H.O.T. Dog Club Tracking

Austin, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi on the beautiful fall day
that he passed his Tracking Dog test!

Well, your dog might not be ready for a job with the police department, but there must be something he can do! There is -- he can be trained to track.

The purpose of tracking is to demonstrate the dog's ability to recognize and follow human scent. It shows the willingness and enjoyment of the dog at its work.

With a little hard work and consistent training any purebred over the age of 6 months, can be entered in American Kennel Club Tracking events and earn AKC Tracking titles. This includes spayed females and neutered males. Additionally, mixed-breed dogs can earn equivalent tracking titles through the American Mixed Breed Obedience Registry (AMBOR).

Kenyon, a 5-month old German Shorthaired
Pointer who's been tracking for 6 weeks.

Zoe, a Parson Russel Terrier,
has an energetic style of working through cover.

Short or tall, all dogs are potential trackers. Tracking is a great outdoor activity for young, canine athletes as well as older dogs or retired show dogs. There are three levels designed to test a dog's ability to track.

Robin, a German Shorthaired Pointer,
searches for one of the four articles on her track.

Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) tracks are three to five hours old and 800 to 1,000 yards long. The test is designed to show that the dog possess the stamina, perseverance and courage to track under a wide variety of conditions. The track has five to seven turns, and the dog must find four personal, dissimilar articles, about the size of a glove or wallet.

TDX test tracks have two sets of cross tracks, laid by two individuals, other than the original tracklayer, showing that the dog has the ability to discriminate scent.

In addition, the track has two obstacles to challenge the dog and handler by showing the dog's ability to adapt to changing scent conditions, the dogs ability to continue scenting while overcoming physical obstacles and the dogs ability to continue scenting under difficult and varied handling conditions.

A VST dog has demonstrated its ability to follow a three to five hour old track 600 to 800 yards over a minimum of three different surfaces including two areas devoid of vegetation such as concrete, asphalt, gravel, dirt or mulch. The dog must find four dissimilar, common, everyday items which can be easily carried by the tracklayer and safely picked up by the dog.

Sunni, a Golden Retriever, works across a dry, open field.

Even if your dog never earns a tracking title, it is a wonderful way to get some exercise while spending the day with your dog and fellow enthusiasts who love to watch dogs use their natural talents!