There are those who speak about tracking and there are those who track. To some, such things as "contaminated areas" or "Poor weather". are excuses to stand down.

Long ago we at Baden left the world of excuses and entered the world of possibilities. If there was a problem then we concluded that there must also be a solution. Then we set our minds, ourselves and our dogs to discovering that solution. It is easy and safe to talk smack on a computer. One can, as several do, speak of tracking and training as if they were the voice of all knowledge with words that are punched out on a keyboard. Those words will never face the terrain or troubles of the field, just as those fingers punching out venom will likely never really touch a lead. It is in the field that one man and his dog face the test that will prove or disprove ability and professionalism.

My life has been blessed in as much as I have in my younger years walked with a true Dogman behind and beside some great dogs. Now in my middle years I am blessed to walk with some young eagles as we continue to deepen our communication with these dogs.

Last week while training with a contractor who works in Iraq and a professional from an African country. we set out to demonstrate our dogs in man tracking. One never knows what will happen when you least expect it but it is those moments that teach us so much about others and ourselves. It is in these lessons that we find our character and we also build a kinship with those like ourselves who desire to learn not to face bark for effect.

We had a bitch that was in heat and a male that was very interested in her. The first track my son and the fellow from Africa set out through fresh snow and hid down a steep ravine and in an old railway tunnel. The bitch with a very new handler tracked them in no time. In doing this she seldom paid any attention to the prints in the snow. On the way to find them the hills were steep and slippery and we went down on our backs many times on the way. The dog dealt with all of this interaction and never came off of the given task. I decided to run the next track for my son who was showing the male dog's ability to the handler from Africa. It was planned that the handler of the bitch in heat would come with me, but as we walked away the handler stopped and said, "If I go with you it will be too easy for him to track us". I agreed and left alone. I walked out of the ravine in a different direction that we had come in. When I got to high ground I crossed a rock pile so as to lose my footprints in the snow then I headed for a snowmobile trail that ran from west to east. There was a strong wind blowing form the west and it quickly covered my tracks on the hard trail. Once out onto a road I doubled back and into all of the tracks we had just made on the first track. This meant that I was coming into an area not only saturated with human scent but my own scent and the scent of the bitch in heat. I used that maze until I hit a road and then hid where I could see our trucks.

As I lay there waiting time passed and for the first time I thought of what I had just done. We were showing our dogs and our ability and a bitch in heat was walking behind the male tracking dog. I had doubled over her dropped scent on the road and I could think of no more difficult conditions than these. In fact ninety nine percent of all books and all law enforcement would say that this was impossible. I know when some read this on the talk pages many will say that they have done this and more, but I also know it will be untrue. Before too long I was found and as I thought about it all later on we had proven to ourselves that both we and the dogs are fully capable if we work as a team.

This is the real difference between talking and walking, and one must always test theory under great stress. As I said before I have been truly blessed in my life. I work not only with great dogs but surrounded by young eagles that pick up a lead and just "Do". I love to teach but I also love to learn and you young fellows have taught me a lot about the dogs, the Work and myself. I suppose that nothing is impossible when so many hands and so many hearts pull together.

To those of you who are serving overseas we carry you with us each day in our Work and each night in our prayers. To you in California, behave.

©Mike McConnery/Baden K9 Incorporated, 2/01/08

If you have comments please email us using the form provided below: