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Tracking dogs were sniffing out trails

Tracking dogs were sniffing out trails on the Fort Valley State University campus Monday morning, but there was no jail break and no one was missing.

The dogs were on a variable-surface tracking test, the toughest tracking test given by the American Kennel Club. It's so tough that in the 12 years it has been given, 5,000 dogs have taken the test and only 166 have passed it. That's about a 3 percent pass rate for the final of three AKC tracking tests. Passing all three earns a dog the title of "champion tracker."

The variable-surface test involves following a trail left by a person three to five hours earlier over an area with heavy foot traffic, and over surfaces of pavement and grass. None of the five dogs that took the test Monday passed it.

In fact, only two dogs even made it to the first of four articles left by the person who made the trail. None of the dogs and their handlers involved in the test were in law enforcement. Most people involved in dog tracking trials do it as a hobby, organizers of the event said.

It can give a dog a sense of purpose and value, even if the dog never participates in a real search, said Helen Howard, chairman of the Irish Water Spaniel National Specialty.

"It gives them an an activity you can do with your dog rather than just buying a dog, putting it in the back yard and feeding it twice a day," she said.

The trial was part of the Irish Water Spaniel National Specialty Dog Show at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter this week.

The tracking test, however, is open to all breeds. Monday's event featured an Irish Water Spaniel, two Weimaraners, a Belgian sheep dog and a border collie. The test was held at the university because it provides ideal circumstances of a tracking area over multiple surfaces with lots of foot traffic, organizers said.

All of the dogs had already passed the first two AKC tests. Passing the first, basic tracking test would earn a dog the title of "tracking dog." Passing the second would win the title "tracking dog excellent."

To illustrate just how tough Monday's test was, all of the dogs involved already had the title "tracking dog excellent" yet couldn't even make it to the halfway point of the track in the variable-surface test. In the test, each dog follows a different track, left by a different person. Two judges, along with a dozen or so observers, follow about 100 feet or more behind. If the dog appears to have permanently lost the track, heading off in the wrong direction, the judges blow a whistle, effectively ending the search.

However, the dog is then put back on the correct trail to give it a chance to learn, finish the exercise and gain confidence.

Mary Thompson of Maine and Ed Presnall of Wisconsin were the two judges Monday. Both have tracking dogs that are used in live search-and-rescue operations, with finding missing Alzheimer's patients being one of the most common missions for the animals.

Presnall has written six books on tracking dogs.

Thompson said a key to success is not just the ability of the dog, but the ability of the handlers. She pointed out several mistakes by handlers Monday, including using incorrect body language and failing to "reset" the dog properly by giving it another sniff of the original scent item while on the trail.

"Ninety-five percent of it is with the handler," she said.

The last dog of the day's trials, a Weimaraner, was one of the two to make it to the first article. But soon afterward, the animal encountered a fence where people were working, and dozens of students were walking toward the area. From that point the dog headed off in the wrong direction and the test-ending whistle blew.

Thompson thought the dog was doing well enough that it would have finished the course had it not run into the fence and the crowd of people, but she pointed out that is what a tracking dog might face in real life, so it's part of the test.

Gayle Echevarria came from Virginia to give her border collie, Zazu, a chance to earn the champion tracker title. After getting the initial scent, Zazu started off in the correct direction, but got crossed up when the trail led to a tennis court.

Echevarria didn't seem disappointed.

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