Most people think of tracking with their dog as being out in a field or fields and woods. There are two tracking events that use fields and woods: a TD (Tracking Dog) test is held in a grassy field; a TDX (Tracking Dog Excellent) is held in fields and woods. Yet there is a whole other world of tracking that many people know little about – urban tracking.
AKC offers two titles in urban tracking; an introductory title, TDU (Tracking Dog Urban) and an advanced title, a VST (Variable Surface Tracker). These tests are held at college campuses, schools, business parks, and other urban areas that offer a mix of pavement, grass, buildings, and other non-vegetative surfaces such as the infield of a baseball field or bark mulch.
The thing I like best about urban tracking is that there are so many areas available to train. So, if you enjoy tracking, you can really extend your range of possible sites to practice by doing some urban tracking. A few weeks ago, we spent a wonderful weekend teaching dogs to track in the City of Rockland- nice views, good food, and fun tracking opportunities. By including urban tracking in your training, you can still track when grass in the fields is too high and needs to be mowed or if it is not the time of the year you want to be in the woods. By teaching urban tracking, you and your dog can track almost all year long. Keep your tracking gear in your car and put out a small track when you run an errand. Opportunities are all around us.
In tracking, we are teaching the dog to follow the human scent the dog is shown at the start. In urban tests, there are no physical obstacles. The rules state, “the level of physical difficulty should be such that it will permit all AKC breeds and handlers of any age to participate. Ordinary stair steps are not considered to be an obstacle.”
AKC tracking tests verify the dog’s ability to recognize and follow human scent while adapting to changing scenting conditions. The test is designed to be as practical as possible. The team of handler and dog working in tracking is a wonderful thing to watch. The dog is the only one who can detect the scent. The handler must learn to understand what the dog is communicating and trust the dog. The handler is there to understand and support the dog’s work. Few dog sports require the understanding, patience, and teamwork necessary over an extended period of time that is demonstrated by successful tracking teams.
Even if you have no desire to enter a test with your dog, teaching your dog a new skill in which the dog gets to use its nose and hunting instinct can be very satisfying to most dogs. Tracking is also a sport that you can do with an older dog and will enrich its time spent with you as well as engage its mind.
Would you like to see what tracking is all about? There are several tracking events coming up in the next few months: an urban test in April and another in June; a tracking instinct experience a morning in May; a field tracking test (TDX) in May and a Beginners Tracking workshop in June – all put on by On Track Agility Club of Maine. WATCH the Downeast Dog News Calendar for dates!
Carolyn Fuhrer has earned over 130 AKC titles with her Golden Retrievers, including 4 Champion Tracker titles. Carolyn is the owner of North Star Dog Training School in Somerville, Maine. She has been teaching people to understand their dogs for over 30 years. She is also an AKC Tracking Judge. You can contact her with questions, suggestions, and ideas for her column by e-mailing carolyn@northstardogschool.com.
