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to CyberHound I welcome my wife Kay as the co-author of this article, since she and I have had a lot of experience tracking in the snow. Some of you know Kay as Tally Ho's obedience columnist from 1982 to 1986.
Living in Colorado, we occasionally have tracking tests with snow. This has become a controversial subject, since under certain conditions snow can make tracking easier for both dog and handler. Criticism has been levied against those who get titles while tracking in the snow, and it has been suggested that judges refuse to award a title under these conditions. This article briefly explores this controversy.
We'll begin with some observations based on our experiences as trainers and exhibitors. Then, I will make a few comments about judging in the snow.
It's important to realize that snow doesn't always make tracking easier. For example, in TDX, crosstracks are much more enticing in the snow. We had a dog fail a snowy TDX because of his obsession with the crosstracks. He had been previously well- trained and proofed on crosstracks without snow.
Tracking can be very difficult when snow has filled in the track or when the snow is melting. Especially in TDX, where there are at least three hours between laying and running the track, filling in can be tough. When I (Craig) was training a Rottweiler bitch to track a couple of years ago, she and all other dogs (except one) flunked a TDX one day. The tracks were completely filled in, and only a small terrier, who physically couldn't get his nose away from the scent, passed.
I (Kay) once had a training track fill in with snow after the track was laid. When we started the track, the dog did not indicate any scent whatsoever. I walked the track with him to find the buried article, but he did not indicate it.
When snow is melting, like the evaporation of morning dew, we have consistently noticed dogs having a tough time picking up the scent. When increasing the age for a new TDX dog, at some point in our dry climate, the dog usually "hits the wall." He just can't seem to find the scent. He crosses the track and doesn't even indicate it. This is exactly the behavior we see when a snow track is melting.
I (Craig) recently judged a snow-filled TDX test in which the first dog passed easily. The second took the crosstracks, and the last two dogs couldn't get past the first turn after the snow had melted. They literally couldn't understand tracking after melted snow.
Occasionally in the fall, we track a dog without snow, getting ready for a test, and all of a sudden it snows on the day of the test. If conditions are right, it does make tracking easier for most dogs. However, we have had more than one young hound lose concentration and want to play instead of track.
Although we almost never track a dog within a few days of a local test, we might do so if it snows the day before the test. If he hasn't seen snow before, we have done this at the last minute. Results were mixed.
In our semi-arid climate, there is an extreme difference between snow and no snow. I (Kay) have laid practice TDX tracks for my friends on dry ground before it snowed heavily during aging. This has usually caused the dogs to indicate nothing on the track. Conditions running the track were so different than when it was laid, the dogs literally didn't know what to do.
The two dogs I (Kay) ran in TDX tests in the snow failed. Neither had ever seen snow (one couldn't track after the snow had melted and the track was "gone"). After this, I trained the second TDX dog in the snow with multiple crosstracks and buried articles. We did this until he would not take the crosstrack in the snow and would dig up the articles. Both dogs eventually passed dry TDX tracks, with superb performances.
I (Craig) passed a TDX with a track partially covered with snow. The dog tracked well on the snow, but had a very difficult time working out several turns on which the snow had melted.
Judging in the snow can be easy or difficult. If it is snowing the day before the test, when tracks are plotted, the judges can generally compensate for the snow by making the tracks longer and more difficult than usual. However, if it snows the day of the test, and doesn't fill in the tracks after they are laid or doesn't melt during the test, two things are often done.
First, the tracks can be aged longer than normal if snow conditions make tracking easier. Second, the judges can be very strict on guiding the dog. This means not letting handlers restrain the dog. If the dog benefits from the snow, then the handler should be penalized for any help during the tracking test. Some judges have instructed handlers to face and follow the dog no matter where he goes. This tends to minimize any undeserved help from the handler.
We've found that all dogs are different, and snow tracking is different in different climates. Dogs trained in arid climates may have as much trouble with wet conditions (snow or wet grass) as dogs from wet climates tracking in our semi-arid Colorado. I (Craig) once saw a bloodhound from Arizona flunk a snow-filled TD test that everyone else passed.
In general, snow tracking appears to result in a higher pass rate. However, as our experience shows, this is not always the case. If you anticipate the possibility of finding snow at a tracking test, we suggest you train for it first. If not, you'd better hope you have a dog that can adjust to new conditions without previous experience. As far as we're concerned, snow is just another condition, and shouldn't be treated differently.