Welcome to the 2025-2026 tracking class!

Welcome! Anne, Jenn, Mary Ann and Judi would like to welcome all of you to class.  We will see you next week!

We use a website – RDOC Tracking Class - to share information about tracking in general and the class specifically (like the schedule, training tips, important announcements).  You will be receiving an invitation (or already have) to join this website.  The website is for class members and others that are approved by the instructors only. The website has tabs in the black banner at the top (image below as example) that I’ll refer to in this document.

1.     Website Invite: You will (or already have) be receiving an invitation from either Kelly Gannon, Judi Edwards, or Wix to join the tracking class website. The tracking class website is www.rdoctracking.com.  NOTE: When setting up your account for the website, please use the same email address your account invitation was sent to. If you run into challenges setting up your account, please email Kelly at kelly.t.gannon@gmail.com.  Kelly is a very generous volunteer webmaster, who has a real job—please be both kind and patient.  Spend some time on the website—check out the section called “tracking journals,” where students post videos of their tracks and we provide feedback.  There is also a wealth of information from both MaryAnn & Judi under “Judi’s Notes.”  You’ll learn a lot by reading through them. You will be setting up your own tracking journal (aka blog) on a blog host site of your choosing (more below).

2.     Video Sessions: Videoing your training sessions is simply invaluable.  You have a month to figure out how to best accomplish this—chest or head mount for your phone (very inexpensive), GoPro, Google glasses—there are a lot of options out there, please find the one that works best for you and your budget. Personal note: If you buy a GoPro, we strongly suggest you do NOT buy directly from GoPro.  We have enjoyed purchasing from B & H Photo.

3.     Blog/Video Training Session Feedback: Video is not required, however, from November until March you can post videos of your training sessions to your blog (more on that later) and get feedback within 48 hours from your instructors and assistants.  In addition, if you video your tracks in class, you will be able to replay the video, and hear our feedback.  We also encourage you to video your classmates (please ask first) as you’ll learn more from watching their dogs than you do from your own!  NOTE: After March, we continue to watch your videos and offer feedback, we just don’t promise the 48-hour timeline. So, you’ve really signed up for a year of teaching and feedback!

4.     Tracking Journal/Blog: To set up your Tracking Journal Blog, click on the tab called “Resources” and use the section ‘Setting up a Blog & adding Video’ to learn how to set up your blog. Again, this blog is actually on a host website that is separate from our Tracking Class website. nce you have your tracking blog page set up, then Kelly will link your blog to the website so your instructors & assistants can easily access it. The beauty of this setup means it’s your blog, so should we change website companies, or stop teaching….you’ll still have all your videos and feedback.  

5.     Equipment: A few pieces of equipment will be needed/helpful in addition to Clothing listed below:

a.     Harness - The Resources tab also has links to harnesses and lines.  Your tracking harness must be unique, used ONLY for tracking (not nosework, and not walks).

b.    Tracking Line - If you are new to class, please wait before buying a tracking line.  We have options, and you can play with them before spending money.

c.     Clipboard – You will be making maps in the field so a clipboard will be needed. Many of us like those with storage compartments for papers so your tracking forms are with you always and out of the rain if needed.

d.    Vest – See below

e.     Treats – Needed for the track itself (e.g., hotdogs sliced to nickel size, baked hamburger pieces, etc – there are some threads on the website for good options, but you want something high value and of a size that’s not so big your deal will pull up a chair for a meal and not so small that your dog spends eternity searching the grass for it)

f.      Hand pruner – TDX folks only, needed when plotting tracks in briars, thickets, woods, etc.

6.     Clothing: A few pieces of helpful clothing to consider:

a.     Sturdy, and seriously waterproof, boots are a must. We are in hayfields, they may be much taller than lawn grass.  Many of us like muck boots, suggest the ones with a deep treaded sole (wet grass is slippery).  If wearing waterproof hiking boots, gators are a good idea.  Socks up over pants at all times for tick protection please! 

b.    You’ll be grateful for waterproof pants and a good rain jacket and hat as well.  I think we all own at least one pair of Duluth Trading Company fleece lined flexpedition pants.  Not required….but the warmest,, comfy-ist pants we own.  They’re also wind and light rain resistant. 

c.     Most of us wear a vest to manage articles, food, notebook, flags etc.  Here’s our favorite: https://www.basspro.com/p/browning-trapper-creek-mesh-shooting-vest-for-ladies.  While you’re at Bass Pro, please pick up a blaze orange hat.  Tracking season and hunting season overlap for most of the year, and while the farms we use are posted, not all hunters obey the signs.  We’ve never had an issue, still, safety first!

7.     Tracking Form: The form we use is on the website, under Training, “Tracking Goals Form.”  Please print a dozen or so copies and put them on your clipboard for the first class.  You will use one each time you put a track in. This form will help guide you on setting up your tracking session and reporting information back in your tracking journal blog.  Scanning or taking a photo and including it in your blog posts will be helpful. And yes, you’ll want a clipboard.  A simple one for now, you can see what we all use in class.  Highly recommend rite in the rain (https://www.riteintherain.com) notebooks—good product. They do exactly as the name says—you can write on the wet paper.

8.     Articles/Indication: For those new tracking – on each track there will be items, like a glove or wallet (called ‘articles’) placed on the track. Your dog needs to be able to “tell you” (aka indicate/indication) when it finds one of these articles. For many, the indication often used is a ‘down’…some dogs also do a retrieve. Soo, that brings us to the next item… Dog training!  We have a week!—let’s all train our dogs to ‘down’ on verbal cue only—NO pointing—while 3 feet away from you, with their back to you.  If using food, please throw the food to the dog while it’s down, rather than walking up to it.  If your dog loves to retrieve—let’s teach them to retrieve a ‘dead’ ball or toy (not thrown, but just laying in the grass), on a single verbal cue, with the dog 3 feet ahead of you, with his back to you.  Again, NO pointing!  Dog can get food for returning to you with the ball/toy.

9.     Farm Courtesy: Finally, a lecture on farm courtesy.  Holly Ridge is a working horse farm.  Please keep your speed below 10 mph on the driveway, and be alert for horses being led in or out. There is no reason to approach or pet the horses, thank you.  Please pick up all poop and take it home with you on all farms.  All of our properties are private farms which are shared with us for free. EVERYONE is to leave the property at the end of class—no dog walking or training another dog. No one has permission to use these properties between classes. The owners often come out to chat, and we will delay class to make small talk with them. Please join in, and thank them for their generosity every time you see them.  We will direct you where to park the first time you are at each property, and all driveways are long & narrow— all should be driven very slowly.  We will post addresses of the farms with the schedule, on the website.

10.  Class Schedule: The Schedule tab on the website will be very important to you throughout the class. Saturday and Tuesday students will be divided into two groups each (e.g., Saturday groups A and B).  Students will be assigned into one of the two groups and students will stay with the same student group he class. So, if you are assigned to group A, you stay with group A, etc. At the time of sending this information we may not have divided students into their groups yet, so we will let you know once this is done.  Prior to each class, please check the ‘Schedule’ section of the website. It will tell you where that group will meet each week and if there have been any changes.  You will receive a schedule of class dates for the entire session before class starts.

11.  Food: bring a lot of smelly, high value food.  Hotdogs, rotisserie chicken—something moist and smelly.  Hotdogs can be sliced in thin ‘coins,’ or if smaller dog, cut them in half lengthwise and then into nickle thickness coins.  Chicken pieces should be about ½” square. Food should be small enough to swallow quickly, and large enough to be smelly.

12.  OK, this sounds like a lot….it’s really not.  Please read it carefully, figure out what you need to accomplish before the first class.  I’ll open a page under Judi’s notes for questions, we are happy to help you in any way we can!