Train Your Dog to Track

Hunters and police are among the most likely people to be training tracking dogs, but more and more regular dog owners are enjoying tracking competitions with their dogs. Schutzhund dog clubs and some kennel clubs hold tracking competitions for club members. If tracking is something you'd like to train your dog to do, you can practice with your dog at to get him started. Some people even train their dogs to track their children, just in case they need to find them in a hurry. Given some training, dogs can utilize their incredible sense of smell to find whatever you teach them to.

To get started with training tracking to your dog, just use the following four steps.

• To get going, first pick out your dog's very favorite toy. It is not important if it is a ball or a chew toy-so long as he just loves to play with it. The first step is to teach your pet word association. Make sure the toy is visible and in the same room with you. For example, if a ball is his favorite toy, you will play with him and the ball, repeating often the word ball. The dog will soon understand what the word ball means through your frequent repetitions. By doing this, each time you say ball, your dog will start looking to get his ball and bring it to you for a play session. When he brings you his ball, give him tons of praise and a reward. Using this positive reinforcement will really speed up the training process. Repeat this step many times until your pet is very good at the word association game.

• After your dog has learned the word association part very well, the next step is putting the toy into another room. You should say ball (for example), and he should start looking around for the ball. Although he can't see it, you will notice that he begins to sniff for the toy. Your dog should be able to follow his nose as he searches for his toy. You should follow him and be there to give him a bunch of praise as soon as he does find the toy. Keep repeating this exercise until your dog is an expert at finding his ball. The praise and rewards he gets for finding his ball quickly really keep his motivation level high. Repeat the training by hiding the toy in various places, until your dog can located the hidden item no matter where you are putting it.

• Once your dog is an expert at finding the toy, you are ready for the next step of the training. To get started, wash all the old scents off of his favorite ball or toy. Take the clean ball and wrap it up in an item of clothing that your child has already worn, like a t-shirt or a sock-so that the ball can absorb the odors of your son or daughter. Let the ball acquire the odor of the clothing, and then play the ball game with your pet. Now, your dog learns to find his favorite ball by following the new scent-your child's.

• Now you are ready the next step. This part will be fun for all of you. Instead of hiding his ball, ask your son or daughter to hide in a different room. Tell your dog to search for his ball-as he sniffs for his ball, he is actually sniffing around looking for your child's scent. Stay close to him so that you can give him plenty of praise and rewards the moment he finds your child. Be sure to make a fun game of the searching and your pet will show you how eager he is to search and find what you want him to. You should continue the training by having your child hide out further away to test your dog's ability to track over distances.

With this simple tracking training it won't be long before you can send your dog after your child if they are late for dinner, or need to do some homework. The tracking training is a lot of fun for both you and your dog, so give it a try. If you find that you and your dog really enjoy the tracking, there are Kennel Clubs, and Schutzhund Clubs that hold tracking competitions.