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to CyberHound Some time ago, I promised to write an article about the newest AKC tracking event, variable surface tracking. Now that the rules have been set and the event is scheduled to be offered this fall, I thought now would be a good time to discuss it. I recently attended a tracking match sponsored by my local club, Denver Foothills Tracking Association.
Although I have not attended the AKC seminars taught by John Bernard, nor have I trained a dog in this activity, I have learned more about it in recent months. Personally, it's not something that excites me (to me, tracking is getting OUT of the city, not staying in it). But its obvious appeal, practical application (finding people in cities) and recent approval by the AKC make it worthy of discussion. I welcome reader comments, especially from those of you who have tried it. I don't pretend to be an expert in this area.
On September 1, 1995, the AKC tracking rules will be amended to include Variable Surface Tracking (VST). According to the AKC Gazette, the following rules have been approved by the AKC Board of Directors (summarized in my own words):
TD and TDX judges may apply for VST judging after attending a VST workshop or judging at least 3 sanctioned VST matches (one with a judge who has attended the workshop). If you want a more detailed description of the VST rules, look at the Secretary's Page (no. 102) in the June 1995 issue of the AKC Gazette.
I understand from those who have trained in VST that dogs apparently track and make turns on concrete and asphalt. Several people have told me how surprised they were the first time they saw their dogs do it. Of the 20 or so dogs Kay and I have had over the years, including 16 TD titles and 5 TDX titles, only one ever tracked across a paved road. It was just his slow, steady style. The others, with our encouragement, learned to leave the scent on one side of the road and look for it after crossing.
The recent VST match I witnessed was a disappointment. It was in a park area surrounding a school, complete with baseball park, cut grass, parking lots and bare ground. All three entries failed at the first turn, and (even though they all finished the track) I didn't see a single turn actually made on bare ground or pavement. Unfortunately, the area was used the previous day for a picnic for several hundred people, which may have contributed to the dogs' inability to track well on the day of the match. The bright spot of the day was when, near the end of the last track (after failing and trying again), the Portuguese Water Dog and handler tracked onto a baseball field, stopped a Little League game for about 10 minutes and dog and handler found the end article in left field. Of course, the tracklayer was walking behind, and I'm sure the embarrassment of interrupting the game and the handler knowing where the track was made it seem more impressive than it was. But the fans were impressed.
So, I have yet to see a dog actually make a real turn on a paved surface, where the handler doesn't know where it is. As you know from my recent series of articles about training tracking dogs, you handle a dog differently when you know where the track goes. I have been a longtime skeptic of some claims made by Bloodhound, search and rescue and law enforcement people (such as discriminating a week old "track" by people driving down a freeway in a car--along with thousands of others). But since I haven't actually experienced this new AKC activity I'm still reserving judgment.
I know many people are really excited about VST, because it seems more relevant (finding lost people) and is more convenient to train (since you don't have to go out of town). And the first dog to get a "Champion Tracker" title will be justly proud. Perhaps the new knowledge from VST will teach us more about other kinds of tracking, since false conclusions are rampant and scientific inquiry is so rare. I personally think both AKC trackers and "mantrailers" (i.e., search and rescue) have a lot to learn from each other. But dogmatic resistance to change and simple closed-mindedness seem to keep these two groups apart. VST seems to bridge this gap somewhat, and I'm looking forward to learning from those of you who try this new activity.
Please let me know how you do with VST. If dogs can do what they say, then Bassets can probably do it better than most (if you keep them motivated). Good luck - I look forward to hearing from you.