# The track as a reward?



## gsdluvr (Jun 26, 2012)

Hi to all,

I have posted before on my girl's apparent lack of drive for toys, tugs, essentially not showing any drive for protection.

I have been concentrating on her high food drive for tracking. I am also learning to lay tracks. She is doing well and keeps her nose on the ground intensely. I have been told to play with her as a reward after the track. But she does not appear to acknowledge that as fun since she has no tug drive and the ball is borderline. In other words, it is anticlimactic.

I think she wishes there was more track and food? She is 1 year old. I am beginning to extend the track longer and longer. We are just beginners so the track is about 60- 70 feet.

What is a reward for a dog like this? TIA


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

I don't use a toy on my track. He gets a pile of food at the end.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Karlo tracks to track...articles and food on his track are mostly an annoyance to him. When I do put a toy at the end, he just wants to keep on tracking. 
He would much rather 'man-track' than do the IPO style. 
I have to let him know(food, verbal praise) that he is correct in this obedience based type tracking. It isn't natural to him to want to track for articles or a toy....he'd much rather have an exciting find.


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## gsdluvr (Jun 26, 2012)

I was told not to "jackpot" the end or they will rush and be inaccurate on the track. Have you found this to be true?


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

gsdluvr said:


> I was told not to "jackpot" the end or they will rush and be inaccurate on the track. Have you found this to be true?



No. My boy loves tracking. He often leaves food on the track. I don't see how using a toy at the end would be any less capable of creating "rushing" than food, for a dog with good toy drive. Same thing.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

gsdluvr said:


> I was told not to "jackpot" the end or they will rush and be inaccurate on the track. Have you found this to be true?


yes, if the food drive is high, yet you have to reward or at least acknowledge the end of the track. Quiet Praise may be enough, with a small jackpot to signal the end...pull the dog off and put up in crate for processing if the track was a learning session.
I would rather do some serpentines, or complicated tracks if the dog is rushing, I want the dog to think. Yet do it so the dog is set up to succeed. Track laying is difficult when you do get into the more intricate stuff.


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## gsdluvr (Jun 26, 2012)

Thank you, I will do that tomorrow.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

I don't think its necessary to have any additional motivator at the end of the track if the dog enjoys tracking itself, especially if the dog doesn't particularly enjoy the reward that you're offering anyway. If you are pleased with her tracking behavior, why not just expand your criteria? Add length to the track, start picking up more food, age it longer, etc. 

I have personally known some dogs who have learned to rush to the end of the track to get to a "jackpot" or higher value reward, and I chose not to do so myself for my current dog.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

GatorDog said:


> I don't think its necessary to have any additional motivator at the end of the track if the dog enjoys tracking itself, especially if the dog doesn't particularly enjoy the reward that you're offering anyway. If you are pleased with her tracking behavior, why not just expand your criteria? Add length to the track, start picking up more food, age it longer, etc.
> 
> I have personally known some dogs who have learned to rush to the end of the track to get to a "jackpot" or higher value reward, and I chose not to do so myself for my current dog.


so how do you end your tracks?


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

onyx'girl said:


> GatorDog said:
> 
> 
> > I don't think its necessary to have any additional motivator at the end of the track if the dog enjoys tracking itself, especially if the dog doesn't particularly enjoy the reward that you're offering anyway. If you are pleased with her tracking behavior, why not just expand your criteria? Add length to the track, start picking up more food, age it longer, etc.
> ...


At an article. Sometimes pretend reporting out to judge and give a ball as we heel back to the car.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

I remember being given an assignment years ago: Find what motivates your dog. (ie find what is rewarding). I wanted to say "Got a horse?" But I did find a motivator before our next training session (a couple of days later.) I think the OP needs to find what his dog values. That's what you use as a reward.


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## gsdluvr (Jun 26, 2012)

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD!!!!!! That's her bag!


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## gsdluvr (Jun 26, 2012)

GatorDog said:


> At an article. Sometimes pretend reporting out to judge and give a ball as we heel back to the car.


The ball would mean little to her


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

gsdluvr said:


> GatorDog said:
> 
> 
> > At an article. Sometimes pretend reporting out to judge and give a ball as we heel back to the car.
> ...


Right, so don't use it. My dog isn't tracking and thinking about getting the ball. She's tracking and thinking about the track. I don't really understand the idea that there "needs" to be an additional motivator to "reward" if the dog is already successful and enjoying the process.


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

I did some scent work classes with Kyleigh. When she found the correct scent, she'd paw at the box, I'd say YES, and toss a treat. She made eye contact and ignored the food LOL

I tried a ball, a squeaky toy, all kinds of different things that she usually enjoys - NOTHING. 

ALL she wanted was my YES and a rub on the chest ...


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

GatorDog said:


> At an article. Sometimes pretend reporting out to judge and give a ball as we heel back to the car.


Yes, article at the end is a given.
My question was more along the lines of, what do you say(or do) to let them know the track is ended if there is no ball, jackpot? 

I have to let my dog know we are no longer tracking, with a 'free' or other type verbal praise...otherwise he'd continue to track my footsteps after that last article(toys aren't as high value to him as the actual track).


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

onyx'girl said:


> GatorDog said:
> 
> 
> > At an article. Sometimes pretend reporting out to judge and give a ball as we heel back to the car.
> ...


No jackpot, no ball. I reward the last article like the others, but command a sit/fuss to judge instead of continuing the track. She knows it's the end by my command to sit instead of continuing.


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## gsdluvr (Jun 26, 2012)

GatorDog said:


> Right, so don't use it. My dog isn't tracking and thinking about getting the ball. She's tracking and thinking about the track. I don't really understand the idea that there "needs" to be an additional motivator to "reward" if the dog is already successful and enjoying the process.


I think this might hit the nail on the head. This morning we did 100 straight feet with more steps in between. I never noticed her losing interest once, even with the longer spaces. At the end, it looks like she wants to continue and since we are beginners, I have decided to take my time with the foundation firmly planted before getting complicated.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

gsdluvr said:


> I think this might hit the nail on the head. This morning we did 100 straight feet with more steps in between. I never noticed her losing interest once, even with the longer spaces. At the end, it looks like she wants to continue and since we are beginners, I have decided to take my time with the foundation firmly planted before getting complicated.


That's good news! Foundation is important. It sounds as if she'll enjoy the challenge by stepping up the game a bit.


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