Fading out of the picture in tracking - creating independence

Yesterday I went out tracking with Caden and River. Because the snow is gone and the veg is crisp and dry, I worked on transition tracks to create confidence on this new surface. I always like things to sink in for awhile before I decide what actually happened when I train. As usual, today I was enlightened with a few thoughts that have to do with fading out of the picture.

I put a lot of freeze - dried lamb on Caden's track. Not so smelly that it was overpowering, but a good reward to keep him very motivated and something he had to work for. I also worked him on a 6-foot leash as I wanted to ensure he was pulling enough ahead of me the whole way, and working the footsteps. His track was a big zig zag that went along a berm between a road a parking lot, into the parking lot, back to veg, and then across a grass/cobblestone section of lawn at Red Deer College. It was hot and dry, but he did very well staying on track and in the footsteps. In the photo above, you can see he was very nicely nose-down on non-veg. I walked along the painted line as it holds a bit more scent along the paint ridges (so "they" say!).

In this photo you can see that he is turning his head as he goes from step to step. You can also see my shadow and my arm up taking the picture. This is what made me think about fading out of the picture. It occurred to me that for the entire track, I held the leash and took pictures but gave him no assistance AT ALL, and was really more like an observer while he did all the work. I kept the tension on the leash and tried my best to back away enough to get pictures.

This makes me realize he is taking the job into his own paws (nose?) and I will go back to a line next time we go out, to see how much line I can begin to give him. I always keep the line tight enough that my dog knows I am there, but experiment with my distance from a dog. When I get near my own corners (as I always lay my own tracks at this stage) I walk up the line, keeping the same tension, in case I need to help out. I never want my dog to feel anxious at a corner or leave him hanging out there.

And after we finished tracking? We PLAY of course! Here he is with his tug...his "reason" for tracking! Next I tracked with River, who is ready for her Urban Tracking Dog Excellent test. This is what it looks like when your dog is on the job and you are able to fade back and let them be completely in control...to me it is such a beautiful sight...I love her so! When your own dog reaches the stage where they take charge, you will experience such a feeling of exhiliration. But ALWAYS be ready to step in and play your part as a member of the tracking TEAM.