Mapping and remembering tracks

Before he even begins to lay a track, the tracklayer surveys the ground available to him and, keeping the dog’s ability and stage of training in mind, he picks landmarks and sketches out in his mind the path he will walk. He does not simply begin to lay the track and hope to find landmarks along the way at about the right places and the right distances for the dog’s ability. Instead, he plans his legs and turns in advance so that they will be recognizable and distinct and conform to the dog’s level of expertise.

As he walks the track, he may or may not mark his path with tracking stakes or flags, depending upon the length and difficulty of the track and also the availability of landmarks. It is always best to use as few flags as possible, because the dog soon learns their significance and uses them to help it navigate instead of relying entirely upon its nose. For the same reason, the tracklayer should be a little subtle in his use of flags. For example, rather than marking all his turns with one flag right at the apex of the turn, he should instead use two. He places one well before the turn, and one well after, with a small clump of grass or an anthill marking the exact location of the turn itself. Otherwise the dog will soon begin to make a turn anytime it encounters a flag.

Color‑coded clothespins or pieces of ribbon can also be used to mark the track by clipping or hanging them in the vegetation, but only if the vegetation is well up off the ground. Because these markers are impregnated with the tracklayer’s scent they are essentially articles, and if they are merely dropped on the ground or hung in the grass, a well‑trained dog should indicate every one of them.

As he walks the track the tracklayer should make mental notes and rehearse the track over and over in his mind. He should be able, before he starts his dog, to close his eyes and summon up a mental picture of every turn and leg of the track and the landmarks and flags that mark them. It is helpful for the tracklayer to sketch a quick map of the track once he is finished laying it, especially if the track must age for an hour or so before the dog will begin to work it.

It is also advantageous to occasionally lay tracks in soft dirt, heavy dew or light snow so that every footstep is visible to the handler as he handles his dog down the track. This kind of track is our best opportunity to run proofing problems in which we ask the dog to negotiate extremely demanding bends and curves and even spirals.

Laying the track itself is at least half the work of teaching the dog to track.

^{Dr. Adel Zohdy and “Dolf,” Schutzhund III, begin their day with an early morning tracking session.}