Training for Tracking - methods question? - Page 2

J.C. when looking for willing subjects to get your dog tracking people hit the play grounds, call your kids friends etc.  I do start mine with food on the track in teh begining, scuff the start put some food, then scuff the "starter" track put the food under the foot prints, I phase that out fairly fast and then they are just looking for people with scent articles on the track.  Kids love this and they are great for proofing your dog bc they don't walk straight, the track makes no sense.  just give them a timer tell them to walk till it goes off and hide.  When training I also make all of mine back track and track us back out to the start.  I don't use buckets for turns bc mine just knock them over, I use trees.  And you have to do it A LOT, and learn to read your dog periodically they go through a butt head stage and you have to take them back to the basics for one or two tracks.  But yeah it takes motivation and it takes time.  The best advice I can give someone with tracking is if you get to a situation and you aren't sure if your dog will do it or not, give it a shot. What's the worst thing that happens, you figure out what to work on.  Mine do night tracks day tracks in the rain, sleet, across water, tracks with multiple people. etc It's always a lot of fun, tracking is my favorite thing. 
P.S. I also have to make sure mine can track well because I like to hike and my sense of direction is almost non exsistant.  Many times I've had to have one of them get us back to the car. LOL

I just found this website, but, it is nice to see some specific forums out there.  I work a  trailing / scent discimination K9 for SAR work.   I am curious if people are using different methods for sport tracking then we use for human trailing.  We start our dogs on trailing "run-aways" with the wind at our backs to keep the nose down, then progress from there.

"looking for lost souls"

 I heard from a pal in Sweden today there is a great book to buy on tracking written by an Australian guy called Kotsopoulos at the Vonforell kennels. I'm getting it for my christmas present. Have any of you guys seen it ?.

Jason.