If you are looking for a fun hobby to take part in with your Rottweiler then tracking may be the perfect thing for you. The main thing to know about with tracking is that it requires a dog which has a strong ability to follow a human scent. The Rottweiler does have a particularly strong sense of smell and so it is ideal for tracking work.
Using Your Rottweiler for Tracking
Rottweilers are often used as tracking dogs because of their willingness to follow the human scent. The sport itself is not a competitive one and so you do not have to worry about competing against other people. You are simply taking part to give your dog something to do and to test its ability.
The Rottweiler has always been used as a working dog and because of that it does need some amount of mental and physical stimulation. Tracking gives the breed the chance to think about something and you should find that it does not get bored too easily and it will happily follow a scent for hours.
However, the one thing that you do need to remember is that it is always better to start your Rottweiler off at a young age if you do want to use them for tracking. This is because they can be fairly headstrong and so proper training does need to be given.
In order to train your Rottweiler to become a tracking dog, it will take patience. You should start off by allowing them to sniff their favorite toy. Once they have smelled it hide it in an obvious place for the time being where they can see it. Then give them the command to "Find" the toy. They should run straight to it and pick it up. Praise them and repeat it a few more times.
Once they have started to get the idea you can then start hiding the toy a little further away. That is basically all it takes to teach your Rottweiler to find something based on it's scent. Always allow them to smell whatever it is they are looking for before you hide it. It may sound obvious but it is easy to make small mistakes like this when you are first starting out.
Overall Rottweilers can make good tracking dogs and they do have the ability to follow a scent for miles. You will need to ensure that you purchase all of the correct equipment and if you are serious about tracking then you should be able to find a local tracking club near you. They will be able to tell you about upcoming events, how to train your Rottweiler to properly track and give you any tips that you may find useful.
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