On request I try to tell about our hi-tech tracking in English.

In August Näsä had a bit different tracking training. I walked 630 meters long track with GPS for him, there were six sticks, six corners and three crossings with small paths. When Näsä was ready to track we put the GPS on his harness.

The GPS drew a graph of how I walked and how Näsä tracked. It was really interesting to put the pictures one on the other when we came home and to see what really happened.

1865808.jpg

  • red = the track I walked
  • yellow = how Näsä tracked
  • blue = searching line and sticks (added to the picture later at home computer)

The searching line was not a success, Näsä didn't want to go straight but wandered quite a lot. Finally he anyway found the track and started tracking. The first two sticks and corners were really nice, the third stick was also found, and the first path crossing soon after the stick three went fine.

After the crossing the ground changed to be more difficult and Näsä's problems started. He did really hard work to find the corner, and finally turned approximately to the correct direction. He was tracking quite far from the track, but maybe the airstream did that. After the corner there was again path crossing which Näsä did well. The gound also changed to be easier again.

Näsä got a smell from the stick four and went straight to it. Though he searched it hard for some reason he didn't find it, and finally gave up and continued tracking. The next corner he went a lot over, and I had to tell the boys to come back and search the track again. Näsä found it, but had again problems on the next corner. The stick number five he left on the forest, he must have tracked straight over it but he didn't show any reaction. The last corner also needed some searching, the path crossing after it went fine. The stick number six was also found without problems.

We absolutely need to do this again! It's really interesting to compare how the dog is doing on the track. This track I walked 630 meters, but Näsä did as much as 1100 meters. Quite a difference!