TDU: New tracking title

[Guardyan]

Just saw this info about a potential new tracking title and thought our tracking members might be interested:

American Kennel Club

Looks like fun!

[carmspack]

I don't know if the rules are the same , but look into this blog of Sue Coutts , Canadian Kennel Club tracking rep for Northern Ontario. You can see some dogs in training , outlines , challenges that the dogs have to conquer and I believe some "post-game" analysis of trials , where the track was and where the dog went.
http://birchbarkhill.blogspot.ca/
There are 18 dogs in Canada with an Urban track title.
Three of them are Carmspack Dogs, Carmspack Trust, Carmspack Blast and Carmspack Kavick. Trust and Kavick are littermates. Trust is also an Urban Tracking Dog Excellent , no higher title available and Blast is going for trial later in the fall.

I know of a pup right now that has been tested , high degree of concentration on track -- excellent prospect for SAR , or competitive tracking

[Whiteshepherds]

Originally Posted by carmspack

There are 18 dogs in Canada with an Urban track title.

Do you mean that are alive today or that there have only been 18 dogs in Canada to get the title?

[carmspack]

Only 18 dogs have qualified for the title .

[Whiteshepherds]

Originally Posted by carmspack

Only 18 dogs have qualified for the title .

Wow, I didn't know that. Our males littermate has her UTD (CKC) and two other dogs from the same bloodlines also have theirs. No UTDX's yet though.
Now I have to go have a talk with our male and ask him why's he's not out there tracking.

[carmspack]

who are those dogs?

[carmspack]

anybody remotely interested in tracking should look at http://birchbarkhill.blogspot.ca/ (Sue Coutts)

and Donna Brinkworth's (tracking judge also from Northern Ontario , same as Sue) Spiritdance Tracking - Your Tracking Coach: Urban tracking

both women provide track analysis , where the track is , where the dog went. Both hold clinics and both are fully invested in getting people out there excited and able to compete at the best level that the dog is able .
Special congrats to Donna , having this year titled her herding Border Collie to Urban Tracking Dog Excellent, the first Border Collie to have this achievement.

She has a GSD , "River" who earned an Urban Track title at 12 years of age , (if I am not mistaken). That dog came from Lindau german shepherds, northern Ontario.
They began about the same time that I began competing - but under the name Iserbrun and we both got our start with females with a maternal line to Mary Southcott's Cara Mia kennels. Ms Mary was well established with her own "in-house" Cara Mia line - well known for outstanding temperament and working attitude - and she was the driving force to get obedience trialing going in Ontario.
Thank you Mary Southcott .
The kennel name changed to LINDAU - I have recommended them several times so here is the link again
Aboutus - ENJOY

One interesting thing is that I find that the dogs , GSD, with the most natural instinctive drive for track have a strong genetic base for herding -- GSD - old lines .

Donna has a very interesting dog Caden von der Kleinen Wiese - whose sire is known for genetic obedience and passing it on - and the mother line is a direct link to friend Ellen Nicklesburg's dog "Nicky" Alf Fafernus a progeny of Manfred Heyne's herding lines Boundry Instinct by Ellen Nickelsberg - Nickelsberg's Farm

here is Caden's pedigree Caden von der Kleinen Wiese - German Shepherd Dog

Carmen
CARMSPACK.com

[jocoyn]

I have done tracking in the past and find it to be great fun. What, in a nushell is the difference between the VST and the TDU?. Obviously a lot of police dogs do urban tracking hopefully more do urban trailing and never get "titles" just criminals and SAR dogs find people.

[Guardyan]

Thanks for the links Carmen, very interesting stuff!

Nancy, here's the "nutshell" version:

TDU (poss new title)
440-500 yards with 3-5 turns aged 30 min to 2 hrs
3 articles
2 different surfaces, 10-20% of track non-veg

VST (current title)
600-800 yards with 4-8 turns aged 3-5 hrs
4 articles
3 surfaces, one-third to two-thirds non-veg

[jocoyn]

Ok, so this looks like a stepping stone to the VST then!