How to Train the Tracking Phase of Schutzhund

Schutzhund is one of the most complex canine sports. It is a combination of tracking, obedience and protection exercises that works not only a dog’s body but also his mind and spirit. The tracking phase of Schuzthund demands attention to detail, but with consistent work and practice, your dog can soon learn to follow any scent pattern you lay down.

Things You'll Need

• Tracking harness
• 6-foot lead
• 30-foot tracking lead
• Treats
• Marker flags
• Helper

Instructions

1. Start your puppy when he is young. Tracking is much easier to teach to a puppy that is well-associated with the idea from a young age than it is to attempt to teach an older dog. Pups as young as 12 weeks can begin tracking on a variety of surfaces with success.

2. Place your puppy in her tracking harness and attach the 6-foot lead to the back ring on the harness. The tracking harness allows your puppy to move and track in comfort without a collar pressing against her neck.

3. Take your puppy with you to the tracking field, and have her sit while a helper holds her. Walk a few feet away from your puppy and lay a scent pad. A scent pad is an area approximately 4 feet by 4 feet that you walk completely over. Lay a few treats down in the scent pad to encourage your puppy to put her nose down and take in your scent while she’s picking up the treats.

4. Retrieve your puppy and walk to the scent pad. Give her the command to track, and point down to the treats, allowing her to pick up all the treats and become familiar with the scent pad. Praise her well for picking up all of the treats and sniffing the scent pad, and return her to your helper.

5. Return to the scent pad, and again walk on it and drop a few treats down. This time, however, walk a few very clear, deliberate steps away from the scent pad in a straight line, dropping treats in each of the footprints. Mark your track with the marker flags so that you remember where it is and you don't steer the puppy in the wrong direction.

6. Allow your puppy to sniff the scent pad and pick up the treats to get her to pick up your scent. Direct your puppy toward the footprints and encourage her to follow the short track you laid, picking up the treats along the way. Offer the puppy praise for completing the track, and return the pup to the handler.

7. Continue training on these short tracks, increasing the distance of the track and decreasing the amount of treats along the track. Decreasing the amount of treats encourages the puppy to track for just your scent and not for the treats, so this switchover is vital to your pup’s tracking success. Switch your lead to the 30-foot tracking lead and allow your dog to venture out by herself to pick up the scent, which will give her courage and allow her to learn to track by herself confidently.

8. Add bends and curves to your track as your puppy gains confidence and performs straight tracks with no mistakes. Always mark the track with the flags to make sure you do not lose sight of where you laid the track. You will eventually remove the flags from your track to allow your puppy to follow the trail by scent only and not rely in the visual markers of the flags for guidance.

9. Train your dog frequently on tracking to assure he understands the tracking theory and is accurately following your scent from the ground and not sniffing it from the air. If he makes a mistake at any time, slow down and revert to an earlier step until he completes that step with no faults.

10. Vary the time of day you track and the kind of weather you track in. Schutzhund trials are often held rain or shine, and tracking your puppy in all types of weather and over all types of surfaces will ensure that you receive high scores in the tracking phase of Schuzthund trials.

Tips & Warnings

• Start your puppy tracking at a young age. The earlier you associate him with the idea of scent tracking, the more stable and confident he will become with steady training.

• Always encourage and praise your puppy. Tracking should be a fun exercise, and your pup should always enjoy herself while on the field.

• Never try and physically push your pup’s nose to the ground or force him to follow a scent. Negative reinforcement will make the tracking exercises a chore rather than a treat and will make for a poor or sluggish tracker.