# hard surface track video



## sam haddad (Jun 7, 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35fGlw8nQwc&feature=player_detailpage


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## Phil Dodson (Apr 4, 2006)

What method did you use to teach him?


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## sam haddad (Jun 7, 2010)

Phil Dodson said:


> What method did you use to teach him?


i used the hitt system(hydration intencified tracking training) similar to scent in a bottle method. i used food in the begining and slowly removed it very similar to sch tracking. only thing i suggest doing tracking boxes on asphalt before starting strait lines many dogs especialy the ones i train have no food motivation so to over come this i only fed them in tracking boxes. if they are destracted or unintrested than i put them up. after a few days they start to focous. once they can focus through added destraction in the box i than start serpintines. this will save you alot of frustration time and back pain. nothing is worse than laying a track with food every 6 inches and the dog not even paying attention to it.


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## Bart Karmich (Jul 16, 2010)

Do you start training tracking on a soft surface and then do this or does the dog learn tracking like this from the beginning?


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## Phil Dodson (Apr 4, 2006)

Nice work!!


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

It must be me but I just don't get watching hard surface tracking or trailing videos. It looks like they're just taking a Sunday walk
meandering, circling etc. Then they find the decoy or the evidence and you figure they must have been following some scent trail.
I guess the results are what counts? I'll fast forward to the end next time ;-)


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## sam haddad (Jun 7, 2010)

Bart Karmich said:


> Do you start training tracking on a soft surface and then do this or does the dog learn tracking like this from the beginning?


 started on hard surface. the order is asphalt,concreet,gravel,dirt,grass.
tayzer-dog makes a video called tracking training hitt system with steve white. it shows you the bacics of the system


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## Bart Karmich (Jul 16, 2010)

This is brilliant. I don't know why I was so ignorant before but I tried this last night. Before my dog was totally disinterested in tracks. I knew he could smell the bloody tracks because he's got a stellar nose in detection, and hunting. Tracks were always a bore though. One sniff and he'd try anything else to find the quarry. So, old socks and distilled water in a pump sprayer, a big empty parking lot and I've got some super clean tracks to show him. Now I just add some hot dogs and bam! he looks like a freaking champion with his nose strapped to the ground. Of course I've not got the result in the video yet. I know I've got a lot of work to add surfaces, fade the waterborne scent, fade the food, and lengthen tracks... but I know we've really got a breakthrough in keeping the nose to the ground. If nothing else, I'm going to get a contract hoovering up parking lots at night.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Bart,

The old socks are old news (SIAB=scent in a bottle) Steve Whites newer idea is HITT (hydration intensified Tracking training) where you just use distilled water sprayed on the track.


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## Bart Karmich (Jul 16, 2010)

right I understand that just the distilled water alone is going to intensify the scent coming out of my shoes when I step, skin rafts and so on... that it works like an liquid adhesive for the scent and also provides vapor pressure as it evaporates.

What are the advantages of HITT versus scent in a bottle? Is it just that the track is more realistic? or are there other aspects of the system?


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Bart Karmich said:


> What are the advantages of HITT versus scent in a bottle? Is it just that the track is more realistic? or are there other aspects of the system?


It's simpler, no need to save your sweaty t-shirts. I'm guessing you hydrate the skin rafts etc and that's enough without spraying dilute sweat on the track?


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## sam haddad (Jun 7, 2010)

Bart Karmich said:


> right I understand that just the distilled water alone is going to intensify the scent coming out of my shoes when I step, skin rafts and so on... that it works like an liquid adhesive for the scent and also provides vapor pressure as it evaporates.
> 
> What are the advantages of HITT versus scent in a bottle? Is it just that the track is more realistic? or are there other aspects of the system?


time. and track layers. you dont need to worry about soaking a shirt in the h20 also if u train with a group of people the bottel can be used by any one because there is no oder in the bottle.

ex track layer A can only use the bottle with his scent. with hitts track layers A B C D ect can all share the same bottle.


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## Ariel Peldunas (Oct 18, 2008)

Looks good! 

Did you use any spray on this track at all? At a few points, it looked like there may have been spray on the ground but it was hard to tell for sure.

How are the other dogs doing?


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## Christopher Smith (Jun 20, 2008)

sam haddad said:


> time. and track layers. you dont need to worry about soaking a shirt in the h20 also if u train with a group of people the bottel can be used by any one because there is no oder in the bottle.
> 
> ex track layer A can only use the bottle with his scent. with hitts track layers A B C D ect can all share the same bottle.


Really? If it's really about the the spray bottles....

http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=-y8bUJ_NDsHtiwLmrIHwCw&ved=0CKoBEPMCMAk


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Christopher Smith said:


> Really? If it's really about the the spray bottles....


Hey there it looks like you found my sarcasm cape. I'd like it back please. [-o<


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

Christopher Smith said:


> Really? If it's really about the the spray bottles....
> 
> http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=-y8bUJ_NDsHtiwLmrIHwCw&ved=0CKoBEPMCMAk


HAHA you cannot do HITT with that spray bottle...that was funny though.. you need to at least spend 11 times that on a pump sprayer ... for 11 bucks..

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...ame=OutdoorTools&Supplies&sName=Sprayersmv=rr


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## sam haddad (Jun 7, 2010)

Ariel Peldunas said:


> Looks good!
> 
> Did you use any spray on this track at all? At a few points, it looked like there may have been spray on the ground but it was hard to tell for sure.
> 
> How are the other dogs doing?


yes there were places were i did spray generaly at surface changes or sharp turn i was antisipating the spray would dry before i ran the track i didnt wait long enough obviously. he has only bean tracking about 6 weeks now. i have ran tracks with out any spray at all and he is able to follow them but i want to get him sharper.


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## Bart Karmich (Jul 16, 2010)

sam haddad said:


> yes there were places were i did spray generaly at surface changes or sharp turn i was antisipating the spray would dry before i ran the track i didnt wait long enough obviously. he has only bean tracking about 6 weeks now. i have ran tracks with out any spray at all and he is able to follow them but i want to get him sharper.


 
How often do you train during the six weeks? I know you can't do that many tracks during a session, so I'm wondering more like how many times a day or days a week. My dog is still showing a lot of motivation for this. The food is what motivates him but he likes getting it this way, and wants to do it every day.


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## sam haddad (Jun 7, 2010)

Bart Karmich said:


> How often do you train during the six weeks? I know you can't do that many tracks during a session, so I'm wondering more like how many times a day or days a week. My dog is still showing a lot of motivation for this. The food is what motivates him but he likes getting it this way, and wants to do it every day.


i track every morning from 4:00 to 8:00 mon-fri each dog gets 2-3 tracks


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## Jim Duncan (Jan 19, 2009)

Hey Sam,
That dog looks great! I'm glad to see the HITT tracking is working out for you. The reason we add the scent artcle is to get the scent discrimination started right away. Then we move to the track layer leaving an article and move away form the water bottle. No doubt the hydration gets the dogs nose to ground and working the scent on asphalt and eliminates the problems that I have seen with dogs started in grass trying to cross roads and "sprinting" to the next patch of green. I have found dogs started in grass have a tougher transition to hard surfaces and dogs started on hard surfaces really excel at grass or vegatation when introduced to that later on. On the street we can use the drivers seat or steering wheel for the scent article after a suspect bails form a car in a pursuit for example. 

BTW, that Dutch Shepherd we got from you is doing very well. He is about 2 1/2 months into the school and progressing nicely. He should hit the street in the fall. If you want to come out and train again give me a call.

Jim


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## Ang Cangiano (Mar 2, 2007)

Did you ever have any trouble with the dog(s) started with HITT visually keying in on the water marks?

Ang


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## sam haddad (Jun 7, 2010)

yes all 3 dogs i have trained using this method look at the h20 line. the key is to slowly widen the spray in to a mist. eventualy the mist will get so light that it will dry up before you run the dog. this is done over a lot of tracks


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## Jim Duncan (Jan 19, 2009)

Ang Cangiano said:


> Did you ever have any trouble with the dog(s) started with HITT visually keying in on the water marks?
> 
> Ang


No, not really. You can see the dog work the odor, leave the hydrated area and "head snap" back as it casts. On asphalt, you and I will recognize the wet line for a brief time depending on time of day and temperature when looking down. A dog with his nose to the ground can only see about 12 to 15 inches in front of his face and will rely on his nose and not his eyes as he catches on. I know the dog has the concept when he "head snaps" and goes back to the odor. Similar to detection work and reading the dog. 

One thing we do is use heavily contaminated areas such as mall parking lots with vehicle traffic. Another advantge is not needing to find "pristine" training or tracking areas. The more traffic across the track the better, just don't get hit. 

On a hot day the water evaporates quickly on asphalt. On concrete the water is absorbed or evaporates almost immediately. Concrete is more difficult it seems than asphalt and that is the next progression. I'm in the south and it's hot, really flippin hot. You can spray concrete and watch the water disappear before your eyes on a hot day. As you progress you can widen the spray adding less water in a straight line and more of a fan or wider swatch.

Jim


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## John Simpson (Jul 17, 2011)

I'm guessing this is a Dutch trained dog & she would have been taught using the small article search as the 1st step to teach tracking?? 

Great focus & drive and a deep nose!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V9VVZGxV0k&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pibu7vqlWc
(Hard surface)


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