Tracking ticks all the boxes
If you asked your dog what he wanted to do today, the answer would be tracking!
Quite simply because it ticks so many boxes: mental enrichment, physical outlet, and time with you to name a few.
While humans experience the world visually, dogs are olfactory creatures and their smell is an important sense to them. The part of a dogs’ brain that processes scents detected by their noses is approximately 40 times larger than in humans, relative to total brain size.
Therefore, engaging this part of the dogs’ brain for tracking is both mentally and physically stimulating!
The activity is suitable for any age or breed of dog. Once you have a strong relationship with your dog, you can start with a 12-week-old puppy, right up to a dog in their senior years.
Being introduced to different environments and articles to track means it's a great way to enrich and build confidence in mobile individuals such as puppies, rescues, frustrated, anxious or reactive dogs by allowing them to gather information about the world around them.
Additionally, handlers experience benefits too. This type of training gives you the opportunity to slow down, be present and enjoy some quality time outdoors with your dog as you are mindful of environmental factors such as the wind, weather and site of the tracks you will be laying.
So, what is tracking training?
When you train a dog to track, you are teaching them to follow a unique ground scent of the track you introduce them to when you say “Seek on”.
This scent will have been left by a target, which is often human footsteps but could be an animal.
This skill can be applied to working trial search squares or even search and rescue scenarios such as Bringsel style training.
Tracking contrasts to trailing where the dog uses air scenting more than a ground track, or detection where a dog searches an area or people for a target scent.
Your Tracking Journey
- I train handlers the three core skills of tracking, article work and indication separately, making sure each is well understood, before combining them.
- Meeting in person you will receive accountability and support to start your tracking journey, use various terrain and be able to train on tracks laid by others, as well as yourself.
How Individual Training Sessions Work
| Step 1: Initial Consultation | Step 2: Regular Sessions |
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Before we meet in person, you'll need to book an initial consultation. The onboarding form will ask a few more questions than when booking a regular session to help me tailor the session to your needs and create a personalised plan. During these sessions, we will start working on exercises toward your training goals. Book Now |
Working with me on an individual basis, you can expect to meet regularly for in-person sessions focusing on your goals and progress at your own pace. Taking a clear and friendly approach, I give you a plan to get you from "A to B" in simple progressive layers with plenty to practice in between and am on hand to answer any questions should you need it. Book Now |
If after reading through you still have questions, please do get in touch. Either, fill out the contact form here. Or, book a quick call to discuss your dog, training needs and services available to help you on your training journey.
Want to work together?
You can check my availability and book online by selecting one of the options the orange buttons on this page take you to.
Note: If you see the message "No appointments are available this month" on the booking page, this is because appointments are fully booked.
The calendar runs 45 days in advance so either check back again soon or I have a waiting list so please do get in touch using the contact form outlining your availability to be added & I will message you if there are any cancellations or dates added.
