In addition to Tally's Good Citizen course I have started doing some baby tracks with her. If I have a bad day it is easy for me to do, and the mental, (or should that be nasal), exercise is stimulating for her. At present she is just tracking my scent on a pre-laid line of about 30 yards, ending with a change of direction to a planted food reward after 5 - 10 yards. Last week I saw an advert for Trailing on Facebook and decided to give that a try. It uses the traditional harness and a line of no less than 7 metres, but Trailing differs from Tracking as it relies on a greater range of scent sources - airborne and from the disturbance of shrubs etc., as well as that lying on the ground. As the new starter Tally went first, and was given two very easy short trails. The body scent of the person was presented on a wooden tongue depressor, and she set off to trail. Her target person rewarded her with the contents of the treat pot when she located them. Tally was then put in the car to rest while the other two members of the group worked, and I had a turn at becoming the target for one of them. After her break, Tally was given her first real trail, I'm not sure of the length - maybe 100 yards or so - but it was along a public pathway, then turning off into a wooded area. I was pleased how methodical she was, only rarely air-scenting, and in the main keeping her nose to the ground - probably because of the baby tracks I have been teaching her. She slept really deeply all afternoon. We both really enjoyed it, and will definitely be going again soon.
I love it! She is so lucky to have found you and you her! It's amazing how well they can track and trail. My dad did tracking with his first akita. He would catch the scent on plants in the creek when the target would cross it trying to hide their scent. And I remember being dragged out of bed at 5 am to be that target who had to go walk through a cold and damp field... Years ago, I had flown to Ottawa and when I was in line at customs, a drug sniffing beagle came through to do her rounds. She passed me by without a look, then turned and sniffed my pants just above my knee, then walked away. I made the mistake of saying "that's where my cat was sitting before I left home". The handler made it very clear that the dog was NOT sniffing cat butt on my leg. But the dog and I knew the truth - cat butt scent was worth that sniff!
It is a great feeling watching dogs do what comes so naturally to them. The airport Beagles in Australia, Canada and the U.S. all retire with amazing records for detection. Over here Springer Spaniels seem to be the favoured breed for scent work.. I have a little idea that, if Tally turned out to be good enough, maybe we could help to search for some of the hundreds of dogs which become lost each year. I don't think I could cope with rough terrain though. Maybe in my next life.
Our next session is booked for April 11th - which was the earliest date that wasn't fully booked! I just hope I don't get called for my other hip replacement before then. I have a pre-admission assessment on Friday but I am much fitter these days and can cope with most things pretty well. Will have to see what they think.
I haven't been keeping this thread up to date, but as it might be of interest to anyone who is thinking of starting to trail with their dog, I'll add an update from time to time. Yesterday's session was in the area around an urban public park. It amazes me that dogs are able to trail when the area has so many other contaminating scents of people, dogs, and even a cafe - however, they all seem to cope. Our first trail was a human one. Tally took the scent from a strip of metal strapping on a fence and, (barring an attempted deviation up the steps to the cafe), she followed the trail through a section of the floral area and into an area to the rear of the pavilion. I was looking straight ahead and hadn't noticed a narrow opening to the left, but Tally had no hesitation in jumping up the steps and locating her person! We are all told to bring sealed reward pots - something special that is only used for this purpose. This pot is given to the 'lost' person, so she is the one who rewards the dog. (In Tally's case it is a tinned sardine in tomato sauce). After resting Tally in the car, we had the chance to carry out a pet search for the first time. Tally took the scent from the dog's well-licked treat pot, and set off fairly strongly along the edge of a large sports field. Dog scent must be stronger than human scent as there were no checks and her speed was faster. I called back to our trainer, 'I just hope she's right', 'Just keep going', was her reply. Our missing dog was located on the far side of the Sports Centre building, but the finish is different when trailing a pet. The dog is not approached very closely, as in a real life situation it might take fresh flight due to fear, or see your approaching dog as a threat and attack it. Because of this, the handler rewards their own dog at the end of a pet trail. With Tally back in the car I had the chance to follow another working partnership and compare our handling methods. Then Tally and I became 'lost' for one of the others in the group - hiding in a bench recess in the ornamental gardens. The weather was little showery, but we all had a good morning. I would recommend this sport as it is suitable for almost all types of dog. In yesterday's group there were two hounds, a min poodle, an amazing 15 year old Border Terrier that looked about 7, and a small bully type which had been blind from birth. The distances were varied but all of them were able to carry out their trails. After her lunch, Tally spent the entire afternoon snoring. A few stills from Tally's (Wo)Mantrail.
That cafe was just too appealing - sometimes it's tough being a beagle. Do you think she stayed on the pet trail better because there was food connected to the scent? Maybe she was expecting that other treat at the end of the search rather than the dog? Back when I was working, our canine ranger teams did a trial in our warehouse. I had by chance brought my RV with me and had it parked inside. As we were watching the dogs work, I had a sudden thought that my RV would throw them off due to the strong dog scents, etc. But they don't search by scent. They are searching for someone trying to avoid arrest, so they are using their eyes and brains to find a person who is not where they should be - their nose is only checking if someone is currently in a potential hiding spot. I was used to trailing or scent tracking as my dad had done it with his first akita, but I never really saw a police dog search in action (other than the usual attack the guy with the protective sleeve). It was fascinating to watch the dogs visually searching what they identify as possible hiding spaces. They did circle my RV checking if someone was inside, under, or on top of it.
I did wonder about this as the empty pot would retain some food scent, but there again I was carrying her reward pot in my pocket. Our trainer thinks that dog scent is stronger as they are putting four scented feet on the trail, plus there will be residual body scent from skin dander and oil. Most of the dogs do not often put their noses down when trailing, but Tally has been taught to track, (albeit only my scent), so it is noticeable that her nose is usually close to the ground. I feel less confident when trailing than tracking as it feels more instinctive than methodical. Also, competition tracks are usually laid on earth, and to a pattern of straight lines and angles, while trails are often on tarmac or concrete, and follow a looser direction. The mysteries of scent are fascinating. So many different varieties of scentwork, and all are trained using different methods. Our dogs must be laughing at us.
The most staggering scenting demo that I have seen was a Merseyside cadaver search dog and his handler. The dog was in a police van when the handler planted a human tooth in a tiny gap in the cement bond between the bricks of a village hall, about two feet above the ground. He released his dog, (a Springer Spaniel), who took about a minute to scan the car park and locate the tooth!
We had a scenting demo when we were at college. It was hilarious as the dog made a beeline for one of the students and was adamant that was where the drugs were He wasn't far off the mark as the student had made sure to empty the canabis out of his pockets before going down to the hall. He got a blasting from the principle not the less
There are one or two amusing videos on social media, posted by people who have re-homed retired police dogs. It can be quite embarrassing when your dog suddenly attaches itself to a passing stranger - or to his luggage!
I still love the Canadian sniffer beagle at the Ottawa airport - he walked past me without a glance, then turned back to sniff a spot just above my knee, and then turned back to continue down the line. That was the exact spot my cat's butt had been parked right before I left for the flight. I made the mistake of telling the dog "I know, it's impossible to pass up a good cat butt scent". The handler got bentall out of shape because his dog did NOT return to sniff cat scent. I shut my mouth and gave that dog a knowing smile as if to say "silly handler, never underestimate the lure of cat butt!"
Oh thank you Toed. Everything feels very still here tonight, and nobody to lick my stir-fry pan! I'm going to miss her. Tal was unplaced at both her shows this weekend. Although she has lost quite a bit of weight she did look podgy next to the others in her classes. Ah well, a medicated bath at 5am, then an hour's drive to the hospital. I should be the first one down to the theatre.
I’m happy for you that this day has finally come. I hope all goes smoothly and that in a few months you’ll be racing Tally!!
Thank you all. I got home at 5.30 - the traffic was a nightmare at that time and the ambulance was delivering three of us to different areas. I am very sore and very sleepy. I'm sure they discharge patients too quickly these days - and I believe there are no support visits now. I had to contort myself to get the tv to work - it goes into a peculiar lockdown if it is switched off for longer than a day. Move the set over, switch the plug on/off/on, and down on the floor to manually reset the skybox. That certainly didn't help with the hip strain.. Anyway everything is done now and with a bit of rest, I should heal quickly.
I'm glad to hear most things went well (darn tvs!). In no time, you'll be moving without pain so Tally can connive treats from you.
