The German Shepherd tracking training in movies, tracking a designated moving target, is not a plot but actually exists in reality. However, for dogs, this can be achieved through training!

　　Based on the dog owner’s commands and the scent source given to it, the dog searches for trails with the same scent as the source, and follows this trail to obtain items and people with the same scent. The dog is required to be excited and actively sniffing, maintain a steady trail, have strong tracking ability, and show clear reactions.

　　Step One

　　First, make the dog accustomed to wearing the tracking leash and tracking harness. Then, select an appropriate small grassy area, have one person hold the leash and make the dog sit, while another person walks straight for about 45 meters, placing a familiar item on the ground, ensuring the dog can see these actions. Then put on the dog a tracking harness and leash, bend down and point to the starting point with the right hand, giving the commands “sniff sniff” and “track.” Since the dog sees the placed item, it will excitedly rush forward. Through repeated training by the trainer, the dog gradually learns to stand by hand gestures or commands and maintain that position for some time. On this basis, train the dog to bow and turn around. Before the training starts, put the tracking harness and leash on the dog, hold the part of the leash near the shoulder, point to the starting point with the right hand, and give the commands “sniff sniff” and “track.” When the dog starts tracking, let the leash slide from the hand until about 0.9 meters remains, then follow it. If the dog performs well, occasionally give gentle encouragement. If the dog loses interest or does not track at all, use the commands again. When the dog finds the item at the tracking end, it should be rewarded, the tracking harness removed, and the item thrown for it to fetch.

　　Step Two

　　Next is the second stage of training. When the dog successfully tracks after a 10-minute delay, besides placing an item at the end, items can also be placed along the way. The distance between items should be certain; mid-route items should be on the trail, not off it, and not placed at or near turns. Items should not be too large or conspicuous. At the same time, they should be fully infused with human scent. Start with three items. As training progresses, tracking distance gradually increases and more items can be placed. Searching for placed items helps improve the dog's tracking ability because it encourages the dog to fully use its olfactory sense. Once the dog finds a tracked item, it should lie down, drop the tracking leash on the trail, run to the handler’s side, and be encouraged as usual. After receiving the item from the dog, hold the tracking leash on the dog’s shoulder and give the “track” command. When the dog continues tracking, again let the leash slide from the hand as described earlier. As training improves, the dog will automatically lie down upon finding an item.

　　Step Three

　　Then move to the third stage of tracking: when the dog can track for 20 minutes, arrange training with right-angle trails, with at least 50 steps between trail turns. As mentioned before, items should not be placed at or near turns.

　　Step Four

　　Early in training, two direction changes of the trail are enough. As training deepens, the number of turns can increase to more than two. If the dog has difficulty at turns, let it find and discover the trail by itself. Do not rush to help as this will create dependency. However, if it finds an item, immediately reward it. Tracking time and distance should be continually extended, but if the dog performs poorly with increased time and distance, do not increase further. When the dog performs well within 30 minutes, extend time by 15 minutes each session.

　　Step Five

　　When the dog can track with a 1-hour delay, proceed to train tracking of unknown trails. In earlier stages, the trails were arranged by the owner. This lets the owner observe the dog’s reaction at trail turns and on different segments and assist as needed for successful tracking. But unknown trails often reveal deficiencies in both dog and owner. After letting the dog sniff the start point, hold the middle part of the leash and give the “track” command to have the dog search around the start point for the trail. Once the dog correctly determines the direction, immediately let it proceed, releasing the leash and holding about 0.9 meters. If difficulties arise mid-trail, the owner should stand still to let the dog search nearby to reacquire the trail. Encourage it calmly once the trail is found. If the trail is lost, bring the dog back to a successful tracking segment to restart.

　　Completion

　　Due to various reasons, such as interference from scents left by people or livestock, terrain changes, or strong winds, the dog may encounter difficulties during tracking. At such times, the owner should move the dog a few meters forward, left, or right, then try again to let it squeeze into and continue tracking the trail. If the dog fails, arrange an easier trail; do not let it lose interest. Two successful training sessions per week should be guaranteed. After correct and agile training, the dog can eventually track trails with delays of several hours. (Source: PetsZone)