flags used by landscapers and irrigation companies (wire with a plastic
flag) or make your own out of bamboo poles or lightweight stakes with
colored tape tied to the top. I keep a range of flags in different
heights from 18” to 4’ for marking my tracks. You also need to be able
to give your dog a drink as needed. Always offer water after each
tracking session.
You also will need some tracking “articles”. Typically, most people use
cheap sets of cotton and leather gloves. You can also get small 4” to
6” squares of leather from a saddler, or just utilize old shoes, socks,
wallets, belts, etc. I rotate my articles and use metal, plastic, cloth and
leather to keep my dogs on their toes.
Maloo (Jumpin Joker's
Dideridoo) 4 years old.
Downing to indicate she has
found her article a leather
glove. Track was aged 2.5
hours.
Plus food for motivation/reward. There are many different ways to
train tracking, but food motivation is the easiest, quickest and most
reliable incentive! You will need soft food cut in small bits. Many
trainers initially use the dog’s daily meal for the reward at the end of
the track, making sure that it is something especially nice and tasty.
A multi-pocket vest or nail apron is a very handy tool, as well. You will
find that you need a lot of pockets to stash spare articles, food in
ZipLoc bags, water, a small notebook, etc.
Keep a small notebook and record each track you do. Include date,
time of day, conditions, temperature, wind, etc., as well as a diagram
of each track. I use a small can of baby powder to determine the wind
direction as it correlates with my tack.
Initially, I will use food a the start of a track to get the puppy or dog
going, as well as sporadically along the track, and then a big reward
on the article at the end of a track. If you have a “chow hound” he will
soon be dragging you down the track to find his reward/dinner!
As time goes, you will find your dog passing up the small bits of food
along the track and you will know that you can start phasing some of
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