Tracking Dog – Level 1 Only Trial

The Gympie Dog Obedience Club Inc held a Tracking Dog Level 1 only Trial. We had decided to do this as a way of helping new people learn about the sport of Dog Tracking. Tracking, unlike other dog sports, involves the participation of those entered not only as a handler but also as tracklayers and stewards.

There were 9 dogs entered as well as several new people who didn’t enter but came to see how a Tracking Trial works. Alongside the new people we had a strong team of experienced people to help make the event run smoothly.

The aim of the trial was to allow new teams to participate in the sport without the stress of a large open trial and to help them learn the skills necessary to be a proficient tracklayer and steward as well as a giving them the opportunity to run their dogs.

As this was a Training Trial, we used experienced mentors for our trainee stewards and tracklayers so they could clearly learn their roles.

Level 1 track is 400 metres with 2 corners and a 20 minute delay. The tracklayer is a known person.

The day before the start of the trial tracks are set by the judge, mapped by the steward and marked with poles by the tracklayer.

The trial starts with a muster where the judge checks each handlers harness and lead to make sure they are suitable for tracking and the articles that the tracklayer will use on the track.

Getting new people used to this procedure was an important part of the weekend and by the second day everyone understood what was expected.

7 of our 9 entries qualified and the team showcased above qualified with a grading of excellent.

Gympie felt this event was a great success and hope to continue with it into the future.