Beginning training of a Trailing Dog

[mhpdmhpd]

Great vid, I am a vet k-9 handler and currently in Iraq with a explosives K-9. I love to see a dog with his noes to the ground. Cute puppy and seems to be on his way.

[K9EMT]

@mhpdmhpd

Thanks!

Unfortunately, Argus trained for 2yrs before he started to show pain in his hips, so I got him checked. He had very bad ones and I pulled him from training. Check out more videos from recently with my new pup!

[mynameisxena]

Thank you for posting this! We are getting a puppy soon I hope to teach to track. I had no idea where to even begin, as although I am an experienced Show, Agility and Obedience trainer, Tracking is all new to me. Excellent vid!

[K9EMT]

Hope this was easy enough to follow. There are MANY training disciplines out there. This one is reward based.

Hope you find one that suits you!

[K9EMT]

So, if you're dog likes tennis balls, rope tugs, happy voices and praise, then that is your reward, but it's hard to start a puppy out on tennis balls or ear scratches in each footstep, so we use something all dogs like: Food. It's simple and easy to eat, swallow and move on to the next one. Then later in the training phase, we can switch the final reward with whatever the dog shows interest in like tugs and balls.

[K9EMT]

In answer to you question: Yes, we are teaching them to search for hot dogs. Or whatever the reward is. Dogs have to have a reward after a behavior to understand the GET the reward when the behavior if performed. Otherwise they will not do it again.

[K9EMT]

This is only done a few times and then we only place food in every other step...every third step, every fifth...every tenth... this continues until the only reward they are getting is at the end of the trail and they are showing consistent use of their nose ON the ground actively looking for the human scent, leading them to the scent source,...our victim.

[K9EMT]

As puppies they are learning. We put the hot dog, chicken, turkey, kibble whatever the dog is interested in INTO the step as we lay the trail. Then as the dog looks for it's reward (the tiny bit of food in the footstep) it has to also smell the human scent.

[freoboy]

Why use food? If your training is done correctly then you do not need to use food.

Are we teaching the dog to track for food or human scent?

[K9EMT]

Good question.

I assume you have some experience in Trailing or at least training a dog?

First off let me make a clarification as to the type of training shown here. Many places call it different things. This is how I learned it and it makes the most sense:

Airscent: Off lead, nose in the air, looking for scent drifting on the wind thru the environment.

Tracking: On lead, Law Enforcement style, step by step using live scent and crushed vegetation to follow scent.

[K9EMT]

Trailing: Mixture of Tracking and Airscent, still on lead, following the victim's scent trail, not neccessarily directly ON the footsteps, but following where the scent drifted and came to rest.

Either way, here's how it works:

To begin a dog for looking for human scent by trailing, you use something that draws his nose to the ground. Most dogs will naturally go from air to ground for the scent they seek. Not all the time do they automatically know right where to put that nose tho.

[dfb1951]

@K9EMT Trailing is not a mixture of tracking and air scent it is very different in many ways. Also trailing can be done off lead as well.

[K9EMT]

@dfb1951

Handlers disagree all the time based on their interpretations of what another handler is saying. Nose down, or nose up, a dog is still as scent detector. "Tracking" as I've heard it described is nose down, in the track of the layer himself, sniffing human scent as well as environmental changes of dirt displacement and plant decomp. "Air Scent" is detecting scent blowing on the wind. Both Trailing and AS use the air and ground to detect that scent. Hence it is a mix of the two. 

[Trigger51506]

This dog is not trailing he is foot step tracking. Trailing dogs do not put their face on the ground.

[K9EMT]

Thanks for comment! However, your interpretation is not fully accurate.

Trailing consists of the dog searching for scent on the ground as well as in the air. This is from what I've learned anyway.

We all have different methods of learning as well as training. Don't let yourself think that yours is the only correct answer until you have considered all other opinions.

Thanks for your opinion tho.

[K9EMT]

Oh. By the way. These were the first trails this dog had done. The first where is is so small and fuzzy, was his very first. Small bits of hot dogs were used in each foot step to facilitate the trailing. Later on, the reward was moved to the victim who waited with a handful to reward him. This then switched to a ball and then a tug. After successfully working upto a workable distance and age on his trails, he has now been switched to Airscenting. Videos to follow.

[mollyclendon]

Very interesting, but missed some text against the background.