Tuesday, July 17, 2007

My first tracking experience

So my human thinks I'd make a good tracking dog. Being a terrier, I do have a high prey drive and always find myself sniffing out something on our walks. I have had two successful tracks recently to make my human think I may be on to something.

While on a walk recently my nose to the ground, my human spotted a lady up ahead with two Italian Greyhounds. They were quite a distance away, and were now crossing the street into a little wooded path. She thought this might be a good test..see if I could pick up their scent. She knew this lady, and knew her route back to her home...so she'd be able to see if I could simply track them.

Low and behold, I picked up their scent! I lifted my head to see if I could see them...I could not, so down my nose went furiously sniffing them out. We got to the street crossing, and my human thought I'd be thrown off from the oncoming traffic.

I wasn't deterred!! I wanted to go forward. So when the traffic eased up, off we went. I was tracking at a quick pace, looking up every now and then to see if I could spot them. All through the wooded path, and out to the sub-division where they lived. I made it all the way to their driveway! My human was very proud. So what do you think? Do I have what it takes?? Well she's investigating some clubs in our area. I'll keep you posted!

Spotlight Sport: Tracking


What is Tracking? A dog is "tracking" when he is following the scent trail left by a variety of sources, such as human being or other animal.

There are many forms and functions of tracking available for you and your dog to participate in. Hounds, Labs, Pointers and Retrievers track game, rescue dogs track people (either lost or from a disaster recovery site), police dogs track suspects and well trained pets can find lost items.

Many dogs and owners are involved in tracking for fun or as a sport (earning titles).

Check your local kennel club for more information and to find a local club near you.

Resources:
http://home.ntelos.net/~dtratnac/
http://www.bmdcc.ca/tracking.htm

[photo credit]