mine to join the prestigious ranks of the special teams I admired with the VCD designaton. Data made dreams come true! Read more about the AKC Versatile Companion Dogs.

Thank you Ann MacKay for these and all the wonderful tracking photos!

K9 Nosework / Scent Work

I joke that I'm a fair weather sport enthusiast. When the weather is what I consider "iffy", I stay indoors. A similar activity that can be done outdoors or indoors is K9 Nosework / Scent Work! If the weather is bad there are many scent work skills to practice inside. Many of the exercises are useful to give our dogs enriching mental workouts (a great option for Wisconsin winters). We also play scenting type games as tricks and fun activities with our dogs; like hide and seek with toys or people and which cup is the treat under.

In 2017, I decided to explore Nosework as a new learning experience with then Entle puppy Jaylah. I had been interested in scent work for a long time. I even took Introductory seminars with Bayla and Data, but never pursued it. At that time, I was not convinced in the effectiveness of the methods I saw being taught and demonstrated. Plus Data and I had put so much time and effort into tracking and I was not sure if/how the two activities could coexist.

I heard glowing recommendations from friends and had positive experiences with online classes at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, so I took the plunge. Excited to learn another new sport with our young pup, I signed up for Nosework 101 with Stacy Barnett. We loved it and were addicted almost immediately!

Nosework is so much fun! I look forward to practice sessions in anticipation of the scent puzzles we can work together! It is a thrill to see your dog actively working on scent and realize they understand a world we never will, with their superior sense of smell. Amazing! It is beautiful to see the change in behavior like those dramatic head snaps when they pass by the odor source. I am mesmerized at the determination and drive they have to get to the odor source. When they are sure they found the odor source and give that look, you can feel the intimate communication of being a true team! I enjoy it so much, I train all our dogs in scent work and occasionally teach classes. As a bonus, scent work has helped me understand on a whole new level, subtleties in tracking and more about how scent moves. I look forward to continuing Nosework/Scent Work adventures! Spring 2018 Jaylah and I entered our first AKC Scent Work trial. We had a blast and much success! Fall 2018 Data entered his first trial. Scent Work is inexpensive to practice, train and enjoy but very expensive to compete in trials, especially with multiple dogs. Strategy, planning, discretion and common sense are needed when deciding how often, how far to go, and which classes or trials to enter.

Juggling sports and hitting important milestones or accomplishing goals can be a real challenge. Through the years my "dog sports addiction" has progressed. I remember going to agility classes in the 90's saying how fun it was but that I would never compete... then I would not drive far distances to compete (limited the driving to a couple hours)... then it was regional with overnight stays in hotels... then I picked up new sports... then National events... which has continued through multiple eras of dogs. I look back and laugh at how it evolved! Now I am crazy enough to do, try, drive, even fly to adventures almost anywhere if it involves our canine companions! Truthfully, dog sports and getting involved with dogs as a hobby, is a lifestyle choice. It has taught me many life lessons and enriched my life in ways I cannot begin to put in words or explain. We have met interesting people and established friendships that have become very important in our lives. It is all about the meaningful connections!

Tracking and K9 Nosework Links

FAQ's about Tracking- Link to the AKC website FAQ on tracking
AKC Scent Work- Link to AKC's Scent Work titling program
NACSW- National Association of Canine Scent Work
Scent Work University- Lots of qality rescources
Fenzi Academy- Link to the Scent Sports offerings (Nosework and Tracking)
Scentsabilities Nosework- Stacy Barnett's Excellent full of information
K9 Detection Collaborative- Highly recommended podcast hosted by 3 top dog training experts