by Jason Purgason
© This article is copyrighted original work and may not be reproduced
in whole or in part without the expressed written consent of the author.
It’s 3:21 a.m. and you arrive on-scene with your dog. It’s muggy
and damp outside and they have a 45 minute head start. The eyewitness tells
you that they were last seen heading south past the tree line. You harness
your partner and prepare to track. Your dog gives you every indication that
they headed north….What Now? This question often arises among handlers….If
an eyewitness indicates that the victim/suspect ran south, but my dog says
that he went north, which way do I go?
Eyewitnesses can
provide very valuable information and detail. Unfortunately, eyewitnesses
often give incorrect information. In most cases, eyewitnesses do not intentionally
give wrong information. Often they remember things that didn’t happen
or see things in a perspective other than what actually occurred. People often
remember events in a manner that fits with their own expectations for a situation.
If you work a police
tracking dog or are a search and rescue dog handler, you could feasibly be
presented with similar circumstances. If this situation ever happens to you
there are several questions that you should ask yourself before you proceed.
The first
question is “Do I trust my dog?” This question should always be
answered honestly. If you lack confidence in your dog, you will likely make
costly mistakes. Even a highly skilled tracking dog can be very ineffective
with a doubtful handler following. If you don’t have the confidence
that you should in your dogs’ ability to successfully negotiate the
track ahead of you, more training should be in your future. Only productive
training will build your confidence in the abilities of you and your dog as
a team. If you are an inexperienced handler or are unsure of your dogs’
capabilities, you should refer the task to a more experienced team, if possible.
The second question is, “Based on previous experience and training is
my dog capable of handling this?” If you have handled the dog for any
length of time you should be able to quickly determine the answer to this
question. For instance, if the suspect/victim has been gone for four hours,
you should consider whether or not your dog is capable of successfully following
a trail that is four hours old. If your dog is in fact capable of following
trails of this age, then you should consider whether or not your dog is able
to effectively pursue an aged track through the contamination that you are
presented with in this circumstance. You should also consider other factors
that may present themselves during the track. If you know that you will likely
be required to track across asphalt or other hard surfaces, ask yourself;
“Will my dog track efficiently on hard surfaces?”
If you answer all of the questions presented affirmatively, follow your dog
and keep up the good work. If not, more productive training in tracking should
be on your agenda.
If you would like to discuss training problems or schedule a tracking seminar,
please call 866.200.2207 or email training@highlandcanine.com
