Reading the dog when it indicates loss of track or a change in direction

In Schutzhund II and III tracking tests, the track is not laid by the handler, but by a tracklayer designated by the hosting club. In spite of this, the handler will sometimes have a sketchy idea of where his track goes. Sometimes he will even be able to see footprints. However, quite frequently in competition the handler will not have the faintest idea where the track leads–whether the first turn is to the left or the right, whether the second leg is 100 yards long or 300, etc.

This does not mean that the handler cannot do anything to help his dog. On the contrary, how he chooses to follow the dog will make all the difference in terms of whether or not the animal commits itself to the track. For example, when the dog is having trouble on a turn, the first thing that it will do is indicate loss of track. Then it will begin to cast about for the new direction of the track. If the dog moves off uncertainly in the wrong direction, showing in every line of its body that it is making a guess, and the handler blithely steps off after it, the handler will soon find himself being taken for a walk. On the other hand, if the dog commits itself confidently and surely to the correct direction, but the handler refuses to budge–stops it with the line because he lacks trust in his dog or is unable to read the animal’s indication that it has found the track–then the animal will quickly decide that it must have been wrong, that the track must lie in the other direction. This will not only result in failure of the track, but it will also harm the dog’s track sureness and confidence in its ability. Therefore, it is vital that the handler be able to read his dog, that he have the ability to see unmistakably when the animal is on the track and also to recognize when it is lost.

During training for turns, the handler should take notice during each practice session of how his dog indicates loss of the track. The most common indicators are: tail raised or wagged, nose and head elevated suddenly, obvious confusion or circling, etc. When he returns to his vehicle after a training session, the handler should make written notes in a tracking journal about how the dog made its indications of loss of track or changes in direction. These observations will become essential when the animal begins working unknown tracks and the handler must rely entirely on his dog’s capabilities in order to get it through to the end of the track.