dturm wrote:
Congrats!! Do you get called out frequently to use the tracker ability??
Search and Rescue is a big step above what we do, both for the dogs and the handlers. The handlers have to have a good understanding of how the environment and conditions effect scent and get their dog in the right position use their noses.
The tracking we do could be a stepping stone toward being a search and rescue team. But we got into tracking because it is something that 10-week old puppies can start. Its a chance to really engage with the dogs at young age.
That's Breeze at 10 weeks.
Although Razz started at 10 weeks, at around 5 months we had to stop for more than 6 months; she suffered panosteitis. Razz is two, Breeze earned her TD at 8 months and had her TDX (much higher level of tracking) before she was two.
Practical uses. One of our friends lost her cellphone while hiking in the woods. The next day, Cricket, one of our goldens from days past, followed her route through the woods and alerted on the phone.
Five winters ago, I was laying a track for a dog that was learning to track in woods. When I got back to the cars, I didn't have my car keys. In this case, I knew the route I had taken and just turned Breeze loose and told her to "find it." In quick order, she was sitting by my keys.
Tom
2015 Meridian 36M
2006 CR-V toad
3 golden retrievers (Breeze, Jinks, Razz)
1 border collie (Boogie)