Jane Thanks very much.

Just always remember the correction in tracking is a tight line. A dog can only make a mistake as big as the line he has. So on corners, be fairly close. The dog makes a mistake, let him, as this is the only way a dog can learn to start problem solving. Tight line. All movement by handler must stop instantly as this creates the tight line. Pressure where the dog would have to pull.

The second the dog makes the right choice.

Loose line.

Reward will hopefully be shortly thereafter when a dog has had to make a decision as we want the reward to be there so dog is reinforced. With experienced dogs, reward is loose line but with learning dogs, as handlers, we just have to try and make mistakes by dogs as small as possible.

A handler can only do this if the handler knows exactly where the corner is.

On a track where a dog makes no mistake, it is not a learning track. But on the other hand, "feel good" tracks are beneficial to both handler and dog occasionally.

Everyone is happy - both handler and dog.

They are not learning tracks but they sure feel good

Jane

Hello once again

I am at the stage where my pupp dose a nice straight line track most of the time and will sometimes do a nice corner/curve loose lead.
Still using bait in every step
I can possibly see a problem starting to show where he will start off nice and slow then after maybe 30 steps starts to pull as if he is picking up the scent of the bait a couple of steps ahead.
Is it time to start making the tracks harder or some how do I get rid of the pulling completely. This pupp has strong food drive. The prong collar was slowing him down but now it's not as effective as before.
Thanks for help Brent

Still using bait in every step
I can possibly see a problem starting to show where he will start off nice and slow then after maybe 30 steps starts to pull as if he is picking up the scent of the bait a couple of steps ahead.
Is it time to start making the tracks harder or some how do I get rid of the pulling completely. This pupp has strong food drive. The prong collar was slowing him down but now it's not as effective as before.
Thanks for help Brent

Tension builds drive and if it does not bother the dog to pull against a prong, then it is the same as using as flat.

You have to figure out what is triggering him after 30 steps to change behaviour? If he was looking for every piece of food, and if you are using food in every step, he would be smelling the food at his feet compared to the food drops on the track.

If he starts slow, and then starts to rush, then you have to figure out what he is anticipating that is making him want to rush? Quite often, for dogs with extreme food drive, it is beneficial to do a very short, 20 foot practice track, food in every step and then have your real track about 20 paces away where the food is not every step, but mixed up so he might have to go 3 steps no food, then 5 steps, then 7 steps and you start mixing it up.

There are various things you could try. On dogs I have had who had this sort of behaviour you are describing, I would do several tracks - about 20 feet apart from each other like a I just described. I also fed this dog before I went tracking as she just was too hectic for the food.

Generally the more food you use, slows down the dog. But this is not always the case. You just have to experiment with your food drops and see what happens when you go a couple of paces no food.

You might want to try by laying tracks where you are starting to remove food from the track. So possibly just put 1 or 2 pieces of food on the scent pad, then try and go 3 steps, food, food, food, food, then 5 steps no food, then food, food then 3 steps no food. You don't want to lay the food drops in the same pattern and you want to start removing food from all of the steps. If he is getting fairly good at the articles, it would be worth while to do one track, articles every 15 paces, and see if he will indicate at the articles.

But if he is just too crazy over food - and there are dogs like this - sometimes you might even have to try feeding him half his breakfast first before you start. I have only seen 2 Rottweilers who I would actually suggest feeding before tracking. Generally, you have to make them more hungry.

You just have to try and figure out why exactly the dog starts ok, then starts to pull. Something is triggering the dog to do this. You might even start by food on the scent pad, then 10 steps, 5 step corner, article 2 steps after the cover. Your dog might be in a rush to get to the end.

Jane

Hi Jane
A couple of things you suggested I was thinking of trying.
My next track will most probably be Friday I think I will do a hundred step track straight ,put a larger amount of food in scent pad than normal, a few pieces leading out then larger drops at 30 steps 60 steps 90 steps,then a few pieces to round off the 100 mark, I mark the end of the track with a verbal yes ,pull some hotdog out of my pocket and feed. If this makes the dog hectic then I will just stop the track early.

One thing that amazes me is when a stray cat walks down my concrete drive and how easy the dog tracks the cat by sniffing the concrete,yet tracking with food causes a lot of us problems. I find this all very interesting.
Thanks for help Brent
Also at what stage would you give a correction for pulling on the track.

Also at what stage would you give a correction for pulling on the track.

Correction in tracking is a tight line. Otherwise the line is steady but not tight.

You have to figure out why he is pulling - ie why he does not want to spend more time at the start flag and what is making him start to pull as he gets into the track compared to settling.

Jane