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to CyberHound I have been asked to discuss the differences between tracking tests in different parts of the country, which was one of the items I mentioned last time. Before I get into that however, let me give you an idea of the areas I have and have not seen. I have trained, exhibited, observed or judged tracking in the States of Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, California, Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Illinois. While I have seen a wide variety of conditions ranging from mountain highlands to swampy lowlands, I am sure that there are many conditions around the country which are vastly different than my specific experience. So, if some of you with experience in other areas or with different conclusions than mine want to contribute, your ideas will be very welcome in future columns. This time, I will focus on climate, wind and ground cover.
Hot and dry, or wet and soggy? Boy, have my ideas changed about this over the years! Twice, as a judge, I have apologized to exhibitors for the lack of cover, extremely dry conditions and heavy weeds at a tracking test (not TDX). Both times, the pass rate was almost 90 percent! On the other hand, dogs that I have trained in dry Colorado couldn't deal with a wet alfalfa field on a July morning near St. Louis. They literally had to track one or two yards to the side of the track, since there was so much more scent than they were used to. The new dog however, never before tracked in Colorado, had no trouble with the wet conditions. My conclusion here is that drastic changes in conditions are more important than whether you are going from dry to wet or vice versa.
One thing I have noticed in recent years is the climate on plotting day versus the day of the test. It appears to me that if the plotting day is wet, then the judges' and tracklayers' actions in the field on plotting day are more likely to affect dogs on the day of the test. If a judge or tracklayer walks off the track on plotting day, or if the judges change the track after beginning plotting, then these unusual scents are still around to confuse the dog on test day. If however, the plotting conditions are dry, then it seems that the dog is less affected the day of the test. I no longer hope for wet conditions on the day of the test, but rather dry conditions on the day of plotting.
Heavy wind can do terrible things to a tracking dog. At a TD test (tracks are usually 30 minutes to one hour old), wind often makes swirling motions on the fresh scent, and may entice the dog to leave the track before getting completely lost. For TDX, high wind often has the practical effect of "aging" the track much longer than the three or four hours desired. In dry climates (out West), the difference between 30 minutes and one hour on a windy TD test can be more of a scenting difference than between one and three hours in the Midwest where humidity is high. When it is windy, I try to run tests shortly after 30 minutes (TD) or three hours (TDX), if possible. In wet climates, age appears to me to make less difference for both TD and TDX.
Of course, most trackers prefer good, lush, tall grass, for ease in training or tracking at a test. However, as my wife and Sally Elkins will testify, the dry, volcanic soil of Albuquerque, in places where there is virtually no vegetation, can be an excellent tracking area. Sally and Kay have between them obtained five TDX titles in Albuquerque, which must make it the Basset TDX capital of the free world (Only 17 Basset TDX's existed as of last summer). Sally, coming from a wet climate in Houston, has always done well in dry Albuquerque. Albuquerque is dry even compared to Denver, and when you look at the terrain there the first time, you will swear that dogs can't track on it. (Flo Voight in Arizona would probably laugh at all of us for talking about "dry" conditions!).
The main point about different climate, wind and ground conditions is that you should make some attempt to find out about these things when you are traveling to an out-of-town test. When severe differences from your normal tracking area are apparent, then it behooves you to find an area as close to that you are going to for training. It may not always be possible in your local area, but anything you can do to approximate the conditions where you are going will improve your chances of passing.
Next time I will write about various ideas that different tracking and obedience clubs have about putting on tracking tests.