How to Train a German Shepherd for Tracking
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Introduction
You spend many a weekend slowly creeping through fields hunting. It’s quiet, you’re out in nature and it makes for a nice break from a busy week at work. You wouldn’t swap it for the world! However, you wouldn’t mind some company in the form of a tenacious German Shepherd. So, you went out and bought Charlie, who is full of life and would make a great hunting companion. Alternatively, perhaps you want to train him to be a tracking police dog.
Whatever the reason, German Shepherds naturally possess many of the qualities needed to successfully track. The training itself is actually good for them too. It enforces your position as pack leader. It teaches them discipline, which can make teaching them to do any number of other behaviors easier too. But most importantly, this basic training could help improve your hunting results and give you an effective tracker.
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Defining Tasks
Training Charlie to track will come with challenges. You will need to find the right incentive to keep him focused on a particular task. You will also need to train consistently, starting with small and easy scents trails, then working your way up to more challenging tracking. You will also need to get your dog used to training with distractions around and get them excited about the particular item you want them to find.
If your Shepherd is a puppy their brain should be like a sponge, making them easy to train. This means you could see results in just a few weeks. However, if you’re taking on an older German Shepherd who is stubborn and not a keen student anymore, then you may need several months. If you get this basic training right you could set your dog up to be able to track down everything from animals and drugs to cash and firearms.
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Getting Started
Before you start training you will need to check you have several things. Treats and toys will play an important role. A friend will also be required for one of the methods.
You will need a generous amount of space to train in, where you both won’t be distracted by other people and pets. A house and yard will do to start with, but then you may want to head out into local fields or parks.
Once you have all that, just bring patience and an optimistic attitude, then work can begin!
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The Sit & Search Method
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Play time
The first thing you need to do is get your dog to associate the smell with toys and rewards. So have the object around you want them to search out and then spend a few minutes each day playing with a toy. The smell will soon become familiar and trigger memories of fun.
‘Sit’
Now take the dog out into a yard or a room and instruct them to ‘sit’. Then take the object you want them to sniff out and place it on the ground several feet away from them. Make sure that they are watching you as you go.
‘Find it’
Now issue a ‘find it’ command in a playful voice. Point at the object and draw their attention to it at the same time. They will probably naturally charge towards it. If not, be patient, they will catch on eventually.
Reward
As soon as they go to it, rush over, praise them and give them the toy to play with as a reward. Use the same toy and playtime you did it at the beginning, as that’s what they associate the smell with.
Hide it
Once you have practiced this a couple of times, you can then hide the item while they watch. Again, reward them and practice this several times.
Introduce distractions
Practice several times a week, but start hiding the item farther away and introduce other people and distractions. Your German Shepherd may need to track things in a range of challenging environments, so it’s important you train with those distractions.
The Pull Back Method
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Setting up
Head out into your yard with your dog, the item you want them to track down, and a friend. You’re going to make the tracking irresistible. So have your friend sit down and hold your German Shepherd’s collar.
Place the object down
Now put the item you want the dog to find around 10 feet away. Make sure they can see you and then start pointing at it and talking in an animated voice. They will probably naturally want to start charging towards it.
Pull back
Make sure your friend doesn’t let your dog go for a couple of seconds. The very fact they can’t move will only make them want to chase it down even more. Once they do get to it, be sure to give them a decent reward, be it food or toys.
Use the wind
Now start practicing a few times each week. However, start using the wind to make it easier or harder. Start with your dog downwind and the smell should reach them and make it simpler. Start them upwind and they will have their work cut out.
Be consistent
Gradually make training harder, creating longer and more challenging scent trails. However, make sure your German Shepherd always gets a reward at the end, no matter what. Soon they will start following the scent as soon as they get a whiff of it.
The Excitement Method
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Get them familiar
The first thing to do is get them familiar with the thing you want them to track. For example, if it’s a bird then get a decoy and spray some scent spray on it. Then spend a few minutes each day playing around with the decoy and getting Charlie as excited as possible by the mere sight of it.
Setting up
Now wipe the decoy around your house or in your yard to make a trail. Hide the toy somewhere at the end. You want to make it relatively straightforward to start with, so don’t have too many other smells and distractions around.
Start line
Secure your dog to a leash and then point and talk in a high-pitched voice to get them focused on the trail. Help guide them and pull them back onto the track if they get distracted. It’s important they get to the end of the trail too, so they always knows there is something there waiting for them.
Reward
Once you get to the end of the trail, make sure you give them some treats and verbal praise. If you use a clicker when you train, give that a click at this point. You can even play around with a toy.
Make it harder
Now all you need to do is make the trails harder. Make a new one every few days. Make sure the dog always gets to the end and then you can start introducing some distractions and making them in new places. Soon enough they will actively seek the thing out whenever they smell it.
Written by James Barra
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 03/15/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Beans
German Shepherd X Doberman
11 Months
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
Can you start scent training in the snow... he is already good at finding his frisbee when it gets buried in the snow but obviously he watches it fly doesn't sniff it out. I heard it can be harder to track in snow (could be totally false, just what i heard)?
Dec. 14, 2021
Beans's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello Natalie, Snow is something you will want to practice in the future, but depending on the type of snow it can be tricky. Something more packed down or not too deep could likely be done, but I would use a stronger scent to create a more distinct trail, not just drag an article of clothing across it. If the snow is deep or really powdery, I would clear a path to make the snow thin and practice on the cleared path first. The trick is pup loosing the scent in the snow if it doesn't sit right on top but the scented part collapses in when pup approaches. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Dec. 15, 2021
Kya
German Shepherd
6 Months
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
I was wondering if there is a age cut off for teaching dogs to track. Our German shepherd goes on the road with my husband,and he would have to be off the road,so he can dedicate the time for teaching her how to track.Sadly,he won't be getting off the road until she turns 3 years old.He thinks that might be a little too old to start teaching her how to track and that she will be too old for that at that age. Is the age thing true? Any advice is welcomed and appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Feb. 21, 2021
Kya's Owner
Alisha Smith - Alisha S., Dog Trainer
257 Dog owners recommended
Hello! You can start at any age. I had a customer who retired and started training his dog for tracking at the age of 9 and had great success! It's easier when they are younger of course, but definitely not something that has a limit. I can send you basic information on scent training. For advanced training, you will want to work with a trainer in person. Start Early in the Morning To teach scenting a track, you need some treats and a grassy area, such as a baseball field or park. Although hot dogs are not the most nutritious food, I find they work best, and you won’t over stuff your dog’s belly. Begin early; many people start by 6 a.m. before anyone has walked on the grass. Create a Treat Track Have your dog sit or lie down and stay. Take a couple of inch-long pieces of hot dog and use your shoe to mash them into the grass. Make sure to crush the grass under the hot dogs, which will release a grass scent. Then, with the hot dog residue on the bottom of your shoe, walk a straight line away from your dog. Every six or ten feet, drop a piece of hot dog. Stop after about 20 feet and drop one of your gloves or one of your dog’s toys; your dog needs to find something at the end of the track. Drop another piece of hot dog on top of the item. Command Your Dog to Find the Treats Go back to your dog and release him from his stay, encouraging him to smell the ground where the hot dogs were. Tell your dog “Find it!” and let him sniff. If he begins to follow the track, praise him quietly by saying, “Good dog!” and let him lead the way. Don’t be too enthusiastic or you may distract the dog from his sniffing. Also, don’t try to lead him; let your dog figure it out. At this point, your dog is following several scents: the trail of hot dogs, which helps motivate him, the crushed grass where you mashed the hot dogs and the crushed grass where you later stepped. Your dog is also following your individual scent, which he knows well because he smells your scent every day. But now your dog is learning to combine the scents, to follow them and to find the item at the end of the track. Start Increasing the Length of the Track When your dog successfully completes this trick, make another one by taking 10 steps to the side. If your dog is excited and having fun, you can do three or four short tracks per training session. As your dog improves over several sessions, make the track longer, add curves and corners, and drop several items along the way, but put the hot dog only on the one you want him to find. When making tracks longer or adding curves, use small pegs, stakes or flags to mark the track so you can tell if your dog is off track. Air scenting requires your dog to find someone by sniffing the scents wafting through the air instead of following a track. Most search-and-rescue dogs have both skills; they can follow a track, but if people walking over the track spoil it, they can also use their air-scenting skills. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thank you for writing in.
Feb. 21, 2021