This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, June 2013 issue.
AKC Tracking is a non-competitive sport wherein dogs follow human scent on a blind track that can be up to five hours old. The Rottweiler excels at tracking, being one of the top three dogs with advanced tracking-dog titles. There are three levels of titles that may be earned on a pass/fail basis, including TD, TDX, and VST. Each level has a prescribed length of track, number of turns, and required personal articles of the track layer, which must be found by the dog. Tracking is judged by two judges and involves a two-day event. It is one of the most land-intensive and labor-intensive events offered by AKC. Tracking involves the training of an individual dog to follow a specified human scent from start to finish on a regulation track. A close personal bond is developed over months of training and tracking between dog and handler, which must work as a team.
The handler is thus required to “read” their dog’s posture to indicate a loss of scent or other changes in scenting conditions along the track. Passing rates for the various titles are roughly 50% for TD, 33% for TDX, and 8% to 9% for VST. Tracking is one of the most rewarding activities involving a one-on-one relationship between handler and dog in a non-scored event. It is generally best to start a puppy training for tracking as soon as you can find a harness small enough for them! Many introduce their dogs to tracking with the use of food, though in some cases toy- or article-motivated dogs are best trained using those items.
Some even hide personal effects (or themselves) at the end of a short training track to motivate young dogs to search. There are many factors involved in training a tracking dog, but patience is the key. As with many competitive events, tracking cannot be rushed during the learning stages. Once a dog learns to associate following a specified “smell” at a start flag, it is then a matter of adding time and distance. This also includes adding difficulty—such as obstacles (creeks, tree lines, changes of cover) or in urban settings working in closer proximity to buildings and on various surfaces such as asphalt, cement, gravel, mulch, and even wood decking.
Dogs may begin competing at age six months with many dogs not earning their variable surface title until later in life. The ultimate culmination in earning all three titles is to add the designation Champion Tracker. A “CT” is essentially the “Holy Grail” of tracking dogs in AKC competition. As indicated by the passing rates for some of these events, this rewarding activity has great meaning to the handler and dog teams that are able to persevere through patience and training. We encourage you to get out there and track with your Rottweilers by contacting a local tracking club or judge for assistance. Any further specific questions may be directed to my attention at [email protected]
