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to CyberHound Some obedience trainers try to apply forceful techniques to tracking; often with limited success. With some high energy working and herding breeds, these techniques may work. With hounds however, they usually don't.
Obedience is too often like government -- if the dog does not do what you want, you force him to obey. That's what "obedience" means (see dissenting opinion from my wife Kay later in this article). Tracking is like business -- you have to sell your customer (the dog) on your product (tracking). He doesn't have to buy it. Unlike most obedience methods, you have to persuade, convince, plead and if necessary, beg. It requires the upmost in humility, patience and respect for the dog. If you can't get the customer to buy your product, you close your business (stop training) and either try again later or go on to another dog or activity.
The customer is in charge. Your job is to find out what turns him on so he will spend his precious time doing what you want him to do. It ain't easy. In fact, some novice trainers may do better than experienced ones in tracking, since they lack the overbearing confidence that they know what is right. Only the dog knows what will motivate him to track, and it's your job to find out what that is.
I have said it before, and I'll say it again -- successful tracking essentially requires one thing: proper motivation. Everything you do in tracking is designed to get the dog to think it was his idea; not yours. If the dog is not happy, then you, the tracking entrepreneur (investing time, taking risks and suffering consequences) must find a way to make him happy. That means finding something that "turns on" your dog. I cannot emphasize too strongly how this is the exact opposite of most forms of obedience. If you try to force a hound to track, you will soon learn who is really in charge when you're 20 feet behind him on a tracking lead (hint: it's not you).
Occasionally, I have seen a friend begin tracking with an exceptional dog. The dog has high energy, a passion for tracking, and seems to progress easily even when the handler makes mistakes. I know three people who have each trained and exhibited two dogs to TDX titles without ever flunking a tracking test! But none were hounds.
Virtually all Basset Hounds use their noses to explore the world, but more than this is required for tracking -- following the tracklayer's scent. Often, tracking hounds "go into business" for themselves; taking off after the scent of a deer, rabbit or other distraction. It is your job as trainer to encourage them to track the right scent, while keeping them interested and happy. In our training, this usually consists of two kinds of motivation: tracking and post-tracking.
While the dog is tracking, there are several things that can be motivating (or de-motivating), such as weather conditions, age of track, difficulty and type of article or reward at the end of the track. We always strive to assess the dog's attitude during and after a training session. If he is extremely tired or frustrated, we make sure that he immediately has fun afterwards. Also, we plan the next training session to be easy and fun, to compensate for today's difficulty. If he has lost interest in finding the glove (even with food on it), then we try to find out what will turn him on at the end of the track. In my last column I mentioned the leather chewie at the end of our first TDX dog's training tracks, right up until his final TDX test, which he passed.
As I have discussed before in this series, one of our favorite motivational techniques is to go for a fun walk after training. This should preferably be in an area where the dog can safely walk off lead (This of course depends on your dog's willingness not to run away -- a problem for some Bassets). You can use treats to encourage the dog to stay near you so you won't have to drive to the next county to retrieve a free-spirited hound.
Another technique we use is "Dairy Queen Magic." After tracking, we often go to the Dairy Queen store, and get each dog a small cup of vanilla soft-serve ice cream (CAUTION: I understand chocolate is poisonous to dogs). You should see their eyes light up when we put the dish in their crates! Along with the after-tracking walk in the field, this lets them know that going out to track is always fun, even after a tough workout. "Dairy Queen Magic" also works for obedience and conformation -- and you can never provide too much motivation. Remember, we are trying to get our customer to give us repeat business. We are not trying to force him to do what we want. Following are comments from my wife Kay, who was the Tally Ho obedience columnist from 1982 to 1986:
In my experience, obedience with a Basset Hound must use many of the same motivational techniques that we use in tracking. In fact, I consider obedience to be a joyous display of learned skills; not a competition to see whose dog can get the highest score. So, I don't use the kind of force most obedience trainers use, except in unusual circumstances.
I have seen some people use force on Bassets in obedience, which sometimes seems to work in training. However, when the day of the first trial comes around, the trainer wonders why the dog does not work the way he did in class. I (Kay) have trained many Bassets in conformation, obedience and tracking. Through the years I have learned that it's better to outsmart Basset Hounds than to use force, even in obedience. At the beginning of obedience training, I assess each individual dog's temperament, willingness and ability. Then, I custom-design a training program just for that dog. This is essentially the same approach Craig and I use in tracking.
I hope this article gives you some insight into the psychology of training a hound to track. Due to their stubborn nature, you cannot expect Basset Hounds to respond to the methods used successfully by trainers of other, more willing breeds. The Basset Hound possesses a wonderful nose and most have a natural tracking ability. However, their stubborn nature means you have to treat them with the respect of a businessperson soliciting customers rather than the heavy-handed policeman forcing them to obey your law.