The Accidental Tracking Dog

While we were learning to find birds, Mommy noticed something really neat. When it was Daddy's turn to take the bird out to the field and hide it, Mommy would stay in the house with me until she was sure Daddy had had enough time to get the bird into position, then we would go outside and head for the field so I could start hunting for it. But one day, Mommy noticed that I was tracking way before we even got out of the yard. She told Daddy later that she thought I was tracking HIM. Guess what? She was RIGHT! I could tell where he went just by smelling his scent all the way from the yard to the field, and nobody even taught me how! Mommy thought that was VERY smart of me, so she bought me a nice green tracking harness and we started playing tracking games. One time, Daddy would go hide and I would find him. The next time, Mommy would hide and I would find HER. Pretty soon, Mommy was going out to the deer stand in the big meadow a half a mile away from the house, and I tracked her all the way there! I showed Daddy exactly where she was hiding, no problem! I am sure that I could track someone much farther than a half mile, if only they would let me. Mommy says that I am going to take a tracking test some day, just like a grown up tracking dog.