Just for Beginners | Glossary of Tracking Terms

Just for Beginners . . .

One of the most difficult concepts for the beginning tracker to truly understand is that the dog is the only member of the team who really knows where the track is. And the beginning tracker must also understand that, because of this fact, the only choice in a test is to follow the dog. (Experienced handlers sometimes have problems following through with this bit of wisdom, too!)

"The judge wouldn't have laid the track over there" or "he must have overshot the turn" are just two thoughts that might pop into your head as you are being pulled into unfamiliar territory. Remember, if you act on those thoughts, you may fail the test.

While guiding a dog is strictly prohibited, we often give off subtle clues that the dog picks up. Body position (facing ever so slightly in the direction you think the track should go), line handling (too loose, jerking the leash), and tone of voice (nervous, angry) can make a dog lose confidence as well as the scent.

Have your tracklayer watch for these problems as you practice. Work on letting go of the need to control what the dog is doing. Remember, in practice your job as a handler is to help the dog learn what is expected of it. In a test, your job is to go along for the ride.

Glossary of Tracking Terms . . .

AIR SCENT The airborne scent left by a person, animal or object. The term is also used as a verb when a dog attempts to follow a track by locating the airborne scent left by the tracklayer.

ARTICLE An item left on the track by the tracklayer for the dog to find.

BACKTRACK Retracing steps over a portion of the track that has already been completed. This term may also be used when a dog takes a track in the opposite direction from which it was laid.

BLIND TRACK Laid someone other than the handler. The track is run without the handler knowing where it goes.

BODY SCENT The odor that is unique to every person. The scent a dog follows is a combination of body scent and track scent.

CASTING (or QUARTERING) This term describes what some dogs do as they search for scent. As it moves, the dog checks for scent by sweeping back and forth across the track.

CERTIFICATION A written statement by an AKC tracking judge that a dog has satisfactorily completed a track equivalent to a TD tracking test. This statement is required in order to enter an official TD test.

COVER The type of vegetation through which the track is laid.

COVER CHANGES Changes in vegetation that occur on a single track.

CROSS TRACKS Tracks that intersect the test track. In tests, cross tracks are deliberately laid to test the dog's ability to discriminate between the test scent and other scents.

DEEP NOSE This is the term used to describe a dog that tracks with its nose close to the ground. This is a desirable quality.

DROP Another term for article. It may also refer to a food drop (which can be used in training).

FOULED TRACK A test track that is compromised by an unplanned scent.

HIGH NOSE A dog with a high nose uses air scent as well as track scent.

INDICATION A change in behavior that signals to the hadler that a dog had lost the scent or has found an article or is at a turn.

LEG This is the portion of the track between turns.

NON-RESTRICTIVE HARNESS A harness that doesn't restrict a dog's shoulder movement as it is tracking.

OBSTACLE An obstruction or hindrance that interrupts dog's scenting. May be natural or man-made.

PLOT The process of planning and mapping a track.

SCUFFING Dragging a tracklayer's feet to leave a very concentrated scent.

STEP TRACKING The process of following a scent from one footstep to the next.

TRACKING DOG The title awarded by the AKC to dogs which have successfully completed a TD track at a licensed tracking test.

TRACKING DOG EXCELLENT The title awarded by the AKC to dogs which have successfully completed a TDX track at a licensed tracking test.

TRACK SCENT The scent of the ground surface that has been disturbed by the tracklayer.

VARIABLE SURFACE TRACKING A type of tracking in which the dog follows human scent across a variety of surfaces, including hard surfaces like cement or blacktop. The title VST is awarded by the AKC to dogs which successfully complete a VST track at a licensed tracking test.

WHISTLE This is what the judge uses to indicate that a dog and handler have lost the track and failed the test. It is also sometimes referred to as getting "blown off".

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