A Historical First — First French Bulldog To Earn a Tracking Title
In the entire history of the FBDCA and the AKC, there has never been a French Bulldog with a tracking title. That all changed last month when a brindle Frenchie named Serena successfully completed her tracking test and earned her TD title, making Frenchie and AKC history. Read how she did it from her owner and trainer, Herb Morrison, and in the FBDCA interview questions following.
Dub’L-J Solow Noire Magie O’Crosstrack TD —
The First Frenchie AKC Tracking Dog
by Herb Morrison
When you think of tracking dogs, what most often comes to mind are German Shepherds, Bloodhounds and Labs. Well now you can include French Bulldogs. On Sunday, November 7, 2010 in Lexington, Kentucky at the Lexington Kennel Club Tracking Dog Test, Dub’L-J Solow Noire Magie O’Crosstrack (Serena) owned by J. Schulze, J. Armstrong, S. Fox, and Teresa Morrison was the first French Bulldog to earn an AKC Tracking Dog title.
For those of you not familiar with tracking, a brief explanation: dog must follow, using its nose, the scent of a tracklayer for 440 to 500 yards in an open field and indicate the article left at the end of the track. The track is aged for 30 minutes to two hours.
It is erroneously thought that brachycephalic breeds like Bulldogs, Boston Terriers and Frenchies are not good at tracking. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are Bulldogs and Bostons with TDs and now a Frenchie.
Our training began when Serena was four months old. At this age puppies have not had too much obedience training and are still fairly independent. This is important because the dog is the one with the nose and must be the one who is in charge in the field. What we, as trainers, must do is design the training program so that the dog learns if they follow that funny smell on the ground, it will lead to a reward. That reward must be meaningful to the dog. It can be a favorite toy, favorite person, or favorite treat. We trained year-round, but in the summer, we were in the field by 7 AM and out by 8:30 to 9:00 AM.
Our training method is based on a modification of the Glen Johnson approach, which can be found in his book Tracking Dog – Theory and Method. For Serena’s training, we used what we’d learned from training our Bulldog, Hawg, to his TD; that food drops along the track are a hindrance because short-nosed dogs seem to have a more difficult time locating drops, interrupting their focus. Therefore, we gradually increase the length of the training tracks beginning at about five yards, then by five to ten yards. We also have a glove with a treat at the end of the track, rather than food alone. Initially, our dogs sight the glove; as the tracks get longer, they begin using their noses. The important point they learn early on is, that when told find it, there is something out there for them to find.
Serena is a treat to train and we hope to keep going in tracking. We will keep you posted from time to time as to her progress.
FBDCA: What is Serena’s new title and what exactly did she have to do to earn it?
Morrison: The AKC Tracking Dog (TD) Title requires the dog to follow the scent left on the field by a person, the tracklayer. The track is 440- to 500-yards long containing three to five turns, between 30 minutes to two hours old. The dog must indicate an article left at the end of the track by the tracklayer. To enter (attempt) a TD test, a dog must first successfully complete a track that satisfies the TD test requirements. An approved or provisional tracking judge conducts the certification and this certification statement must accompany the entry form for the test. Each dog entered in the test has a separate track. Tracking Dog tests are generally held in open fields with no obstacles such as woods, roads, or streams.
FBDCA: What is your background in teaching tracking to dogs?
Morrison: In addition to the dogs I have trained, my students have earned over 100 TD titles. I am an AKC tracking judge and served as the AKC Tracking Field Representative for nine years.
FBDCA: How many tracking titles have you put on dogs? What breeds and how many?
Morrison: I began training dogs for tracking in 1971 and have trained German Shepherds, to 3 – UTDs, 2 – CDXTDs, CDTD, CDTDX, and TD, a CD Cardigan Welch Corgi to a TD, and an English Bulldog to a TD.
FBDCA: Whatever made you decide to train a Frenchie to track?
Morrison: Having trained an English Bulldog to a TD title, it seemed reasonable that a Frenchie could also be trained to track. I am a firm believer that given the proper temperament, desire to work and proper motivation, any dog can be trained to track.
FBDCA: Did you know that this would be the first tracking Frenchie in AKC history?
Morrison: When we first got our Frenchies, we checked with the AKC to see if there had ever been a Frenchie with a TD and none had. That was about a year and a half ago. When she did earn her title we checked again and she is the first French Bulldog to earn an AKC Tracking Dog title.
FBDCA: How did you motivate Serena to learn to track? Food, treats?
Morrison: We use a modification of the method found in Glen Johnson’s book Tracking Dog – Theory and Method. We do use food as motivation but do not leave it on the ground for two reasons. In Georgia we have a problem with fire ants, and short-nosed dogs seem to have more difficulty locating and getting to the food drops, which can become a distraction. As a result, we would place food on the article (a glove) and gradually increase the distance the dog must track. As Serena began to learn the game, we would carry the food with us and rewarded her when she found the article.
FBDCA: Did she pass the test the first time, or did it take a few tries?
Morrison: According to AKC data, the pass rate for dogs entering (taking) a TD test is about 55%. This is for dogs that pass the first time or after a number of tries before passing. Serena passed at her first test with Teresa Morrison (Herb’s wife) as the handler.
FBDCA: What scent is Serena best at tracking? A particular food, substance, or a person?
Morrison: What tracking dogs are trained to track is the scent left on the ground when a person walks in the field. We might rub a little food on the bottom of our shoes to get the dog interested in smelling the ground but we eliminate that as soon as possible.
FBDCA: Will you continue to work with Serena to earn the next level of tracking titles?
Morrison: There are two additional titles that she could earn, the Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) and Variable Surface Tracking Dog (VST). Should she earn the two additional titles, she would be a Champion Tracker (CT). We will continue working her and see what happens. The requirements for the TDX and VST are very demanding.
FBDCA: Aside from her tracking skills, what other standout talent does Serena have?
Morrison: Serena is quick to learn and has loads of drive. We hope to begin training in both obedience and agility. In addition, we will be getting her certified as a Therapy Dog. She has been shown in conformation and earned her conformation Championship title out of the Bred-by Exhibitor class. She earned her TD and became a breed Champion within two weeks of each other, at the age of 13 months, making her the first breed Champion with a TD.
FBDCA: How did Serena “track” your family down and become a family member?
Morrison: Serena came to us through our friendship with FBDCA member Linda Cain, who co-bred several litters with Jeff Schulze and Jeff Armstrong, under the Dub’L J prefix. We co-own Serena with Jeff Schulze, and Jeff and Suzy Armstrong
FBDCA: What advice can you give to someone interested in teaching his or her French Bulldog to track?
Morrison: Remember any dog can be trained to track. Find out what motivates your dog. It may be food, a toy, or a favorite person. Start out in small steps. Initially you want the dog to learn that when you say “find it” or “track,” there is something out there for them to find. We track year round, three to four days a week. In the summer, we are out at daybreak when it is cool. Remember the dogs are the ones with the nose and we must set up the training program to make it easy for them to learn what we want. A dog knows how to track; our job is to teach them to track what and when we want them to. If the dog is not learning what we want them to know, it is not the dog’s fault; it is ours for not having designed the proper training approach. If the dog cannot handle a problem he may encounter, it is not the dog’s fault; it is ours for not having prepared him for that problem.
