Rommel Gamestaff Cu Chulainn

Tracking Exam: Passed

Last weekend we passed our first tracking exam under Cor Oldenburg. This was the fourth time we toke the exam. All I can say is, it aint easy. Especially for me. For Rommel it is another fun hour of tracking, no different from any other week.The track for this exam is 1.1 km long and about 20 minutes old. It is on dirt/forest surface. No hard road.

We got there plenty in time (which had been different on previous occasions) and the start went great. After Rommel had gotten his start scent he went off like a rocket, navigating an openfield as if it was a book. The first turns also went well. Rommel started eating grass a bit on the way, Cor noted that this was the time of year dogs tend to do this more then usual. Then I became unsure of a choice he had made. So I called him back to the previous junction to see if we had burst thru a backtrack.

A backtrack is a decoy by the tracklayer. She walks up to the right of a junction and then turns around and goes back to the left for example.

After we had gotten back to the junction and Rommel went up the other side of the road I didn’t notice a clear signal that he was now back on the track. I realized I must have made the wrong decision. So back we went to the original point. This time he showed clear signals that he was back on track. Pfew, disaster avoided (although I couldn’t be sure at that point). Luckily soon after that we located one of the 2 objects the tracklayer planted on the track. This gave me some confidence in my decision. Soon after Rommel gave the best signal for a backtrack possible: turn back and head for the other direction. We also found the second object.

Towards the end I called back Rommel once more. Although he had walked into a direction quite briskly and confidently, after 50 meters or so I felt less and less confident about this choice. He seemed to have less power in his walk and meander a bit more then he should be. So I called him back. I knew we were close because he kept doing short sprints. A sign that he is on fresh scent. Soon after we discovered the tracklayer. Finally we had passed the exam.

Cor told me, as he had said on previous occasions, that he very much liked Rommel and thought he was a good dog. The problem was my doubt. And lack of focus on some very clear signals. From his perspective of course because I had completely missed those signals. For example on the last turn that I called very late. He had seen Rommel look back at me, as if asking if this is the way to go. Something he wouldn’t do if he was sure about this path. I had not seen that at all. A lack of focus on my part. I think I was too busy thinking and not doing enough reading and analyzing of Rommel and the terrain. This doubt that I create is then transfered to Rommel which leads to less clear signals from him. Because he also becomes unsure.

At the end of a track Rommel will usually fets a stick and start playing/chewing it quite vigariously. Typical stafford behaviour, however Cor noted that this might also be a sign of frustration and perhaps that insecurity, that needs to be released. This could be a sign that the stress buildup during tracking is a bit too high.

Over the course of the four exams we toke I learned a lot. Especially from my mistakes. I mentioned in the beginning of this article that the exam is really only different from a normal track for myself. In a normal class after each turn I check with Miranda (my instructor) if we have made the correct choice. In the exam situation you dont find out untill you reach the tracklayer that you have done well. Or if Cor stops you, you know if were not doing so well. The previous exam also went very well but in the last 100 meters my cap got stuck in a tree, threw me off balance mentally and let me to miss some very clear signals from Rommel and a fail. The 2 exams before that we “busted” a backtrack. Since I was relying on Rommel to turn around and go back when we passed a backtrack I was missing more subtle signals and information about the terrain. For example I had never heard of “overload” which is a situation where there is a buildup of scent at the bottom of a hill and that throws the dog off.
Either way the biggest thing holding us back is my doubt. So I’m currently thinking of ways to be more decisive in my decisions and to be able to do this much quicker.

Here are some youtube videos of somebody doing some hard surface tracking. Filmed by Cor. (mind the loud sound)