The instinctive movements of a young Dalmatian tracking an animal scent.

Prompted by a recent reading of a tracking article, Read any Trailing or Tracking Dog: Negative Indications I have been watching Lusi closely on our walks and have been trying to read Lusi's instinctive body language. With perfect weather conditions, a light wind/sunny/7 degrees C, and melting snow cover on the ground, I watched Lusi closely as she displayed her natural prey instincts in following several animal scent trails.


I was unable to record the first images of Lusi jumping up about three feet into the air from all fours, as distinct to when she does this on her hind legs, because it occurred so suddenly and unexpectedly. I also could not gauge what it was that she was responding to. It did, however, occur more or less at the start of our walk when she was let off the leash. There were also two distinct and separate times when she was "pointing."


Learning how to read a dog's natural movements is an important part of what a handler must do if they are going to work a tracking dog successfully. I have tried to piece together what it was Lusi was responding to and indicating by the changes in her behaviour and body movements in the series of photos here. 


This was in effect my first real opportunity to observe and record what Lusi does naturally when she is following an animal scent. ( I have a video of Lusi at 5 months old showing her early "nose to the ground" work in the forest when we are on a walk together and also videos of our early tracking lessons when Lusi is 6 months old and is learning to follow a human scent.)

#1. Facing into the wind: Air scenting 

In the stance shown, (photo #1), Lusi is indicating air scenting. She was facing directly into the wind, standing quite still, attentive and apparently gazing into the distance, but definitely focused. Her head movement was quite subtle, a gentle, rhythmic lifting of her nose, as though she was literally catching the scents in the breeze. 

#2 Following a ground scent-nose to the ground.

In photo #2 Lusi is actively engaged in following what is presumably an animal ground scent, probably squirrel. Her nose is to the ground and she is carrying her tail upwards.

#3 Tail has gone straight up in the air like a flagpole.
She is very animated, and digs and scratches at
the ground but after two or three minutes moves
away from this "hot spot" when she finds no prey.

Her behaviour changes dramatically as she reaches an area in the brush. Photo #3 shows how her tail changes position to an almost vertical stance like a flagpole indicating a scent "hot spot." I suspected that this might have been a squirrel's food store but I can only guess. After some very animated and determined scratching at the ground and uncovering of the area Lusi appeared almost surprised and perhaps a little confused that she had not found her prey. 


She appears to pick up a scent track again and moves a few feet over from the "hot spot" but by now her tail is no longer standing vertical, (photo #4). Again no prey, and at this point she loses interest and we continue on our walk.

#4 Finding no prey. Lusi  moves a few feet away from where she gave the "hot spot" tail up indication. Shortly after this she loses interest and we continue on our walk.