by Craig Green

Tally-Ho: November/December 1992

Several Basset Hound owners over the years have asked my wife and me about tracking. They usually want to know what it is, how much work it involves, and how much fun it is. The short answers are scenting, lots and lots.

The sport of AKC tracking is NOT search and rescue, schutzhund tracking, or man-trailing. Although each of these activities involves a dog following the scent of a person, they are all different from AKC tracking in a variety of ways. For example, in search and rescue and man-trailing, the handler is expected to help the dog find the scent, which is prohibited in AKC tracking. Schutzhund tracking requires precise, step-by-step tracking, which is not required by the AKC.

Tracking Philosophy

Our philosophy of tracking is one of motivation. Our goal is to motivate the dog to want to find the glove at the end of the track. All our training methods are designed to encourage the dog's motivation and to provide him with the skills to accomplish this. This is quite the opposite of some approaches to obedience, for example, since we do not force dogs to track. Some tracking trainers force dogs to track, and have some success. However, due to the Basset Hound's intelligent independence and usually low energy temperament, we have found that motivation works best for most hounds.

Although tracking involves time and effort, it is one of the most enjoyable activities in the world of dogs. Those of you who haven't yet been tracking with your Bassets might want to give it a try. BHCA offers an excellent booklet and video tape both authored by Ruth Paule, an experienced Basset tracker. Try it and see what I mean!