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and then expect its continued willingness to track.
The trainer has to know where the track goes.
• To develop field sense. Knowing where you are in relation to where you’ve been and where you want to go—and how to get back to the car! The more field sense you have, the better the trainer—and training companion—you’ll be. Some people have a natural sense of where they are and where they
have been; others have to develop it.
• To learn to recognize the dog’s behavioral cues.
Mark the dog’s route on the map as soon as pos- sible after finishing the track. Failure to draw a map and/or mark the dog’s route throws valuable infor- mation away—even on one-leg tracks. Sharpen memory for detail by paying close attention to the dog’s body posture and behavior while it is track- ing—then write the observations on the map before leaving for home. Tracking dogs continually throw out behavioral cues about the track—some obvious, some subtle. The more detail trainers are able to capture and commit to memory when tracking, the better they are able to cope when the dog’s behav- ior is very subtle. Good observational skills are fundamental in tracking, because handlers make decisions based on cues from the dog.
Dogs also throw out cues about their attitude and motivation. Was this track too difficult or complex? Was the situation unfair? Is the dog frustrated, tired, or too stressed to continue?
• To put common training challenges into an environ- mental context. Scent concentration and behavior is circumstance-driven by weather, terrain, and ground cover. The same track could be plotted in the same field every day for infinity, and the scent- ing conditions would be different each time.
• To keep an historical record of our training program. To remember what’s been done in the past—what has succeeded and what hasn’t. To interpret and re-interpret the dog’s performance and scrutinize the handling decisions that were made based on its performance. To monitor tracklaying tendencies so the dog isn’t unwittingly pattern- trained. To get an honest idea of training frequency.
• To identify problems and honestly work on them. Many trainers go into the field and fail to work on problems. Like dogs, humans are more moti- vated by success than failure. It’s tempting to go out and do what’s fun and easy. But living in a fool’s paradise does not lend itself to passing tests. Trainers that fail to address their weaknesses never progress.
• To separate truth from myth. It’s amazing what handlers believe about their dogs but cannot prove. Sometimes these beliefs can be crippling. One-time phenomena and other people’s beliefs about the dog’s motivation, work ethic, likes and dislikes, or certain behaviors become truths. “I saw a dog eat grass at the start of a test track and it wouldn’t start. Therefore, when my dog eats grass at the start of a
track my dog will not start.”
• To be in a position to get help from instructors or
other knowledgeable trainers. Trainers can become so embroiled in solving a training problem the obvious is missed. It’s impossible to help someone solve a problem with only anecdotal information to go on. Detailed records are a necessity.
• To be able to cede control and trust the dog. To be so sure where the track is that the dog can be allowed to go where scent is—even if it’s not on the track! To allow the dog to make mistakes so it can learn how to correct them by itself.
Basic Materials
Everyone who can hold a pencil can draw a map. No great artistic skills are required, only the ability to tell left from right. Maps are a one-page method to describe a training session so the maps you draw must make sense to you. When you plot tracks for other trainers, the map must make sense both to you and to the trainer who runs the track you’ve plotted.
If you don’t consider yourself an artist, I suggest writ- ing short descriptions of the things you absolutely can- not draw rather than trying to draw pictures. I get by with a combination of simple drawings, acronyms, and short descriptions.
You’ll need a clipboard and one piece of 8.5” x 11” paper per map. Everyone seems to have their own pref- erence for the kind of paper they use: graph paper, plain paper, or even the backs of old work memos.
Field maps can get pretty soggy when it rains. The cheapest solution is to cover the map with a sheet of clear plastic or cover the entire clipboard with a plas- tic bag. “Rite in the Rain” paper looks like paper but is water-resistant. It is available at www.riteintherain. com. Mylar sheets with matte finishes are impervious to water and accept a pencil mark. Mylar is available at some art and craft stores, although it is increasingly hard to find.
You’ll need at least two pencils so you can afford to lose one while plotting. Chances are your dog will find it for you when you run the track. Pencils are preferable to pens because the marks can be erased. Pens also tend to freeze up in cold weather.
You will also need a watch, and of course, a looseleaf notebook or folder to store your maps.
Tell Your Story
Think of each map as a personal story written in shorthand so that the whole story fits on one page. The seed of any story is the concept—what is this story about? Our concept is the plan for today that will help us achieve a major training goal.
We all learned to write stories from an outline. Our outline is the basic shape of the track that we believe will achieve our goal for the day.
It’s important to set the scene because the scene always influences the story. The same is true in tracking. We begin to set the scene when we choose a training site. We further define the scene when we decide how
May/June 2005 The Australian Shepherd Journal 25