Canine Tracking Guide: Training the All-Purpose Tracker

by Don Abney

The beginner-friendly guide to training a tracking dog! Scenting is the inherited ability of every dog. Canine Tracking Guide will help you teach your dog to identify a specific scent and lead you to its origin! This 120-page easy-to-read book details the two most common uses of the canine following blood trails for wounded game and tracking humans (from lost children and missing hikers to escaped convicts). Author Don Abney, a court-certified expert in the field of canine training and tracking, explains the concept of human scent and how the amazing canine nose functions. He then elaborates on the basic training principles, commands, exercises, and patterns used in tracking work. Whether you're working with hunting dogs, police dogs, cadaver dogs, or competition dog, this helpful guide offers the information you'll need for every tracking pursuit. A dog approaches each task the same way—tracking deer or raccoon, wounded prey, fallen game, a blood trail, a designated object, or a lost child in the woods. Author Don Abney, a master trainer in the fields of tracking, hunting, search-and-rescue, and detector work, uses proven methods of training and execution to lay out the foundation for teaching a dog to identify a specific scent and to lead its owner to its origin. You'll also find a comprehensive glossary of common tracking terms, a list of toxic substances to avoid, and a helpful index. Learn all you need to know to start training a tracking dog, with Canine Tracking Guide !

120 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2008