# SchH FH1 & FH2



## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

Has anyone on here trained and titled their dogs to one or both.. Club trial or a Championship event?

What did you do to prepare the dog? Anything different? I hear some say if your dog can track a SchH 3 it's not much more than that? Is that true? 

(I know the Fh tracks are longer, aged more, can have different corners, cross track(s), change of terrain and cross a road.)

I'm working with Chaos now (my male next year) and am hoping to try this in the late fall/winter depending on how our training goes.. Today I started w/laying her first leg really, really long w/the first article at about 300 paces out, second leg was shorter w/an article and the last was almost as long as the first, but I had 2 articles.. we also had some change of terrain.. I figure I will gradually work her up to the 7 legs, 6 corners and start aging it more and more and finally have someone else lay a track or two for me..

A good friend told me I need to start laying all my tracks like what would be laid for an FH. So that's what I'm doing!


----------



## KJenkins (Aug 29, 2005)

Just because a dog can do a SchH3 track doesn't mean they can do a FH by a long shot otherwise you'd see a lot more FH behind the names of these dogs. 

I would work on only a couple of things at a time at most until you are sure the dog is proficient in each of the various requirements of an FH( more articles,longer aging, cross tracks, change of terrain, longer track, more corners, road crossing). I think I've run a complete FH maybe a half dozen times including the trials. First trial he took the cross-track so no go and the second trial I salvaged an 85 after the track sat in the cold pouring rain for close to 4 hours plus running the track in the pouring rain. 

If you're working on something new such as aging make the track shorter for a while, if it's length less corners and age...you get the picture. You don't need to overwhelm your dog each time they track.


----------



## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

Wow.. 4 hrs old in the rain.. That's a tough one..

Through the years of training/tracking, my dogs have been exposed to a lot of different stuff already.. And like you said I've taught each component/worked on them separately. Except the only thing I've not really done is lay extremely long tracks or have I aged a track past an hour and a half..

Is it more discipline on the dogs part for doing the FH?


----------



## KJenkins (Aug 29, 2005)

1200 paces is a long ways especially when you throw in the other requirements. You need a dog who won't quit on the track. While you need the obedience you need to make sure your dog stays in drive. This is a team effort you aren't along just for the ride at the end of the lead. You need to be able to read your dog and realize when they are in trouble and help as you can within the frame-work of the rules. Sometimes you just need to maybe take a hit on the points and give another search command. If my dog fails I don't want it to be because I failed him as a handler. We'll pass together...we'll fail together.


----------



## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Actually, they longer the track lays, they better the scent. 

First off the scent is going up but later on it's coming back down and is even stronger than before. So the dogs can smell an 8-10 hour old track better than if they went on there right after it got laid.


----------



## Vandal (Dec 22, 2000)

Here is an article that was published in the USA Magazine some years back. I was looking for something else and came across this so, I scanned it for you. 
Al Kerr wrote it. It's about training his dog for the FH Championship. 
If I ever decide to try an FH, I might read it more carefully....but being from Southern CA, trying to train for an FH feels a bit too much like being on the Jamaican Ski Team. 

http://www.adlerstein.com/FHarticlePage1.jpg

http://www.adlerstein.com/FHarticlePage2.jpg

http://www.adlerstein.com/FHarticlePage3.jpg

http://www.adlerstein.com/FHarticlePage4.jpg

I have not read it, just scanned it but it seems to offer a pretty good blueprint. Maybe it will help. Good luck.


----------



## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

Thanks Anne! And Keith..


----------



## justde (Oct 4, 2000)

Conditioning is also very important. Physically conditioning, biking the dog, etc. for physical stamina as well as scenting stamina. Tracking is exhausting for the dog.


----------



## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

> Conditioning is also very important. Physically conditioning, biking the dog, etc. for physical stamina as well as scenting stamina.


That's what I'm hearing! And also not to rush the training..


----------



## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

So we've got a game plan.. or so I think!! 

Right now we are working on length/distance.. We'll take our time with it..

Then I think the next step will be working on aging the tracks..


----------



## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

Anne, thank you so much for the article. Even though I do AKC style tracking, the advice and training concepts are very useful and I'm going to give it a try and incorporate some elements into my own routine.

Leesa, good luck!


----------

