Reflections on my Dog

Tracking is the first phase in Schutzhund. It simulates tracking down a bad guy who has escaped. The dog must follow a track in various terrain and weather. They must navigate turns/corners in the track and find dropped “articles” (See definitions for more information) left by the track layer. The length and complexity vary based on the level. For example, a level one track is 300 paces and an advanced title is 1900 paces. This is a stylized tracking. It is desirable to have the dog’s nose deep in the vegetation sniffing each step. When they find an article they must go to a down position with the article between their paws. (At least this is the style most trainers choose) To get this result, handlers place a small piece of food in the toe of each foot print. The dog then follows the food scent and stops to eat the food. The handler often puts a handful of food, jackpots, on top of the article to use this as a rest and reward for the dog. This creates the habit of nose to the ground and downing at the articles. Through time, the handler reduces the amount of food until the dog tracks without any on the track in competition. I used to really hate tracking. It isn’t Bison’s favorite. Every stage and every new thing to teach was a struggle. He just doesn’t seem to like it. Grizzly, on the other hand, is a natural. His extremely high food drive makes him really enjoy finding a whole trail of little treats. He is good at it, and he makes tracking fun for me! I started him at 8 weeks on a 5 pace track with an article at the end and gradually worked up adding in corners and articles in the middle of the track. No matter what I throw at Grizzly, he meets it with enthusiasm. In fact, the harder the track, the better he does. One Saturday, I decided to throw caution to the wind and really see what he could do. The most I lay for Bison is about 150 paces, maybe 200. For Grizzly, I laid a 300 pace track with 4 corners and about 6 articles. It went through short and tall grass and a clover patch. Once the track is laid, then the handler lets it age giving time for the scent in the air to settle. Then the dog follows the track laid for them without leading from the hander. They have to navigate by using their nose. Each track is laid with a lesson in mind such as navigating corners, finding articles, stamina, or just putting it all together. The handler holds the leash and follows behind the dog and usually another club member will walk along to offer advice or comment on what they see. Our club president was walking with Grizzly as he tracked that day. I told her how complex the track was and said, “I know he is only 6 months old, but I figure I will never know what he is capable of if I don’t try.” Grizzly did great! The scent pattern as we entered the tall grass/weeds threw him off a bit, but with some gentle guidance, he was back on the track quickly. He found all the articles and was able to focus more after each. I was so proud! I had to brag a bit on him to the other club members. The same day, Bison blew his 70 pace track and I had to take him back to the car without giving him his reward at the end of the track. This experience came to mind a week later. Something I read caused me to reflect on a concept that I had learned years before. A friend who was also going through infertility struggles said that she looked at the situation as a compliment from God. “He doesn’t give trials to people who can’t handle them. He allows trials and temptations in a person’s life because He knows they can handle it with His help.” This concept comes from 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” We see this applied in the story of Job. God has confidence in Job that he will withstand the trial that He allows Satan to throw at him. He says to Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job?” I am sure there were other people who were followers of God on the earth at that time, yet God selected Job for the privilege of representing Him. We see at the end of the story how proud God was of Job. Job had no idea that all this was going on behind the scenes, just like we often have no idea the reason for the struggles that we face. Sometimes they are the result of our own sin, but sometimes it is just God laying a really difficult track to see what we are made of. As I saw the potential in Grizzly, He sees something in our obedience and faith in Him that makes Him believe that we are ready to be tested. He leaves little jackpots along the way in the form of encouragement from friends and treasures from His Word. Like the articles on Grizzly’s track, these are places to rest and focus on what the Master wants us to do. There may be places along the way that we might need some extra guidance to stay on track. Ultimately my desire is to keep focus, learn the lesson, and finish the track and make my Heavenly Handler proud of me, rather than heading back to the car in shame, missing my reward.