We're kicking the year off going back to the basics to really hone in on our tracking skills. The image below is a very basic 50 yard track in flat grass with about a 2 oz of blood and a thawed deer hoof.
We're still building a routine for when we track and working on pulling together the right gear for when we're on practice tracks and the real thing. Our goal is to have every track start the exact same way so Lottie, or any other dog, can pick up on the task at hand. For this particular track Lottie and I were focusing on keeping our nose low and to the ground while maintaining close proximity to the track line itself. She really does track well and stayed right online the entire time, but sometimes those basics come in handy when we're out in the field and I need to have that trust in her that she is following the scent trail even if it's not visible to the naked eye.
The best part of the track is rewarding her with the deer leg at the end to let her know that she has successfully tracked what we are looking for. She LOVES deer and you can see her excitement as she chews on the end of the leg.
To watch a fast forwarded clip of her track click the link: Tracking Training