# Tracking, Handling errors



## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Anyone want to critique, offer any advice on my handling? Anything is welcome, I'm not sensitive. We track on a tight line with me trying to pace things. Lean back is a simple enough concept, but I still struggle sometimes. I wasnt prepared at all for what he did on the articles this morning. I don't know if he just didnt want down in the ice, but the second article was almost like he wanted to avoid it, not missing it. Thanks in advance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEqjBqwZlFA


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

OK you asked for it...why are you NOT using the FULL length of the line. IMO if you are this close to the dog, the dog NEEDS you as a support for any mistake that might take place. I'm not a big tracking fan, having said that, I would use the full line unless there was a reason the video didn't mention.


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## Lori Gallo (May 16, 2011)

Beg to differ Howard. I tend to stay very close when starting out. That way I know where the corners are, I can prevent mistakes and work on the behavior before lengthening the line.

I'm not to fond of harnesses either. I use a fur saver under the front leg.


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

Ok the drive is there, no question about it. Next most important item is control on pace and articles.

The pace you can dictate by reducing tension on line (dog will get insecure and slow down) then you tighten the tension and regulate as needed so you are moving at your pace not the dog's.

This will improve article indication also, as now the dog is playing you and you are playing along. Stop, do nothing for 15 seconds and focus on him calming down before making all kinds of movements trying to reward him and contain him from thrashing about. Just stop do nothing till he settles. He will learn quick what is required of him (or not) to get the reward.

The track is very visible yet he casts due to being hectic, slow down. Dog is good, keep track less stomped in make him think, give him time, take a deep breath, slow down. He has the potential to V tracking.


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## Doug Zaga (Mar 28, 2010)

Hi Steve,


I assume IPO tracking? If so, couple of questions. 
Why are you using opposition reflex for tracking? Almost appears his speed on the track is due to the tight line and in the beginning his speed makes him look slightly hectic.
Article indication...dog is breaking the down looks like you reward him for it and you are repositioning him, why?
I will share one thing my TD is always all over me when my dog breaks Platz while tracking...HE is not solid in platz yet work it off the track til it is solid once it is turn up the heat on the track. Heat for me because the leash/collar/prong is too personal for him.l


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

Doug Zaga said:


> Hi Steve,
> 
> 
> I assume IPO tracking? If so, couple of questions.
> ...


so you turn up the heating pad or use use your curling iron?


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## Doug Zaga (Mar 28, 2010)

Joby Becker said:


> so you turn up the heating pad or use use your curling iron?


In this weather....heating blanket :razz:


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

That will be one good tracking dog. His urgence to go forward could come from your holding his line tight although his drive pushes him forward. He is like mine and I found a way to slow him down. I taught him to "slow down" while walking him until I knew he checked the command. Afterwards, the command used on the track, it didn't come over as a punishment.

Speed has to be throttled at some point. Not many dogs can work out a track *accurately* at speed. Those that like to have the dog on a taught line pulling for all its worth will one day revise their tracking plans, maybe.

The taught line is ok for beginners (dogs) especially those who lack tracking drive, but afterwards a loose line should be used to ensure the dog is not disturbed by the influence of the handler - taught line can, must not, convey handler's anxiety "has the dog found the track properly or not".


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

The pace, thats where I struggle for sure Faisal. The articles, that I just completely cluster******. I've been working articles twice a week Doug. That just completely surprised me. The biggest issue with the articles has been the restart, he wants to launch right out of the platz. havent had a problem with him holding it though.

Its not that I'm trying to use opposition reflex Doug, at the right pace, the hectic goes down and he's pretty commited and accurate. On a completely loose line, he's all over the place. Its this balancing act of just the right influence from me vs too much of me. With the collar under the leg Lori, he tends to end up sideways, probably from my handling, but he's better on the harness. Thanks for the observations, I appreciate it.


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

One way to work on jumping the re-start is to drop a few pieces of food down as you pick up the article, as he is eating give the track command and hold him on the food till finished.

On the track pace 2 items worked for me,

1. Slow him down on baited footsteps with tension on line and a command like "eeaassyy" then let up tension as he eats.
2. Modulate line tension, loosen it up on him, he gets surprised and insecure and slows down. Before he does anything stupid, tighten up the tension so he gets going normally. Keep modulating smoothly till the best combination is achieved.


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Thanks Faisal. I'm going to try that tomorrow morning.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Put the line on the dead ring of a fur saver or both rings of a prong if he's a puller. Line under the front leg or better IMO under both legs so pressure forces the head down into the track instead of away and off the track. Do as separate article only track for awhile. 10-20 articles 5 paces apart. The dog has a nice deep nose and a nice rhythm from side to side. Just needs some fine tuning. Don't get stuck in one position behind the dog, move up and down the line.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Seems like a *really* nice dog, with good drive, deep nose, vacuums each footstep. I also track with a tight line, I want my dog in drive and the line is how I communicate with the dog on the track, not a fan of loose line tracking, but to each his own, personal preference, what's best for the dog in question, potato - potaaaato, yada yada yada, right?! 

I like to track with plow lines attached to the pinch or the fursaver (live or dead ring depending), because I like the control the collar affords me, but many people prefer to track with a harness. 

On the 2nd article, he was a little behind? I wouldn't move the article, I would tap on the article and have the dog move up to the article. On restarts, I might be a little bit more insistent that he platz and settle before restarting, I wait to give the restart command until I am standing up all the way, and my dog is settled and looking forward to where the next footstep is, you want the head to pop down into that next footstep. 

I never reward from my hand when tracking, I want all rewards to come from the track, but that's just me. Again, many paths up the mountain.


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

On the second article, he went right over it Susan, so I pulled him back. Then it was like he was refusing to indicate it. When he downed, it was under his chest. I really wasnt sure what to do, especially after the first article.

The articles only tracks Thomas, thats all I've been doing for a couple of months. Maybe though, the harness isnt right. Tomorrow I'll put the line on his collar and run it under both legs. I tried a boetcher once, but didnt really like it. 

I do need to go a little slower, you're right Gillian. That pace I need is a lot easier with the TD walking along with me and telling me. Thanks you guys.


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

thanks steve..

I just might try to track again..

all the compliments you are getting has boosted my confidence some..not implying that they are undeserved in any way shape or form..but I could use a shot in the arm..


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

It helps me to know where I have placed the articles, so that when my dog comes up to the article, if he starts to overshoot it, or maybe is too slow to down, I can correct him, and conversely if he downs to early, I can move him up by tapping on the article, and saying "such".


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

I can't even blame it on that Susan. I had them lined up with that sign, the second one directly accross from the first. No complements for ME Joby. I'm the problem.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Steve Strom said:


> I can't even blame it on that Susan. I had them lined up with that sign, the second one directly accross from the first. No complements for ME Joby. I'm the problem.


Hey don't beat yourself up, you've obviously done a lot right. By the way I took the liberty of watching your retrieve over the hurdle and heeling videos sooooo nice!!! You're no slouch.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

If you can see the articles or are sure you know where they are then Stop and don't let him go past it. Wait a couple of seconds for him to figure out there's an article there. If he doesn't figure it out then give a verbal reminder to platz. Only if that fails would I give a physical correction.


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## Steve Burger (Jan 2, 2009)

In addition to what others have said, you could add some serpentine tracks. For launching, you could use more articles, put a big one that is visible out 6 or 7 paces. Put a tiny one not visible 3 paces out. Give him a correction if he goes over the tiny one. My TD will sometimes use a penny or piece of thread as this kind of article....I'm not quite there (weill maybe a penny).


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## Timothy Saunders (Mar 12, 2009)

I would take the ball off of the end of the track. if he likes the ball more than food ,he is pulling you to get this thing(tracking) over so I can get my reward. I would also go back to the basics . food in every foot step small pieces so he has to look,steps closer together and also the leash under the leg.


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Maybe this should go to the tracking section. 

The way I have controlled speed is with "S" turns and value baits in the track. Again, I'm not a fan of tracking but lots of great stuff has been posted here. The rewared is the article and not the food from your hand. Looking at the handler takes the focus from the job...tracking. Deep cast I see and like. Back to basics is something I would do.

The saying here,"Life is full of shortcuts, take enough and you have FAILURE."


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

Steve Strom said:


> I can't even blame it on that Susan. I had them lined up with that sign, the second one directly accross from the first. No complements for ME Joby. I'm the problem.


the people are almost always the problem with a good dog.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Sometimes it can be a mistake to force the dog to indicate an article. How can you know he has sniffed it out or, due to too many or heavy corrections, has a conflict and is ignoring it. If the dog is tracking well and walks over an article as if it weren't there, I treat it as such. Sometimes an article can be placed in a slight "hole" and the dog doesn't get its scent. If he hasn't "sniffed it out" himself you are virtually telling him where it is and teaching him to lean on you.

There's so much more to tracking apart from speed, corrections, articles, etc. It involves wind, climate, time of day, whether near to the forest (game), heat rising at the end of the warm day, and, and, and.

Susan, your idea of communicating with the line confuses me. I try to use the line as little as possible and like a loose line. Ideally, when the dog has worked out hundreds of tracks successfully you should be able to follow it blindfold. The dog should lead YOU to the end of the track and not the other way round. 

Steve, a long line on an inexperienced dog is not ideal. At first we start off with the line held short so that it cannot turn round - if it misses a bit of kibble, hard on it. The way is forward. I also gained confidence from walking next to our instructor and telling me when to react and when not.

Later, as the dog gains confidence and experience, we give it more line but I have rarely seen anyone in training using the full length - usually it's up to 6 m.


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Here's todays track. 4 balls buried, prong collar, leash under the leg. I didnt put it under both because I couldnt figure out a way to do it calm and smooth. Again, he wouldnt hold the down. Frozen ground? Maybe he just wants to get away from me, I'm not sure. More and more I seem to be working against him in this.

He's not inexperienced. He's 3, we've run hundreds of tracks at this point. I can't exactly explain the tight line thing Gillian, but if I let go of the line the obedience of step to step goes away. Its more like searching at that point. What I can't let him do, but what I can't seem to avoid, is letting him hit the end of the line. I have to keep the even tension, and I can't always manage to coordinate that. Do you guy's have a term for Clod?

The toys on the track we're a way of doing what you mentioned Steve, a lot of them buried every few feet in the beginning helped with the launching and kept his interest in the track. Thinking about that, thats may be a good place to step back too. Maybe thats where I 'm rushing. Keep working the articles separate and use the toys and serpentines to slow him down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tyeh6neWKE

Thanks too, Howard, Timothy. Everyone.


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## Donna DeYoung (Jan 29, 2010)

I like how he tracks footstep to footstep and obviously has the drive for tracking. He is too fast and needs to be worked on pinch. I would work on articles separately. He's way too hectic and toys look like they are making it worse - w all the chewing, possessing them, etc.. I think you spend too much time at each article.

My TD tells us to stay right at the tip of the dog's tail. That way we can help correct if he goes off course, which is back feet anywhere off the track. 

I also have a high drive dog and had TD watch yesterday. It was the calmest track my dog had ever done, but TD still described him as hectic. He said to make my pieces of food much smaller, in order to make the dog work harder to find them in the track.


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## Donna DeYoung (Jan 29, 2010)

also, my TD noticed my footsteps were too wide apart. I should be keeping my feet much narrower and drag my steps - to make more like a single line so he "gets" that there is one line to track, not really two. This could help w/ the casting.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Gillian Schuler;366402
Susan said:


> Hi Gillian, As I said, I don't like loose lead tracking, I like a dog who tracks in drive, (though of course, not a hectic dog), I track with a taunt line, and I communicate with the dog through the line, but my dog moves me down the track, not the other way around, that's not what I mean when I say I communicate with the dog through the line. The manner in which I drop my line at articles (maybe a slight hesitation, or maybe "drop it like it's hot"  ), things I can do on restarts and the way I let the line move through my hands, etc., there are many subtle ways to communicate through the line. And the blindfold thing is fun, teaches you to have confidence in the dog, but I feel better blindfolded and following my dog with a taunt line, I think I might zig when the dog zags or maybe get lost and make a left when my dog makes a right if I were to try and follow blidnfolded on no line or a slack line.:lol:


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## Steve Burger (Jan 2, 2009)

Gillian Schuler said:


> . If the dog is tracking well and walks over an article as if it weren't there, I treat it as such. Sometimes an article can be placed in a slight "hole" and the dog doesn't get its scent. If he hasn't "sniffed it out" himself you are virtually telling him where it is and teaching him to lean on you.
> 
> .


 This dog is not there yet, but I don't think a dog who is careful is going to be missing an article because of it being "in a hole". I once watched Lance tracking and the dog indicated a piece of lint that had fallen out of his pocket. A good, well trained dog, can indicate something as small as a piece of thread. I agree with everything else.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Gillian Schuler said:


> Sometimes it can be a mistake to force the dog to indicate an article. How can you know he has sniffed it out or, due to too many or heavy corrections, has a conflict and is ignoring it. If the dog is tracking well and walks over an article as if it weren't there, I treat it as such. Sometimes an article can be placed in a slight "hole" and the dog doesn't get its scent. If he hasn't "sniffed it out" himself you are virtually telling him where it is and teaching him to lean on you.
> .


I disagree. If my adult dog starts to walk over an article I correct him sharply, and have yet to have a dog who later depends on me to find the articles for him. Just as in forced tracking I have seen many dogs who were forced trained find the articles and follow the track and end up with high scores because force teaches them they must, while dogs who were trained with motivational only methods quit when it gets too difficult because they can.
different strokes, different paths!


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## Daniel Lybbert (Nov 23, 2010)

how do you force a dog to track?


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## Donna DeYoung (Jan 29, 2010)

the first time I laid an article within a track line (a few weeks ago) , my dog passed it over because he was more interested in "tracking". So next time I was prepared and gave him a correction w/ prong collar and the command to platz. Since then he has been indicating altho I still give a quiet "platz" and also leave some food beneath the article. He knows the 'find it" game and will platz/indicate a thrown article over and over with only the "find it" command.

To me its an ob exercise. I've seen others have problems bec they only use motivational and will not correct for dog not platzing at the article. and the dog basically gives them the finger every time.


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## Lisa Radcliffe (Jun 9, 2011)

Steve Strom said:


> Anyone want to critique, offer any advice on my handling? Anything is welcome, I'm not sensitive. We track on a tight line with me trying to pace things. Lean back is a simple enough concept, but I still struggle sometimes. I wasnt prepared at all for what he did on the articles this morning. I don't know if he just didnt want down in the ice, but the second article was almost like he wanted to avoid it, not missing it. Thanks in advance.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEqjBqwZlFA


Thanks for sharing the video I watched a few of your other ones too, very nice dog! nice drive and also hunt drive for the ball in the "searching video for ball" One of the things I know is a good dog can smell his ball at a long distance, like they smell a helper hiding in the woods the track in the video is not very long so he could already smell his ball at the end of the track? he has nice drive and I disaggree with the statement about a "loose line" every dog has their own natural working speed and no points off for that anyway. I agree with Susan's statement "my dog leads me down the track" if it where me I would only use the ball in OB for rewards and do artical tracks a lot with lots of rewards coming very fast with indications. I would not put a lot of stress on your dog with corrections right now but fix a few things first. Too much stress on the track will set you back with a good dog like this. Good luck!


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

steve, thanks for sharing these videos...

cant help with the tracking but I did read a couple times about the frozen ground thing, how is the dog just playing around or doing OB on the frozen ground? maybe do lots of long downs and other platzing on it, outside of the tracking. if you think that might be part of the issue...just a suggestion. forgive me if you already are doing this...


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

Well, it wasnt the cold Joby. Lol. I think I created this. The video Lisa mentioned may just be the problem. I just started doing that stuff with him a week ago. I've done similar stuff, but on completely different types of places and surfaces. The grass is just like what I normally track on.

Thanks for all the replies, a lot of good reminders to keep me from rushing ahead making more mistakes.


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## Elaine Matthys (May 18, 2008)

I don't know, I'm no expert in tracking and pretty much hate doing it, but I couldn't have a ball on the track with my dog. It became his total focus to find it and he was very hectic until he got there. 

I was wondering what all you were doing at the beginning of the track? It seemed like you were messing around a lot with him getting him ready and then started the track immediately. Maybe you could get him ready away from the track and then heel him up to the start, like you would have to do at a trial anyway, and then start him calmly? I have my line between both front and back legs and do it from a stand just by lifting the back leg, and then heel him to the start. 

How is he with food on the track? My dog was too fast also and I switched to having stretches of food in every step and then stretches of no food. It made my dog slow down to find the food in every step and if he missed any, I was right there to calmly point it out to him. If there are times where you know he's too fast or needs help, that's where the stretches of food should be, like right after the articles.

I put my dog on both rings of a prong collar which helped a lot also.

I'm the only one I know of that rewards at the articles with a ball. I had extremely bad training help in the beginning and moving to a ball reward at the articles was something I had to do to fix some of the initial damage done by it. I have to say, my dog would walk through fire for his ball and he never misses an article. That said, my current youngster will learn articles a different way.

You have a nice dog that just needs a bit of help to get him back on track.


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## Lori Gallo (May 16, 2011)

I had really great success with a ball reward on the track. I've seen people bury them on the track so I tried it. Not so good.
He went from a deep nose to trying to air scent for the disturbed earth from burying it.
I didn't realize what was happening at first but for one particular track I laid the ball was not that far to our right on the track, buried. The track took two right turns, then the ball, but he airscented and looked to the right and lost all focus at that point because he knew where the ball was buried. Going back to rewarding at the articles worked....


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## Elaine Matthys (May 18, 2008)

Lori Gallo said:


> I had really great success with a ball reward on the track. I've seen people bury them on the track so I tried it. Not so good.
> He went from a deep nose to trying to air scent for the disturbed earth from burying it.
> I didn't realize what was happening at first but for one particular track I laid the ball was not that far to our right on the track, buried. The track took two right turns, then the ball, but he airscented and looked to the right and lost all focus at that point because he knew where the ball was buried. Going back to rewarding at the articles worked....


What you are describing is exactly what my dog would do if there was a ball on his track and why I quit doing it.

Do you give the ball you are carrying to your dog at the articles? That's what I do and then put him back in place in a down and restart him. Not what I would recommend to others, but that's what works for this dog. Most folks that I know give food rewards at the articles, but they stay in a down.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I bury the balls, works great for my adult male dog. As a matter of fact, I originally heard about it from Frank Phillips on this thread, and I do it just as he says; 

http://www.workingdogforum.com/vBulletin/f14/teaching-schutzhund-tracking-ball-4984/


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## Lori Gallo (May 16, 2011)

I was pretty much doing it like frank describes, using a bulb planter etc.

He just has a nose for that turned earth and struggles to contain himself. Too much stimulation for him at this point. Maybe later on, but not now.
What has worked the best for this puppy (high drive, loves to track) is to 
reward with a ball to tug, for a brief minute then re-start at a sit position or down position. I vary the re-starts because he was jumping out of the down...

His articles have been textbook.


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## Lisa McKay (Nov 30, 2009)

Thank you for sharing your video, I have really enjoyed reading all the feedback and you have a nice dog!!

I am by no means a tracking expert but i got some good advice from a Joanne Plumb seminar a few years back that helped me slow down a fast tracker.

Your video doesn't show your approach to the flag..does he drag you up to it? One thing i was taught from Joanne is to keep the dog "contained" and not let it pull you to the flag. I guess this is supposed to help "set the tone"? At the time my dog was young (a little over a year) so she had suggested to use food while approaching the flag to help keep her near me and her drive contained. Not sure about a dog yours age though..she is also very big on loose lead tracking (opposition reflex). How long did you try with a loose lead?

Other suggestions i heard her offer to several of the people there were to bait the track heavily and not just in one part of the footprint (prior i had always put it in the toe), mix it up or even put pieces in the toe and heel or even in the center of the step (all 3 places in the beginning) and to use small pieces of bait. I think by scattering the bait over the entire area of the footprint and later randomizing where in the step you put it, helps to get the dog to spend more time on each step? She also told some of the handlers to only feed the dog on the track and no other time until they got the results they were after, I guess so the food on the track holds more value and therefore becomes more instrumental in developing good technique?

She is also big on doing "scent pads" before ever starting an actual track. I believe she said to do 100 of them and can be done with young pups for their meals. I guess the idea is to help teach the dog to search the ground in front of them rather than teaching them right off the bat to race forward for the reward.

I wonder if the ball is making him more hectic because he is excited to find it? Do you put a ball at the end of the track (sorry, i didn''t watch your video right to the end)? One thing i learned is that if a dog is rushing, don't promote it by putting a high value item at the end, be it a toy or large food pile. The biggest reward should be whats on the track itself, not whats at the end.

Personally, i don't like harnesses and would probably go with a prong if i were you. 

As far as the articles, how long have you been doing them? Does the dog understand them yet and just giving you the finger? If he hasn't done that many and you want to continue putting them on the track, then maybe help the dog for a while by saying platz when you get to one and if he doesn't platz then give him a light correction down? You don't have to rip his head off but helping him with a command, then a light correction after if he doesn't go down will probably make things more clear..Joanne has a totally different way of doing articles but i had problems being successful with her method without guidance from her so i just do it my own way rather trying to copy her from afar and make a bigger problem.

Again no expert, but a few things i have learned over the years that have helped me and Joanne's advice was some of the best I got. When i attended her seminar you could clearly see the difference between her club members and dogs and those who were attending from other clubs. None of the dogs in her club raced down the track and they all had really nice technique. Most of the rest were going fast and lacked technique. Take my post for what it's worth and good luck with you and your dog!


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## Steve Strom (May 25, 2008)

I definately need to work on how we start. Chaos has been doing articles for at least two years, in fact for the last couple months all we've done is 20 yard tracks with 6-7 articles. All that hectic breaking of the position is new. Completely caught me off guard and I didnt handle any of it well.

Chaos has to track in drive like this, slower, yes, but he needs the intense focus from burying balls on the track. Without that, he can't keep his head down. What I've always been able to do is let him just posses it for a bit, out him, roll it to him again, and he would calmly maintain the straight position for it.

This is from today. No toys on the track, food in containers under the articles, partially buried. The plow lines and trying (maybe not successfully) handling the lines like Faisal said, seemed to help me. A couple times I lost the track, there was a lot of footsteps out there, and I was actually keeping him from the track. Handler error, but he recovered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYY6N12aywI

Thanks again to all of you, for all the replies.


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## Elaine Matthys (May 18, 2008)

Is the only place you are putting food is at the articles? How is he being rewarded for going slower on the track itself? Do you put food in your steps? How does he do then?


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## Steve Burger (Jan 2, 2009)

I have been taught it is a mistake to place a reward such as a tub of food at the end of the track if you want a dog to maintain a good/moderate speed. It is the journey not the destination. The same goes for laying out a straight track during foundation work. 

To take it farther I have been taught that the end of the track is usually not the end of the track. The main disadvantage I see in the video is that where you are tracking does not lend itself to laying out a long, long track that gives you the luxury of stopping say 100 to 200 yards ahead of the end of the track you laid. The track should ideally be ended once you have achieved what you set out to accomplish on the day you laid the track and to be sure to end it on a good note.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

I think it is very difficult to reach a conclusion about how to track on the internet.

Steve, regarding a dog walking over articles, I was, as so often, in the scoring office and had to give in the results for a dog in the tracking phase: tracking excellent - articles indicated "nil". This can be due to stress, climatic conditions, terrain, etc.

That Lance Collins' dogs don't walk over articles does not surprise me!

I still wonder why no one mentions the climate, heat, cold, frost (with sun shining on it afterwards). There have been many International Trials where excellent dogs have failed, often due to the varying weather conditions prevailing for each dog, even though they were all excellently trained. Some dogs entered the track in the early morning before the sun came up, some tracked later when the conditions were not so stable and some tracked even later where the conditions had stabilised.

I remember gaining the necessary points for IPO at the Swiss Championship when my trainer said " Gill, don't enter, the tracking terrain is something your dog has not encountered as yet."

Needless to say, with that dog obedience and protection could have gained 90+ but the tracking would have let us down probably. Who knows?


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## Steve Burger (Jan 2, 2009)

Gillian Schuler said:


> I think it is very difficult to reach a conclusion about how to track on the internet.
> 
> Steve, regarding a dog walking over articles, I was, as so often, in the scoring office and had to give in the results for a dog in the tracking phase: tracking excellent - articles indicated "nil". This can be due to stress, climatic conditions, terrain, etc.
> 
> ...


 I have seen Lance have a dog walk over an article, in a trial as well as I think fail one time in an early spring trial. Rare but it happened, dogs are not machines (well even machines can fail).


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Dogs are not machines because nature is not a machinery.


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