Well, your dog might not be ready for a job with the police department, but there must be something he can do!

There is -- he can be trained to track.

What is tracking, how much work does it involve, and how much fun it is? The short answers are scenting, lots and lots.

Tracking is an energetic sport; the tracking dog test demonstrates the dog's ability to follow a scent trail and find both dropped objects & a person at the end of the track, which ranges from 800 metres to 1200 metres long. It is usually run very early in the morning, before the heat of the day so if your dog likes to follow a scent and you like getting up early and getting some healthy exercise into the bargain, this sport is for you! Dogs involved locally are mainly those that are bred to use their nose such as some of the Working Dog breeds (Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, German Shepherds etc.), Gundogs (Labradors, GSPs, Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, Springer Spaniels, Irish Water Spaniels, Viszlas etc.), Hounds (Dachshunds, Beagles, Ridgebacks etc.), although there are some others like West Highland White Terriers, Siberian Huskies, Great Danes etc. that are not generally renowned for their noses but can be very able trackers!!! Not to mention the non-pedigreed dogs who also have that inherent ability to follow a good smell! These are just some of the dogs competing in tracking trials in S E Queensland. Any dog can have a go!

We hold 3 tracking trials per year plus training days. You will need to have your own camping gear as trials are spread out over three-day weekends at a rural property 1 hour from Gympie and they commence at daybreak each day, so you need to be onsite and ready to go at dawn! We have lots of fun and the dogs love it!