Learn the Theory and Practical Methods of Dog Tracking: A Guide for Dog Owners

Christian M.: This is the quintessential tracking book! Easy read and full of great ideas to put into training.

United States on Aug 15, 2023

ANDRE COBB: Good read to understand just how powerful the nose of a dog can be, but yet how they still need to be "taught" how to use it. Clear reading and some of the tools can be applied in conjunction with today's knowledge and produce some good work.

United States on Oct 31, 2022

Tracy: Highly recommended for every type of dog

Canada on May 11, 2020

Amazon Customer: Great, useful information. Recommended by a long time tracking friend.

Canada on Nov 14, 2019

Cindy: Bought this as an instruction manual for tracking. I’ve self trained all my dogs and have competed with success in akc obedience shows (titled many dogs up to & including UD). This book is now my guide to teach my corgi to track. He and I are progressing nicely following the program outlined in the book. I would also highly recommend the Leerburg tracking videos too.

United States on Sep 07, 2019

Damian: Great book. Very very in depth.

Canada on May 28, 2017

Sue M: Written several years ago but still holds true,I haven't read it all yet but very readable and well explained on a subject that is hard to explain !

United Kingdom on Apr 02, 2016

Gemma Sant: This book is a must for the tracking enthusiast, excellent for all abilities.

United Kingdom on Nov 07, 2014

KiwiMonster: If you are new to tracking, this book does a very good job of explaining how a scenting dog operates and how it is possible to teach a dog to discriminate the scent of one human trail from another without becoming overly technical. It is sort of an old classic and definitely a good addition to a dog lover's library. Read the first few chapters to get a good idea of how scent on a track works, why to use positive reinforcement to teach tracking, and some really good stories about dogs who can detect leaks in oil pipelines. The author is correct that dogs trained in obedience using compulsive methods will find it difficult to learn to trust their noses because they are wary of making mistakes.

The rest of the book outlines a very specific method for training your dog in AKC-style tracking. It will not suffice for an IPO competitor and it is not an appropriate method for SAR or scent detection either. You could probably use it to teach trailing if you got creative, but the book doesn't really aim for that. There are tables of week-by-week exercises and very detailed instructions for how to use bait and excite the dog to track.

I really only had two problems with this...

United States on Feb 27, 2014

TrainaK9: If you have an interest in AKC, Mixed Breed tracking titles or just want to have fun with your dog this book will help guide you through the steps necessary to accomplish your goal. I purchased it because I heard that it was the Bible of Tracking and I agree. I track with Golden Retrievers and will sometimes team up with friends that enjoy tracking their mixed breeds. Each of these dogs show a strong tracking drive. Like people, dogs are not one size fits all so I use what works for my dogs and let the rest go. I purchased both the book and kindle version. I'm now working on TDX and I find this a good read while waiting for my three to five hour tracks to age. If your goal is to enter tracking test you may want to add another book - About Tracking Dog Training: Creating a Problem Solving Partnership by Betty A. Mueller - these two books to some degree cover different aspects of tracking and reading both should go a long way to putting you and your dog on the right track.

United States on Apr 29, 2012