Tracking classes?

[Callielongandawkward]

Hi there folks!
I'm new to this community, but I'm Hannah, mom to Callie, an 11 month old mini longhair. She's recently (last few months) become really obsessed with a particular ball toy she has. Because of that, we've been working on a lot of party tricks (catch, pick/choose, balancing on her nose, find your ball) and I've discovered that she is really atuned to her scent skills (I know doxies are scent hounds). Yesterday I began to hide her ball in my bed in various places while I kept her in the bathroom so she couldn't see where I put the ball. I then told her to "find your ball" and she did it. I've also been having her locate other non-ball related things like treats and other toys to her success.
Long story not so short, I've been thinking that enrolling her in some tracking classes might be good for her. Anyone have experience in tracking classes with doxies? Are they useful? Do they work? Are they worth it?
Callie is super intelligent (most intelligent dog I've ever had) and I want to make sure she uses her mind and isn't bored.
Anyway thanks for reading!
Best to all of you

 

[Tikki]

Hello Hannah - welcome to you and Callie from me and my half-Doxie Tikva - frequently called Tikki which is why I chose my user name.

Callie sounds very clever - the only tracking Tikva does is go to round the front yard in the morning to see if any loose dogs have wandered in during the night.

I am afraid that I cannot help you regarding tracking classes as I do not know anything about them. We do not even have puppy classes anywhere here that I know of, but hopefully someone who does know about them will see your post and advise you.

 

[Tikki]

[COLOR=#ff0080]@Callielongandawkward[/COLOR] - your user name makes me laugh! Callie cannot be awkward if she is so clever - my [just] 16 month old Tikva has been almost impossible to train to do anything. It took ages for her to learn that "sit" means put your tuchus on the floor! We are still working on "stay" which I thought she had mastered ages ago but it seems to have gone by the wayside.

As for "down" - forget it. I have never had such a stubborn pup, but she has a wonderful recall although she is only outside on a 12m tether - unless the trigger clip breaks or the leash attached to the end of her tether breaks. But she will not go out of the yard and comes in within seconds of being called.

The classic was when she vanished and when I called her she yawned - from the couch behind me. She had walked out of a vest-type harness, left it outside still clipped onto her tether, and came in for a doze!

 

[Wandering Man]

PD showed a lot of talent for tracking when he was young. At one time I thought about earth dog contests (http://www.earthdog.net/) (http://www.dachshundclubofamerica.org/earthdog/)

We never followed through, though.

At 13 he can still track, just not as well. With eyesight failing, he'll sometimes go to where I started, before he figures out its an old scent and tracks me back to where I am.

 

[Tikki]

I love the way Ammo's ear flaps tend to - well, flap backwards. Tikva frequently has one or both of her ears flapped back but I thought it was because she is only half Doxie and has smaller ears which are set sideways more than down like a pure-bred Doxie.

I doubt if she could ever learn to track, she certainly knows how to dig - half my front yard fell down! She is not so bad with that now though although she does like the occasional scrabble. She is currently still outside [at coming up to 9.30am] having been out since we surfaced a couple of hours ago, no doubt still checking if she has any "mail". Breakfast for her is due in about an hour but she has not even asked for a wake-up bikkie.

Oh well, she is just a stubborn little girl who I love very much.

 

[Wandering Man]

I think they flip their ears back because they think it is stylish.
Sometimes my guys will just have one ear flipped back. Sometimes they do both. Sometimes neither ear.
Kinda like wearing different shoes just so you look different today than you did yesterday.

 

[BeachDoxie]

My Sunny is 6 months old and I'm starting her on tracking for sheds! From what I've heard from people who really do use these amazing dogs to hunt/track- which they were bred to do- many of them still have strong instinct and drive and they need and love to work.

I think your girl would love tracking classes. Best of luck!

This is Sunny and our cocker, Molson, sniffing away!

 

[Tikki]

Hello Stephanie

Sunny and Molson are lovely dogs!