Online Tracking Articles and Videos

The main function of this blog is to list various online tracking articles and videos.  I'm working with my youngest dog, and I'm basically going it alone, since there is no one within an hour's drive who does tracking.  I have no intentions of competing, so I'm not really interested in deep nose or footstep tracking.  At the same time, I am trying to get my dog to understand that I want him to pay some attention to what's on the ground.

A continual source of frustration has been finding online information.  There are lists of sites out there, but most of them are old and link back to sites no longer available.  This is where you can be of assistance to me in maintaining this site.  If one of my links no longer works, let me know by leaving a comment.  Also, feel free to post links I have not yet found in the comment section.

Now for the links:
(list begun 02/06/2016; last updated 09/26/2016)

Beginning a New Tracking Dog by Anne Copeland.  How to begin in less than 1,000 words!

Tracking Through Drive by Duke Ferguson.  An 18-minute video of a dog trained in tracking through drive tracking a group of kids.

Tracking Thru Drive by Ed Frawley.  A 128-page PDF.  An interesting contrast between foot-step tracking and tracking through drive.  Be warned, Mr. Fawley is a man of strong opinions.

The Start is the Most Difficult Part by Deborah Palman.  Observations and suggestions for maximizing the beginning of a search.  The article is aimed at police K9 handlers and SAR folks, but it is an interesting read. 

How Scent and Air Flow Work - a blog post with illustrations about the effects of air flow and temperature.

Tracking, Day 1 - This video demonstrates how to lay out the starting box and use it to build value for footprints.  On the first day, you place about 25 small treats in the starting box.  On each subsequent day, you decrease the number of treats by one until you are down to just two or three treats in the one meter square starting box.  Additonal tips:  vary the location of your starting box and the types of treats you use; after day 5, instead of just tossing the treats on top of the grass, push them down toward the ground.


Dutch Shepherd Tracking Step 1 and Dutch Shepherd Tracking Step 2 - Two short videos (less than 5 minutes each) that demonstrate a different technique to use food to teach the dog there is value in footsteps.

Dog Tracking Exercise - Lincolnshire, England - An interesting video.  Hopefully, when the dog is ready for deployment, he won't be so focused on tracking that he fails to acknowledge what the air might be telling him.  (The "suspect" doubles back and is across the road near the starting point.)