yikes, one more question!! I may have mentioned I was thinking about adopting a sheltie mix, the thing is I want to do a lot of tracking work too just for fun, but this is the absolute first time I've ever seen a sheltie actually do it... Obviously Gio has proven this breed can track... Any quick insights you could give me regarding this breed and tracking work would be greatly appreciated!
@allistairave Gio took to tracking really quickly, actually, and I have done very little to "train" him. Just practice and repetition. My second Sheltie, Romeo, just started nose work, and he is proving to be a natural at air scenting. His first instinct is to follow scents in the air, while Gio is a "nose to the ground" kind of guy. The trick with Shelties and tracking is that the handler should interfere as little as possible.
@allistairave Ran out of room on the previous post, so here is a continued one. Shelties are VERY handler focused, and with tracking you want them to work on their own without deferring back to you. They need to trust their nose and not fall back on the handler for verification. So keep your mouth closed, and encourage very calmly and quietly only when needed. Let them do the work ... the handler just holds the lead and calmly helps them along without any direct input.
just marvelous! Wonderful to see a sheltie like that in action. When you mention his physical limitations, what are you refering to exactly? His small sheltie size? I've often wondered how a sheltie would take to tracking, I'm very happy to see how well yours has done. Any recent ventures?
@allistairave Gio is actually VERY large for the breed. Sheltie standard says 14-16" at the withers, Gio stands around 20". He also has epilepsy, thyroid problems, and just general structural issues that make his hind end quite weak. He is a marvelous dog, and my heart dog definitely, but he was unfortunate enough to come from a lady that SHOULD NOT have been breeding her dogs. No testing, no certifications, nothing.
If he is just running around being goofy (and there are no balls, toys, food, or other dogs around) then his nose does tend to drop to the ground. But when the tracking harness and line are on, he knows there is something to smell! I've trained it so that when I snap the line from his collar to his harness, it means work. If he has his harness on, but the line is hooked to his collar, then he is "off duty".
yikes, one more question!! I may have mentioned I was thinking about adopting a sheltie mix, the thing is I want to do a lot of tracking work too just for fun, but this is the absolute first time I've ever seen a sheltie actually do it... Obviously Gio has proven this breed can track... Any quick insights you could give me regarding this breed and tracking work would be greatly appreciated!
allistairave 1 year ago
@allistairave Gio took to tracking really quickly, actually, and I have done very little to "train" him. Just practice and repetition. My second Sheltie, Romeo, just started nose work, and he is proving to be a natural at air scenting. His first instinct is to follow scents in the air, while Gio is a "nose to the ground" kind of guy. The trick with Shelties and tracking is that the handler should interfere as little as possible.
SheltieHair 1 year ago
@allistairave Ran out of room on the previous post, so here is a continued one. Shelties are VERY handler focused, and with tracking you want them to work on their own without deferring back to you. They need to trust their nose and not fall back on the handler for verification. So keep your mouth closed, and encourage very calmly and quietly only when needed. Let them do the work ... the handler just holds the lead and calmly helps them along without any direct input.
SheltieHair 1 year ago
just marvelous! Wonderful to see a sheltie like that in action. When you mention his physical limitations, what are you refering to exactly? His small sheltie size? I've often wondered how a sheltie would take to tracking, I'm very happy to see how well yours has done. Any recent ventures?
allistairave 1 year ago
@allistairave Gio is actually VERY large for the breed. Sheltie standard says 14-16" at the withers, Gio stands around 20". He also has epilepsy, thyroid problems, and just general structural issues that make his hind end quite weak. He is a marvelous dog, and my heart dog definitely, but he was unfortunate enough to come from a lady that SHOULD NOT have been breeding her dogs. No testing, no certifications, nothing.
SheltieHair 1 year ago
So cool, great job!
Does Gio automatically know to start tracking, or does he only do so when he has his tracking harness/leash on?
WinnietheCorgi 2 years ago
If he is just running around being goofy (and there are no balls, toys, food, or other dogs around) then his nose does tend to drop to the ground. But when the tracking harness and line are on, he knows there is something to smell! I've trained it so that when I snap the line from his collar to his harness, it means work. If he has his harness on, but the line is hooked to his collar, then he is "off duty".
SheltieHair 2 years ago