Tracking for Sport
Golden Retrievers have great noses that can detect smell just about anywhere. Tracking enthusiasts insist that the sport of tracking with a Golden is a sport of trust in your dog's ability to follow and find the appropriate scent. The AKC devised a tracking test at two different levels in which dogs can earn titles and show off their wonderful abilities.
The first level test is for the title Tracking Dog, or TD. This test's basic goal is to determine the dog's ability to follow a track or path walked by someone who is a stranger to the dog under a variety of weather and terrain conditions. At this level the terrain is moderate, and the dog must either retrieve a glove or wallet left by the track-layer at the end of the track. The dog wears a harness and a twenty-to forty-foot lead. The handler's job is to follow his dog at least twenty feet behind and give vocal encouragement. The handler may not use commands or body language to guide the dog. Each test must be on virgin ground, 400 to 500 yards in length, and have three to five turns. Two of the turns must be at right angles. The scent of the track must be thirty minutes to two hours old under moderate terrain and varying weather conditions.
The purpose of the test is to demonstrate the dog's ability to recognize and follow human scent and to show the dog's willingness to work for his handler. Goldens excel at this sport since it combines two of their favorite pastimes: being with and finding people, and sniffing!
The second level is designated by the title Tracking Dog Excellent, or TDX. Dogs at this level are tested for stamina, perseverance, courage, and their ability to discriminate scent under a variety of conditions. The track at this level must be 800 to 1,000 yards long, with five to seven turns, at least three being at right angles, and the scent must be three to five hours old. The TDX test also has two cross tracks laid one hour and fifteen minutes to one hour and forty-five minutes after the original track at specified points. This of course acts as a distraction and further challenges the dog's ability to discriminate scent. The terrain at this test is more complex, often involving streams, gullies, woods, and so on. The dog that earns the TDX title must find indicate and retrieve four personal and dissimilar articles left by the track-layer, such as a sock, scarf, shoe, hat, glove, or wallet.
