Tracking is a non-competitive sport that utilizes a dog’s natural ability to follow scent. It’s a challenging but fun sport that can be best summed up as the ultimate in teamwork and trust with your canine partner. Tervs excel at tracking- considering the relatively small number of Tervuren in the US, we have a very high percentage of tracking titled dogs

All dogs instinctively are “nosy” and want to smell their way through life; tracking is harnessing this instinctive skill. There are many books available out there that cover tracking basics, but the best way is to find someone or a club in your area that is involved in tracking.

In tracking, the dog and handler work at their own pace, making it a great sport for young pups as well as super seniors to try out. 

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There are several levels of AKC tracking, with the introductory levels of Tracking Dog (TD) and Tracking Dog Urban (TDU), and progressing to higher, more challenging levels such as Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) and Variable Surface Tracking (VST) and culminating in a Champion Tracker(CT) for those who earn all 3 levels of titles (TD/TDU, TDX, and VST). The lower levels involve a human scent trail being laid 30 minutes to 2 hours prior to your dog following the scent trail, with an article left at the start with the scent to follow, and precisely following the path the other person took as well as finding an “end article” left at the completion of the track. As the dog’s skills advance, the tracks will get longer in length and age (3-5 hours) as well as increased numbers of articles to find, and more difficult challenges such as someone else having walked across the track, working around trees, or over asphalt and concrete surfaces, such as roads and parking lots. Tests are held in various weather conditions and seasons, increasing the challenge and unpredictability of the sport.

Tervs LOVE to track- ultimately they’re in charge of this game and we’re along for the ride. What Terv doesn’t love being in charge?