 |
 |
| Conference time - this is taken up with tracking news, hints and experiences |
On the road and footpath the dogs found the scent a little harder to trace. It may have been the number of other people walking along the road and cars emitting fumes. |
An afternoon tracking
with the Napier club
 |
| There is no game plan, as that would mean owners could coax their dogs in the right direction. |
THEY set off one afternoon in mid-December for a practice track.
The gathering point was the roadside, just opposite a convenient park and everyone talked tracking. There were four German shepherds, a kelpie, a Jack Russell terrier, a Border collie and two Siberian huskies. All breeds were very welcome to participate.
The woman who set the trail set off about half an hour before the rest and carried a bag of cloth scraps that she had handled and rubbed on her skin beforehand. About every 500 yards she would either hide, or leave in full view, one of the cloths for the dogs to find.
 |
| The dogs started out through the park, around the back and onto an adjoining park, where the trail led them back on to the roadside. |
They travelled in a line, and each time one had a 'find' it would be taken to the back of the line and the next dog moved up for its turn. One member of the club carried a shoulder bag - it was his turn to collect the pieces of cloth as they were 'found'.
The dogs definitely improved as the trail stretched out over the afternoon. They seemed to get into the feel of the game and to be more than willing to play. The dogs wore a harness - this was so that they could tell that now was the time for work. While they wore the harness they didn't play - plenty of time for that after the work was finished.
 |
| Perhaps tarseal is not good at holding scent. The dogs did still follow, even though the pace was rather slower than on the park sections of the track. |
But when it was their turn to track they were let out on a long lead so that they could go as far or as fast as they wanted to, and could sweep an area for the scent. The trail led the group along a mile or so of road and doubled back. Aha, I thought, we're on the way back home! How wrong I was!
Back through the park and along the strip behind the houses we went, and by this time the group's suspicions were growing. Then someone said "look!" and all eyes followed the pointing finger ... it was the woman who was laying the trail, and she was waving from where she took a brief rest among the tussock and bush about a kilometre away ... upwards!
I have to say that I didn't go more than the first 100 yards before deciding that I would wait at the bottom for them to get back. After all, I had no dog to train (but I did block out the lingering thought that the climb may use up a few grams of my unwanted kgs).
 |
| Down the hill and towards the road one had a 'find' that he was not about to share - the remains of a school child's lunch - luncheon sausage sandwich. It didn't last long enough for the owner to say 'no'! |
When I first detached from the group when they began their upward trail I confess I had felt a little guilty - I knew the walk would have been 'good for me' - but after waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting for them to arrive back I did manage to convince myself that the wait was rather less taxing than the walk would have been.
There are varied opinions on the training method, I found, with some believing that for the dogs to 'find' their target and then go on 'finding' the same target all afternoon was a rather pointless operation for them and did not encourage success. However, whether good or not so good, at least the dogs had a really fun day, they exercised their owners well, and enjoyed a maximum of socialising.
 |
|
It was almost dark by the time the group began to arrive back.
|
A social hour or four at one of the trackers' homes followed the outing. This was a time to contemplate, to examine what each dog (and owner) could have handled better and what aspects of the outing were positive. Ideas and opinions flowed freely, savouries were enjoyed and plans were made for the next outing. Altogether an enlightening day for me - and one where the truth about my lack of fitness hit home. |
