Tracking during the winter in Minnesota (& other similar climates)...? - Page 1

Snow up to about 6" deep is pretty good for training. The scent tends to stay in the footprints once the scent-cone around/above it goes away. You're lucky you have indoor facilities for B and C!

SS

Tracking in the snow is pretty obvious and easy for the dog.  It's good for article tracking.  Once it gets deep here, we can't even do that, unless we have a snow plow clear a path, LOL.  Veronica

Hang it up for a few months and go ice fishing, eh?

You can show these conditions to your dog but too many will cause sight tracking. The only way around this is to go to an area that has lots and lots of footprints. Place your food in the heel  part hidden so that the dog must place his nose in each footprint. Our rules state that you can not book a trial during snow season. You must still show this to your dog though because stuff does happen on trial days. Don, are you hiding up here for some reason EH?   

 ice fishing, yeah you betcha, don't cha know! But hey, that gives me a great idea, tracking on frozen lakes.... Ice tracking!! One of my concerns was that the dog would visually follow the prints in the snow, but thanks for all the good tips.  BTW I am by no stretch of the imagination looking forward to winter, the fall colors are absolutely beautiful right now and the weather is perfect for training, but I know it's just right around the corner.

A light snow cover is great esspecially as a confident builder . Due to the condition the scent is easy to track for the dogs .I  use it for acute corner practice or very dificult tracks as  going over your own track such as  crossing last leg over first leg this of cource  for advanced track sure dogs. The light snow cover enables me to see exactly what I laid down. Dogs that tend to use their eyes  I lay a track on a sports field previously used by people  right through all the foot prints :) This exercise makes a dog track sure .  I stop tracking once we have a good cover of snow just no benefit in it . I love it right after all melted again nice and wet and due to the almost non consistend grass cover it is almost like  dirt tracking.

Happy late fall early winter tracking !!

just got back from germany  ,a  tracking paradise I tell you  grass fields and dirt fields everywhere. Awesome for a nice nature walk too .

Pia