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Unfortunately, not every tracking team will be successful on test day. Judges must be well versed in the regulations to evaluate the dog’s performance and the handler’s actions. Pass or fail; all exhibitors should be treated in a respectful, courteous, and friendly manner.

Positioning: The position of the judges on the track is extremely important. By staying on the actual track, judges are in the best position to know where the track is and when the dog has gone off track beyond the point of recovery. Judges should have good field markers to help locate articles.

Proximity: There should be no question in either judge’s mind when making the decision to fail a team. For this reason, it is imperative that the judges be close to each other for easy communication. The conversation should remain private between the judges, so it may be necessary to gain some distance from the tracklayer or any others on the tracking field.

Reason for Failure: The most common reasons for the tracking team to fail are off track, missed article, took cross-tracks, dog stopped working and guiding. Judges should agree on the reason for failure before blowing the whistle, and the reason for failure should be recorded on the Judge’s Book chart. In all circumstances, the reason for failure should supported by the AKC Tracking Regulations. Any unusual circumstances should be noted by the judges on the back of the Judge’s Book cover.

Timing: It is essential that exhibitors have full faith in the impartiality and competence of the judges. It is good practice to let the dog and handler travel an adequate distance away from the track before failing the performance for being off-track. If the dog has stopped working, the dog must be failed. Guiding (behavior by the handler that influences or determines the dog’s direction) is prohibited and the team must be failed. Judges who ignore guiding behavior do a disservice to the team and to the sport. If the exhibitor believes that their behavior is acceptable (because they weren’t failed) then they may repeat it at a future test. Do not forget that the onlooking gallery will also see that the guiding behavior was accepted and may misunderstand what is allowed.

Finishing the Track: It is a courtesy to allow the failed team to finish the track as a training run. If the exhibitor desires to finish the track, the tracklayer should be instructed to go along with the exhibitor to offer help and support when needed. The exhibitor is expected to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner while finishing the track.

Sound judging procedures plus a thorough knowledge of the regulations will inspire the confidence of exhibitors and spectators.

Happy Tracking!

On test day, it is the responsibility of the judges to ensure that the equipment used in the field meets the current AKC Tracking Regulations requirements.

Collar: If a collar is worn by the dog while tracking, the collar must be properly fitted (buckle or slip). No special training collars, such as electronic collars or prong collars, will be permitted. Required licenses or rabies tags may be attached to the collar.

Harness: The dog must wear a harness while tracking. The harness will be constructed of pliable material with minimal restriction of the dog’s movement. An inconspicuous marking is permitted on the harness to identify the dog in case of loss.

Line: A tracking line must be attached to the top of the harness and not be deliberately run through the underside of the dog, controlling or restricting the dog’s movement. The line must be between 20 and 40 feet in length.

The following optional equipment is allowed. They must be put on the dog before the start of the track and in the presence of both judges.

Coat: Protective or cool coats may be worn by the dog either under or over the harness. If worn over the harness, there must be an opening on the coat that allows the line to be connected to the harness at the top.

Footwear: Booties may be worn to provide protection to the dog’s feet.

Eyewear: Goggles may be worn to provide protection to the dog’s eyes.

The only items permitted on the tracking field are those items considered by the judges to be essential to conducting the test. Judges will not allow any motivational items such as food or toys. Any type of recording devices that film video, capture pictures and/or locations are not to be carried by the handler or attached to the dog. Spectators may video or photograph the dog in the field as long as they remain in the gallery area(s) designated by the judges.

If you have any questions, please email tracking@akc.org.
Happy Tracking!

The best way to avoid misunderstandings between judge and club is by effective communication from both parties before the test. After contacting a judge with an invitation to judge an event, the test giving club should prepare a contract letter detailing all judging arrangements, acceptable judge’s expenses and judging fees. Judges should review the contract and add any additional expenses or requirements before returning the signed contract to the club. If there are changes to the original contract, a club official should initial the changes, sign the contract and return a copy of the final contract to the judge. The club should keep accurate written records of any verbal or written contracts with judges (follow up all discussions with email communication). If the club’s leadership changes, these records will help the new leadership to ensure that judge’s contracts are honored.

The contract should include:
• Name of the club, address and telephone/cell phone number(s) of the club and the contact person.
• Date and complete address for the location of the event.
• List the finalized judging assignments that the club will submit on their AKC test application.
• Name and contact information for the co-judge(s) for each assignment.
• Expenses and Fees. When referring to expenses, be as specific as possible, e.g., number of nights in a hotel, level of airline fare, meal allowances and ground transportation mileage. Judges should include any additional expenses (judging fees, house/pet sitting, airport parking, transportation to the hotel, etc.) and all personal requirements.
• Notification of accommodation and hospitality arrangements. Include details such as the name of the hotel/motel, directions to the hotel/motel, directions to the event site, the hotel’s dining features, hotel telephone numbers and hotel emergency number. If this information is not available at the time the contract is prepared, the club should send this information to judges at least 60 days prior to the event.
• A date by which the judge must return the written confirmation of acceptance of the assignment.

It is up to the judge to check for assignment conflicts before accepting the club’s invitation. The judge should reply to the club promptly and in writing to accept or decline the assignment. Before returning the signed contract, the judge should provide anticipated expenses and fees. Judges are responsible for abiding by the contract conditions.

Happy Tracking!

One of the most heartbreaking calls for tracking judges is to fail a team when the dog misses an article. The judges must know exactly where the article was to be placed and be watching the dog carefully when he approaches the drop area so that they can make the correct ruling in the field.

The first thing that judges must determine is whether the article is at the drop point or missing. If the article is where it should be and the team has continued down the track without picking it up, the judges have no choice other than to fail the team.

If, after a quick search and conferring with the tracklayer, the article is determined to be missing then the judges must make a ruling according to the regulations for each test level. Since the missing article regulations for TDU/VST and TD/TDX are different, judges must know the following:

TD/TDX: If, in the judges’ opinion, the dog actively searched the area where an article was dropped but did not find the article, and the judges cannot find the article, the dog will be given credit for finding the article. If the dog does not actively search the area and the judges cannot find the article, the dog will be tested on another track that meets the requirements of the Regulations.

TDU/VST: The judges will give the dog credit for the article if an article is not found and cannot be located by the judges or the tracklayer, provided that the dog worked continuously and intently along the actual track.

Happy Tracking!

Judges and tracking test committee members have an important responsibility when it comes to communicating with exhibitors. Tracking test participants should be well informed before the event, warmly welcomed at the test, and encouraged by their judges.

The AKC Tracking Regulations guidelines for judges’ state: “Judges are expected to be friendly and courteous to all. Without exhibitors, there would be no tests. For every experienced exhibitor there are many newcomers. The future of this sport is in the hands of the novice.”

Exhibitors are always going to have a few nervous moments when they are faced with having their tracking performance evaluated in a test environment. So much goes into preparation and training before the event, that it is understandable that the handler may feel stressed. We cannot know all the stressors, but we can do our best to alleviate some of the anxiety.

Judges should strive to be friendly and approachable. Take a few minutes at the test track draw meeting to introduce yourself and your co-judge. Thank the club and exhibitors for their participation and let them know that you are rooting for them. Explain the details of traveling to the tracking field… which car to follow, who will oversee the gallery and special parking restrictions. Ask if there are any questions, then give them time to use the facilities.

When you arrive at the tracking area, judges should let the exhibitor know where they can walk their dog and if the track is ready now or how long they will have to wait. Just before the team is directed to the start flag, take a minute to ask the handler if they have any questions and wish them good luck. Do not unduly hurry the team and be sure to give them plenty of space between your position and the start flag.

Once the dog has started the track, communication with the handler would be limited to granting permission to restart (TD/TDU only), to warn of a potentially dangerous situation or if the team has been failed. Judges should not acknowledge whether items found are official test articles until the celebration at the final article.

If the exhibitor requests information regarding individual dog’s performance, the conversation should be delayed until after the judge has completed the assignment and turned in the judge’s book. However, a judge should never continue a conversation with an angry or aggressive person. This is a wonderful time to point out all the things the team did well, and to encourage them for their next try at the title.

Happy Tracking!

The Tracking Judge’s Guidelines state “The tracking fraternity is known for its friendliness, hospitality and encouragement of all participants.” This legacy lives on thanks to the efforts of club volunteers and tracking judges. Together, we endeavor to make tracking tests pleasurable for dogs, handlers and sponsoring clubs while upholding high standards for titling.

Encouraging participation in our sport is so very important. Thank you all for your role, whether it be to lay a track for a friend, teach a class, volunteer for a test, support a potential new tracking judge or put in the many hours of work as a judge for an event. The tracking community embodies the best of camaraderie.

Accommodating the special needs of tracking exhibitors is one way that we can support continued participation in our sport. Although we are not able to give an “easier” track to an exhibitor with physical limitations, we can help by modifying the draw so that they would run a track that has easier access to the start of the track. A track that has a nearby parking lot would be a better choice than a track that has a substantial walk-in to the field.

Exhibitors with wheelchairs, sight impairments, or other physical limitations may be assisted on the track by a helper designated by that exhibitor. The helper would walk behind the judges and provide momentary assistance to the handler without guiding the dog in any way. After assisting the handler, the helper would return to a position on the track behind the judges.

Additionally, an exhibitor may need to take a short rest during a test track. The handler can momentarily catch their breath, resting the dog and themselves. The handler must be made aware that no “restart” or guiding of the dog is allowed but can “rescent” and release the dog to go back to tracking.

Happy Tracking to All!

One of the requirements for tracking tests at all levels is track length. Tracking enthusiasts and judges need to acquire several skills to lay regulation tracks.

Calculate your “walking-stride to yards” ratio.
Very few people have a stride that measures exactly a yard with each step. The first thing that you need to do is to find out how many steps you take in a controlled, measured length. An official running track is 437.45 yards, a football field is 100 yards from the goal line to goal line or 120 yards if you include the goal areas on each end. Practicing on these fields will give you a good baseline of your stride length but keep in mind that this is a quite easy walking environment, and your stride will shorten in heavy cover and on hills. Once you have your stride to yard calculation you can make up a conversion chart, use a multiplier or “skip a step” count as you walk.

Here are examples of ways to calculate yardage for a person that takes 125 paces for 100 yards (yours will probably be different):

Chart: # Step = # Yards
i.e., 5 steps = 4 yards; 20 steps = 15 yards; 60 steps = 45 yards; 125 steps = 100 yards
or
Multiply your steps by .75
or
Skip every fourth step in your step count
(1, 2, 3, take a step without counting, 4, 5, 6, take a step without counting, etc.). With this method you will always know your running track measurement in yards.

This is a good exercise to do from time to time, as your stride can change.

Develop a Good Sense of Distance.
You must be able to gauge (“eye”) distances accurately in the field to know if it is possible to plot elements like:

• A minimum, 50-yard leg
• A minimum, 100-yard leg to hold cross-tracks
• Plot a Moment-of-Truth turn with at least 30 yards of non-veg after the turn
• Stay more than 50 yards away from another track
• Have enough space for a regulation length track in a field

Much like a golfer who hones his ability to estimate the distance from his golf ball to the pin to choose the right club, a tracking enthusiast can train themselves to estimate distances in the field or urban surroundings. You can stand at a corner and find a landmark out in the field, jot down your yardage guess and then see how close you are. This can be done in everyday life as well… park your car at the back of the Walmart lot and see how close you can come to estimating the yardage to the front door before you walk off the measurement. Practice makes perfect. You will be glad that you played these games and own this skill.

Happy Tracking!

Spectators at tracking events are important for our sport. The people who come to watch the test are often friends and family of the exhibitors, dog owners who may be there to see if tracking might be something that they would like to do with their dog, and club members who are volunteering their time in support of the test. Any of these reasons for attending would place these people in the “VIP” category and it is important that we treat them as such.

Spectators form their opinion of the sport through seeing the actions of the judge, handler, and dog. Care must be taken to avoid any action that might reflect poorly on the sport. Judges should work to maintain spectator appeal in the sport while keeping foremost in mind the welfare and convenience of the exhibitor and the dog.

When plotting tracks, the judges should always consider the staging of exhibitors and gallery. Especially in urban tracking, smart use of the parking areas is imperative. If parking lots are at a premium and must be utilized for non-vegetative yardage and “Moment of Truth” turns, using a centrally located parking area for test parking and starting a couple of tracks in different directions from that lot can really help with test day organization.

It is also important to give clear instruction to the handlers and gallery at the draw meeting. To ensure that the spectators do not interfere with the dog’s work, indicate the location of direction of the track or contaminate unused tracks, these instructions should include:

· Introducing a test committee member who has been authorized to lead the caravan to the staging areas and move spectators into an area where they can safely observe the team. Make sure that this Gallery Control Chief has been advised of the judge’s instructions for each track.

· All those present should be mandated to stay with the group as they move to the track area and use only the specified areas for parking, exercising their dogs and available restrooms.

· Spectators should be reminded to keep talking volume low and noise to a minimum. If they wish to walk the track behind the team and judges, the gallery must stay in a tight group and only move with permission of the judges or gallery person. This includes controlling the gallery as they walk back to the start area after the dog has failed or passes.

It is the judge’s responsibility to make certain that spectators remain more than 50 yards away from the start flag until the dog, handler and judges have moved out of the starting area.

Dogs should be trained to accept and ignore the presence of people in the tracking areas at all levels of testing. Sometimes, handlers request that a gallery not be permitted to watch their track. Observation by the gallery is integral to the test, and such a request would not be granted unless unusual circumstances occurred. We can, however, assure the handler that the gallery will be controlled and will not interfere with the dog’s work.

The tracking fraternity is known for its friendliness, hospitality, and encouragement of all current and future participants.

Happy Tracking!

Plotting cross-tracks can be one of the most challenging judging tasks when designing Tracking Dog Excellent tracks. The AKC Tracking Regulations require the cross-track layers to stay at least 75 yards away from the start of the track. It is important that the dog have an uncontaminated area around the start of the track to “lock in” on the primary tracklayer’s scent left on the start article and first leg of the track.

Many tracking sites have limited access to fields leaving judges few opportunities to bring in cross-track layers and get them out of the field without getting within 50 yards of the track (except when they are crossing the actual track). It is essential that the judging team have a plan for cross-tracks before they start plotting. Often, when faced with limited access to the field, you need to plan to bring in cross-track layers on the second leg of the track.

There are several options available to you when plotting the first cross-track on leg 2. Choose a design that works well for the field space available and ensures that the start area is unaffected. The following illustrations show three ways to effectively plot regulation cross-tracks on leg 2.

Don’t forget that the cross-tracks must be perpendicular to the track and be in a straight line at least 50 yards before and 50 yards after each crossing. Cross-track layers must also be instructed on how to exit the field in order to stay at least 50 yards away from any other portion of the primary track.

Happy Tracking!

Tracking Dog Excellent and Variable Surface Tracking tests require the dog to demonstrate an advanced skill at the start flag.  The handler is instructed to approach the start of the track without indication of the direction of the track.  The dog takes scent from the start article and without guidance from the handler, must commit itself to the direction of the track before the handler may leave the start flag.

In order for judges to plot a good, one-flag blind start, there must be careful planning before they enter either TDX or VST fields.  Both of these tracking tests require a start in an area that permits the direction of the track to go in any direction within a 180 degree arc.  The judges must include a 30 yard, straight walk-in by the tracklayer, to ensure that there is not a turn at the starting flag.  For TDX tracks, the judges must also think about staying away from obstacles on the first leg and plotting the first corner out in the open.  For VST tracks, the judges must have at least 20 yards of vegetation after the start flag.

At the time of plotting, it is important for the judges to discuss the exact approach and path the handler will be advised to walk in with their dog to get to the start.  This is important for two reasons.  The first is to make sure that the handler’s direction of approach is less than 90 degrees in relation to the first leg.  The team should not have to work an acute angle at the start. The second consideration is to ensure that the handler brings the dog to the start flag at an angle that does not give away the direction of the track and allows the dog to demonstrate his ability to take scent from the start article and find the direction of the track.  This is a fundamental requirement for advanced tracking dogs.  Handlers work hard training their dogs to be competent at indicating direction from a blind start and they expect this component at the test.

Happy Tracking!