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Show The dog who is searching properly runs with raised nose in the direction indicated by his master. During search work it is important that the trainer gives these direction signals clearly. Trail work. Trail work is also adapted to sharpen the nose of the dog. If one thinks about it, it is realized that the dog has to pursue a trail which is often 10 hours old over difficult terrain. Trail work is distinguished from search work by the fact that in the former the dog searches with lowered nose, and in the latter with nose raised. Even though the work as such is very demanding, it is not harmful. It has been shown many times that trail work is an excellent form of training, even though search work must predominate. To describe trail work in detail would require far too much time, as it is a tremendously specialized field. Trainers gladly give information about types of trail work and the manner in which work is planned and then carried out. It should be briefly said that at first the dog has to work out his own trails, which have been prepared by the trainer. Later on he starts to work on strange trails. The work is performed with a trail leash. The dog is put on the trail at the starting point with the auditory signal: " Search!". He then has to follow this trail. On the trail there are strewn objects which the dog has to leave untouched. At first, the trail is run through an untouched meadow. The trail must not be older than 30 minutes ( warm trail) and should not exceed 300 meters in length. At first it should follow a straight course; later on it may curve, and later trails can be variously angled. The trail exercise has to be finished with a success for the dog; this means that a person or an object has to be located at the end of the trail. Where possible, the trail should start downwind in order to force the dog into lower nose work ( true to the trail). Note: If you are unclear or doubtful in your training work, you should immediately contact your teachers or other experts in the dog training field. It is better to let the work wait than to do it radically wrong. Training standards are structurally alike; however, every dog has to be treated individually* Different methods for the same work lead to the same goal with different dogs* - 23 - |