TRACKING: Should you lay your own tracks?

Laying our own tracks in tracking can be a little contentious. But it's only a problem if we let it become one. When we lay our own tracks for dogs to follow in tracking, we are using an effective foundation method to give both us, and the dog time. Time to practise the core skills of tracking and time to understand the game in a way that is clear, repeatable, and motivating.

Research into the dogs ability to sniff and how they learn shows us that they have to process and work from really complex scent pictures all made up of lots of different elements. When we ask them to track especially at the beginning, our goal at this stage is not to increase the complexity even further, but to build a simple understanding of the game.

To do this for the beginner, we want to use a track that is interesting, that has value and one that is clearly recognised by the dog.

This is why laying your own tracks is a good choice at first. It provides your dog with something they already know and love, a familiar scent base to work from. This supports early success by keeping cognitive load low and learning contingencies clearer for them.

Finally, from a handler perspective, laying your own tracks gives you (usually) precise knowledge of where that track goes. It affords you the opportunity to watch, learn from, and accurately interpret your dog’s tracking behaviour. It means you can reward dogs when they show the right behaviours and change things up appropriately to help next time.

Used in this way, laying your own tracks is not a limitation, it is a sensible, stepping stone in the development of reliable tracking behaviour and skills. Once we have this behaviour, we can then start introducing other handler-laid tracks as training progresses. Once our dogs get something, they can readily transfer these skills so all we need to do is make sure any changes are gradual and systematic to help with progression.

So, can we lay our own tracks in tracking? YES we can! Especially in the early stages of tracking training.

Tracking sessions are available online with www.noseydogs.co.uk, with introductions alongside different Nosey Dogs Instructors, progressions and levels under the UK Tracking Dog Association, there is something for each dog and handler.