TRAILING
AND TERRAIN
Article by
APCA Master Trainer Patrick T. Merritt
Over the years I have learned
that the ground on which I have trained my dogs is more
important than I first realized. During training, it is
essential that you select terrain carefully, regardless of the
dog’s level of experience, ranging from the green dog to the
advanced level dog. A second vital factor is the wind
conditions in which your terrain will be affected by. Ninety
(90) percent of your training will be conducted with the wind at
the handlers back. Dogs will be dogs in which they will exhibit
behaviors such as following rabbits, deer, and other dogs.
Through a step-by-step process, we will train the dog to pay
less attention to these distractions.
A dog learns to “flush” as a
puppy by watching his mother and other members of the pack. The
dog will never gain the ability to trail in the wild that we
will introduce to him as a police service dog. In order to do
this, we have to set our training areas so as to avoid these
initial problems, which I have mentioned. Our goal is to have
the dog focus on the trail before him. My preference as a
trainer is to start the beginning dog in a grass terrain,
consisting of a height of four (4) to six (6) inches, a medium
height. In addition, I also want my terrain to be level. This
terrain condition will assist the dog in putting his nose down,
without impairing his ability to find odor. A second point is
that there are few times that you are going to train in high
grass. However, one of these times will be after the dog is
proficient in low and medium grass height conditions. This high
grass training will be for the experience of following odor in
this setting. High grass forces the dog to place his nose high
and will erase his training to place his nose to the ground.
High grass is easier for the dog to follow as the scent is
located higher off the ground. The dog does not have to work as
hard to find odor, which he will prefer. This type training is
done when the dog is proficient in low grass and has learned how
to trail. Bad guys don’t care where their trails lead. We must
introduce all of these areas I have discussed to the dog and in
a regimented and timely basis.
Later I will make a
transition from medium height to low grass. Low grass causes
the dog to place his nose closer to the ground and work harder
on gaining the odor. The dog will use his experience learned in
medium grass terrains to work the lower grass heights. It is
important to note than when making the transition to lower
grass, the dog will not be as proficient in following odor
initially. Be patient and work straight leg tracks until the
dog begins to get the idea of what you are trying to teach him.
Once his “light bulb” turns on, you can then progressively move
into ninety (90) degree turns. Short grass will perfect the dog
and prepare him for advanced training terrains consisting of
dirt, gravel and hard pavement.
Wooded areas must be
introduced to the dog later in the trailing process. These
areas are introduced after the dog has learned to trail on grass
terrains and not before. Following a trail in the woods is just
as important in the training as following an odor in a field.
In wood terrains, the scent is high and better contained due to
the foliage and surrounding trees. This environment can be more
difficult for your training because of the numerous distractions
such as hills, creeks, animals and people. The dog needs these
distractions, but not until the dog understands trailing in the
field. In reality, training in wooded areas is distraction
training. Dogs may exhibit problems in trailing in these areas,
because of the distractions which exist and not because that the
scent is more difficult to follow.
Terrains composed of dirt and
gravel can be introduced to the dog in the early stages of
training, usually after he has learned to follow a straight
trail. Introducing a road crossing a dirt or gravel path, which
may be found in a field such as an access road, is the next
step. A straight leg trail can be layed across an access road.
The dog sees the dirt or gravel the first few times in which it
does not have to work very hard in crossing the road and into
the grass. However, you do have to insert t his into his
tracking picture and build onto it when you believe the dog is
ready to do this. Over time, you will be able to run longer and
longer trails down a dirt or gravel road.
The word “Pavement” is a bad
word for too many handlers. Why? Because it has presented
difficulty for them to train their dogs and be proficient in
doing. In order to succeed and be good in “Pavement” tracking,
you must understand three points, which are; Point One, The time
at which you introduce this type of terrain to your dog. Point
two, How you introduce it. Point three, Consistency in your
training.
Most handlers will attempt to
train on hard pavement for a short period and then become
discouraged because of the difficulty they experience with it.
Understanding the theory of scent will help overcome this
frustration. Scent lies on a road for a short period of time,
depending on the time of day and weather conditions at that
particular time. Scent on a roadway is very difficult to follow
and therefore should not be introduced to the dog until it has a
good foundation in his trailing abilities.
Following odor on pavement
takes not only training, but also experience. The dog only gets
this experience through following odor both on the street and in
training. It is important to introduce road crossings and short
easy trails along the roadway and work your way into the hard
pavement process. Do not expect your dog to pick up on this as
though it were grass. Most handlers approach and expect hard
pavement to go the same way in which grass and wooded areas were
learned. This is there downfall. A dog usually has three, four
or five years of experience before he can “get with the program”
with hard pavement training, and only if the handler continues
to be patient and work hard pavement with the dog both on the
street and in training.
