Scent Discrimination / Contamination training for trailing dogs
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My introduction of teaching a trailing dog how to scent discriminate occurs in this exercise with true cross tracks. All of my tracks are flagged. Understand to do this cleanly, I feel that these tracks should be under an hour old in good trailing scent conditions so we can be confident that the demands that we are putting on a green dog are reasonable and clearly understood. If done on older tracks in less than favorable scent conditions— the dog is not wrong for veering away from the track because there absolutely is scent away from the track and certainly may not be more present on the track if older. On hot tracks I can ensure that in good scent conditions that the dog can acknowledge track odor present and follow it for the most part, so that’s where this is taught at first. I like to run clean perpendicular cross tracks (even have my cross trackers double back if need be) this is because when my trailing dog hits that clear line of another person’s tracks (whose tracks are half the age of my subject’s tracks; therefore potentially more inviting to follow) the behavior change should be pronounced. I can “ask my dog the question” after committing 5-15 feet down the contaminator’s track. If and when the dog gives me a negative upon asking or on its own I’ll then cast the dog back from where we came into the subject’s track. This will help pattern the dog to do this when in these situations. When the dog recommits to the subject’s track and appears confident then “ask the question” again and give praise as the dog digs into the track. Merging and veering off contamination training is more advanced because by that time I want the dog to have tightened up its decision-making process on a cross track that just comes and goes rather than comes, stays, then goes.
My second exercise occurs at the start of the track. I have three people all head in different directions, one of them being my subject. I’ll then line handle and “ask the question” and follow through with those procedures as necessary. This is a clean start, again— where the dog can continue on understanding a confusing job.
Practicing negative area starts are really important! This makes your dog that much more reliable and can satisfy a lot of handler insecurity. Set up a track with someone who is NOT your subject. Your subject should not have been in this area for at least two weeks to be on the safe side. This exercise enables you to try to teach your dog NOT to jump trail and to “ask the question” when they go to take the bait track. I would only do this for 5 minutes or so until the dog seems to ignore or pull itself off the bait tracks more easily and quickly. Then you can increase the number of bait tracks and the time up to 10 minutes. I really would not push the dog in this exercise any longer than that. Once satisfied with that go make your dog happy by putting it up in the truck—driving down the road a mile and giving it an easy quarter mile straight let trail to do that’s no terribly old.
Scent discrimination can get real interesting with this exercise. Start off with three people, one of them being your subject. The subject leaves first, then 15-30 minutes after the subject leaves the contaminators go out on their routes. After the first 100 yards— one contaminator continues to go straight, where the subject made a 90 degree turn. The second contaminator makes a 90 degree turn where the subject did and on the second leg after 100 yards— the second contaminator makes another 90 degree turn, which will run parallel with the first contaminator’s track. The subject’s trail should continue to go straight for at least a quarter mile to get into a real clean easy territory for a nice finish in mind.
This is an exercise that is natural in an urban environment but I believe that a wilderness environment creates a slightly different mentality in dogs when it comes to scent discriminating. I feel that my dog hones in on her subject out of many human odors in an urban environment and just continues in that highly focused thinking mindset. Whereas I have seen many dogs besides my own take much more interest in another set of tracks in the wilderness because it is a hotter track. I think the hot track is unanticipated and a pleasant surprise to many of them. If they were in the wild they would be trailing deer and if they were on an hour old deer trail and came across a 15 minute old deer trail which one do you think the wolf would take?! This is where tracking/trailing because artificial. So remember that when teaching your dog. All of these exercises must be laid out as cleanly as possible to get the foundational education in prior to a large variety within these exercises. In this exercise the dog often will first look at anyone just to get the toy. This is where some people like to teach an indication with their trailing dog.
I feel that this is one of the more challenging wilderness scent discrimination exercises. When the dog is on trail of some old scent and working well and hard and then there is a lone person/contaminator standing near the track up wind of where the dog is— the dog usually will take interest due to hot human scent. I would “ask the question” multiple times and sternly if needed to try to get the dog to recommit to trailing. You’ll also get a visual distraction out of this once you get within sight of this person. Just keep on working and stick to good handling practices. Make sure that the dog trails about a one-third mile before and after the distraction.
***This text and diagrams may not be used or reproduced with out the author’s permission. This text and diagrams are copyrighted material.
