Why tracking?
Tracking, or following a scent left by something passing over the ground, is an activity that all dogs do naturally. When owners are open to learning to observe and understand their dog’s behaviour and prepared to adjust their own behaviour in order to become a good follower rather than a leader, tracking can be a fun and fulfilling activity for both parties.
Why Dogtaggs tracking?
The Dogtaggs approach to tracking is based on the fact that the dogs already know how to track. Instead, the main aim of the teaching approach is to create mindful handling behaviour in handlers.
Mindful handling can have many beneficial outcomes:
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it can create an environment which enables dogs to experience agency, the ability to have control over actions and their outcomes. This is an important aspect of wellbeing, in dogs as well as people. In this case agency means that the dog perceives itself as in charge of the goal of solving the problem presented by a track.
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Giving dogs an opportunity to exercise control over their lives whilst tracking means that the track will be completed in the most efficient way possible.
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The sense of self control is good for the dog as s/he has a chance to monitor the environment by themselves, selecting their own course of action. As dogs choose to investigate and follow the track, other behaviour is abandoned, so the dog is the architect of his/her own situational learning. This is a firm foundation for emotional behaviour change. In other words, it can help with behaviour issues.
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Mindful handling creates an environment which helps people to experience a new dimension of their relationship with their dog.
Using innovative techniques based on many years of experience as well as an up-to-date understanding of aspects of neuroscience and learning theory, Pat teaches handlers how to handle the tracking line in a way that does not interfere with the dog’s natural tracking behaviour. Instead, as dog and person track together, the line becomes a channel through which the dog can effectively communicate with the handler. By learning to feel and respond appropriately, the handler introduces predictable behaviour to the relationship. When both owner and dog feel they can rely on each other’s abilities and responses this is known as trust. This too is a firm foundation for deeply bonded human-animal relationships.
Get Cracking with Tracking is Dogtaggs’ foundation tracking course, taught in small groups of 4 to maximise learning opportunities. In 6 one-day workshops you will progress through a series of drills and exercises to help you isolate and experience different aspects of touch, balance and proprioception. These are the skill areas that make for great handling of the tracking line. In addition you will have lots of fun, meet like-minded people and learn lots about both yourself and your dog.
These workshops are suitable for a wide range of people and dogs. They will suit people with no experience of tracking as well as those who have perhaps tried different styles of tracking and scentwork previously and want to learn more. They will also suit all breeds and types of dogs. They can also suit dogs that do not feel comfortable around other dogs or unfamiliar people, as dogs track one at a time and there is plenty of space at Verity Farm. The only prerequisite is that dogs must be comfortable to remain in your vehicle while other dogs are working.
The skills learned in these workshops provide a solid basis for all sorts of different tracking-related activities including competition tracking, tracking for missing people or animals, or tracking just for fun. For people who enjoy tracking and wish to continue to advance their skills, Pat also runs follow-on Variety Track Pack courses which include tracking in a greater variety of situations including wilderness tracking, hard surface tracking, tracking for missing people or animals, tracking through water and even night tracking.
Booking
If you would like to experience the Dogtaggs approach to tracking, booking is now open for two separate Get Cracking with Tracking courses:
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GCWT 1: 6 x Saturday workshops: 4th May, 18th May, 1st June, 22nd June, 6th July, 20th July
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GCWT2: 3 x 2 day workshops: Mon 27th & Tue 28th May, Mon 3rd & Tue 4th June, Mon 10th & Tue 11th June.
The courses are £780 for the 6 sessions, and a payment plan is available at no extra cost.
For more information and to book please go to https://dogtaggs.co.uk/portal/courses/Get-Cracking-with-Tracking
If you have any questions please email hello@dogtaggs.co.uk
If courses are over-subscribed, please let us know if you would like us to notify you when the next set of courses become available for booking by emailing hello@dogtaggs.co.uk. Alternatively, for up-to-date information about courses and many other aspects of tracking and dog behaviour, you can join the Dogtaggs Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Dogtagg
