This book is all about having fun and trying some new ideas to add spunk to your tracks while improving your dog’s confidence and your handling. The philosophy behind the exercises is presented to help you understand why each exercise is helpful. There are examples of situations in real life that were the inspiration for the philosophy. Mostly, there are simple directions for exercises that you may not have done before. There are color photos and charts to illustrate the tracks and the tracking dogs. There are also many black and white photos (in the printed book only-the CD is in full color). There is a second part of the book to help you choose exercises based on a particular challenge you may be facing. For example, there is a section to improve your dog’s starts. You success rate will not be very good if you have a poor start; a good start is critical. The book will suggest ways to have your dog locked into the track scent before the dog even reaches the start flag.
These exercises are those that have been used in tracking camp for dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds regardless of tracking level. (I do teach the dogs to track before I start the exercises but they may only do one or two tracks before we add elements from these exercises). I even do these exercises with 13-week-old puppies so the dog’s age is not a factor.
Following the ideas in this book should make it easier (time-wise) to get out and track and should make tracking more fun for both you and your dog. Many dogs quit because they get bored or because tracks keep getting more and more difficult.