What's new
Mastiff Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Welcome back!

    We decided to spruce things up and fix some things under the hood. If you notice any issues, feel free to contact us as we're sure there are a few things here or there that we might have missed in our upgrade.

Tracking Championship Title!!!!!

KMD

Well-Known Member
Ridiculously proud of Barrett! At 18 months of age, she passed the final test to gain her Championship title in tracking. She is the first DDB in our state (probably country, they are checking) to achieve a sports championship.

DDBs are so talented!!!!!!
 

Attachments

  • Barrett TD8.jpg
    Barrett TD8.jpg
    63.4 KB · Views: 56

KMD

Well-Known Member
It's a terrible photo of her... She was still cooling down and I'm standing right over her trying to get a happy pic before she takes off. All the others where you can see her medal, she's wearing her grumpy face.

A canine photographer, I am not...
 

Attachments

  • Barrett the Champion Grump.jpg
    Barrett the Champion Grump.jpg
    70.9 KB · Views: 35

Hector

Well-Known Member
It's a terrible photo of her... She was still cooling down and I'm standing right over her trying to get a happy pic before she takes off. All the others where you can see her medal, she's wearing her grumpy face.

A canine photographer, I am not...

Well that's why you take like 50 pics and delete 49 of them lol.
 

irina

Well-Known Member
Way to go! We started tracking with Ajax this summer. He loves it and is pretty good at it as the trainer says. Not sure if we will ever get to competing level. Classes are expensive and I don't have enough motivation and knowledge to train him myself.
 

Liz_M

Well-Known Member
Very well done!!
Working titles are a true testament to your relationship with your dog. You two done good. :)
 

KMD

Well-Known Member
Thank you!

It's an amazing feeling to train as a team for something and then to achieve it... Especially when she loves it so much!

I have noticed throughout the training year that we developed a far closer relationship than we had previously. Barrett was always a bit standoffish with everyone including me. Now she will come up to me and demand rubs and playtime, which is just brilliant :)


Irina - you can always do something like Nosework if you ant to be able to train it at home without expensive lessons. The dogs still love it and you can take a few inexpensive online classes which cover the majority of what you need to get training :) Tracking can be trained by yourself, or better if you have a friend to help you set the tracks. Formal lessons really help, but aren't essential!
 

karennj

Well-Known Member
I wanted to do tracking with bear but no one in a reasonable distance does classes. I tried nosework and the blockhead spent the first 3 classes sniffing everything and ignoring most the treats then he spent the last 3 classes trying to get to the people waiting their turn to say hello. I had given up on tracking because I thought he wouldn't be good for it.
 

KMD

Well-Known Member
I had given up on tracking because I thought he wouldn't be good for it.

I was fortunate enough to have someone willing to spend the time helping a small group of us get stated... They had previous experience with non-traditional tracking dogs (whippets!) and were game for anything (I started tracking with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier)... so when I showed up with a DDB they just viewed it as a challenge.

Mastiffs are GREAT for it. Their slobbery jowls act as a scent-funnel straight to the nose and thy will ground scent. You do, however, have to convince them that this is the BEST THING EVER and the really want to do it. Barrett will literally drag me to the start line.

I tried an online class (FDSA) where you submitted video homework... you can pay a lot less and just observe the class, but I found my progress was more rapid when I had homework to do.

Even if you can talk a few other people into doing tracking with you... all you need is a group of three or four and everything becomes easier. I started with hide and seek games, then did some footstep tracking and article work before I started trying real tracks. Sometimes it takes a while for it to click with the dog, but when it does...
 

ruby55

Well-Known Member
:thewave2::thewave2:

Congratulations! Amazing! Awesome! I LOVE it when these big guys do unusual work!
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Yay congrats!!! That is exciting!

I am eventually going to do some scent work with Diesel too. Not sure if they have tracking events or anything in our area. But my school does do scent courses every few months so it's only a matter of time til one opens up again. :)
 

tmricciuto

Well-Known Member
I want to do scent work with Sage also. I think she would be good at it. She walks around smelling the place up, which is why I sometimes miss a smelling for potty signal. I want to figure out how to train her just to find stuff around the house and then outside to begin with.
 

JamieHalverson

Well-Known Member
That is a really great accomplishment! Scent work is SO much fun for the dogs and I love that it utilizes a truly natural talent so that any dog is capable. I've watched completely terrified dogs become like new after 6 weeks of Nosework 1 and even reactive dogs can train and compete.

I currently do K9 Nosework and shed hunting with Yogi, my Staffy/Mastiff X and am looking at tracking with my BM, Lillie. Lillie is 16 weeks old now and I'm hoping to start in Sept. I'm fortunate in that her breeder knew I was probably going to do scent work with her and started the litter on early scent introduction, and I've been playing scent games with her since I brought her home. I'm hoping she likes it!