2005 AKC National Tracking Invitational
September 17-18, 2005
Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC

Saturday: September 17

The draw for both days took place this morning at headquarters and the first track for the day was to start near the Biltmore House.

Click on image for caption and larger view.



Judge, Art Twiss - Comments

I want to again thank the A.K.C. for the opportunity to judge at their Second National Tracking Invitational Test. I was the co-judge with Maureen Foley at the Saturday event.

Judge, Maureen Foley - Comments

Although the terrain we had to work in was both impressive and undoubtedly fun to wander about as a tourist, each field had very unique challenges for a tracking team. When you review each track you will see the point at which the dog failed to complete the track.

First let me thank the AKC for inviting me to judge this very special event, the AKC 2nd National Tracking Invitational Test. I was co-judge for the Saturday test with Arthur Twiss. It has been an honor and a pleasure to judge the wonderful dog/handler teams that participated in this year's Invitational. The handlers and their CT dogs have trained and traveled countless hours to achieve the highest levels of tracking competence. They should take great pride in their accomplishments. They are an inspiration to me and, I'm sure, to the entire tracking community. All of the participants are all to be congratulated for their success.

The Biltmore Estate offers many challenges for the judges and tracklayers who plot the tracks and for the dog/handler teams that run them. It offers varied terrain including relatively flat areas down by the river, pine and deciduous woods, grassy areas ranging from mowed lawn to knee high scrub, roads and paths. As you might imagine, Cornelius Vanderbilt's mountain retreat has plenty of hills and most of the tracks included a lot of going up and coming down. The rules for plotting were simple: plot TDX tracks containing a cross track on only one leg and use VST articles.

The weather in North Carolina during the Tracking Invitational was beautiful but unusually warm for this time of the year. Although it was cool and a bit foggy in the early morning for tracklaying, it became quite hot and very humid as the sun came up and burned off the fog. I think this was the single biggest challenge for many of the dogs. Twenty degrees cooler and I believe we would have had a very different result.

Art and I judged an Irish Water Spaniel, two Golden Retrievers, a German Shepherd dog, and a Tervuren. Our judging instructions differed somewhat from a regular tracking test in that we were to follow each dog to the conclusion of their track. In order to facilitate this, it was suggested that we call the dog/handler team back at the point where we would normally fail them but not have the dog spend a lot of energy trying to work their way back to the track. The tracks varied in age from 3 hours and 5 minutes to 3 and 1/2 hours old. All of the dogs started and at some point showed us the form that had earned them their CT titles. All of the dogs required some assistance in completing their tracks.

The first two tracks started up in an area behind the Biltmore Mansion high on the property and worked their way down the backside over some very steep terrain. The areas had lots of trees and shrubs as well as mowed cover.

Track 1
Ed Presnall - CT Beaufield Shining Light NA NAJ (Irish Water Spaniel)

Comments from the Judges
Arthur Twiss of Reading, MA

Track #1. This track started across a high, foggy hilltop and the second leg went in a down hill direction. The dog had its problems on the first leg and after making the first turn she decided to follow a scent that was much more interesting to her than that of the tracklayer.

Maureen Foley of Ann Arbor, MI

Track #1 started across the hillside and then turned and went down the hill. The dog had difficulty on the first leg and never got settled into the second leg and followed some other scent off the track. Click on image for caption and larger view.



Track 2
Ray Desmarais - Ch. CT Mirasol's Usual Suspect VCD2 MX MXJ (Golden Retriever)

Comments from the Judges
Arthur Twiss of Reading, MA

Track #2. It began in the same general area as track #1. Everyone had the opportunity to see how this team, which had drifted to the left of the 1st leg, was able to work up to the second leg. Both Ray and the dog did an excellent job in overcoming that scenting problem. The dog later followed the cross track.

Maureen Foley of Ann Arbor, MI

Track #2 started up on that same grassy slope. The dog had a great deal of difficulty on the first leg but worked its way successfully onto the second leg where it then took a cross track.

The next two tracks were in an area near tracking headquarters down by the river. They both started in a grassy flat area and both crossed the road into varying cover. Crossing the road at the Estate is no small task! Keep in mind that the Estate is a major tourist destination and hundreds (thousands?) of cars drive through everyday. Click on image for caption and larger view.



Track 3
John Barnard - CT Tersha's Dancin' Man (German Shepherd Dog)

Comments from the Judges
Arthur Twiss of Reading, MA

Track #3. We were denied access to the fields that we had intended to use for this track. As a result of this change of location track #3, in my opinion, had the hardest start conditions of all the tracks we plotted. The grass cover was low; the soil was hard in composition and a large portion of the flat field in front of John had been recently seeded. Even I could detect a slight odor from the wind that was blowing down the first leg into their faces.

Maureen Foley of Ann Arbor, MI

Track #3 started in a much sparser area than any of the other tracks. We used this site as a result of losing our intended area. The first three legs were in very short grass and approached an area that was bare and had been seeded recently.

The dog tracked parallel to the first leg, crossed the second leg, and kept on going. Click on image for caption and larger view.



Track 4
Ray Desmarais - Ch. CT Mirasol's Femme Fatale VCD2 MX MXJ (Golden Retriever)

Comments from the Judges
Arthur Twiss of Reading, MA

Track #4. It began in a flat area of tall grass for a large percentage of the entire track. The biggest challenge of this track occurred when the track turned into a low grass area; near a stream and then crossed a pave road. The team successfully completed the track once the dog got restarted.

Maureen Foley of Ann Arbor, MI

Track #4 began in a flat grassy field and stayed there for over 500 yards. It dropped the dog and handler out of lush cover into very short dry grass and then past a creek and across a road. The team had a problem in this area and ended up off the track. Click on image for caption and larger view.



Track 5
Beth A. Walker - Ch. CT O Than Agon Cinema Duet (Belgian Tervuren)

Comments from the Judges
Arthur Twiss of Reading, MA

Track #5. This field had high grass cover for a large portion of the track. The team did a smooth performance and Beth did an excellent job of handling when the dog went across a paved road that was not part of the track. One major obstacle for this team was a more intense woods setting than the other teams faced and it was here that the dog had his problems.

Maureen Foley of Ann Arbor, MI

Track #5 started with a downhill leg behind the Biltmore Inn, a hotel on the grounds, and progressed down the valley until it crossed the road and went into the woods for a significant portion of the track. This team executed a very lovely recovery when the dog went through a corner and across an unintended road. They smoothly and methodically worked their way back across the road and back onto the track. Unfortunately they ran into difficulty in the woods. Click on image for caption and larger view.


Final Comments from Judge Arthur Twiss

A summation:

No one can train for all of the variables that one might encounter at a tracking test. It's within our human nature to be euphoric when we succeed and have feelings of disappointment if one falls short of a goal. Being embarrassed by an outcome � never! All of us have experienced those feelings in our tracking careers.

But this year's Tracking Invitational was much more than a pass or fail grade for a tracking team. It was really a celebratory event. It is the only time and place in the country where the fancy has a chance to meet both the handlers and the dogs that have achieved the ultimate goal of our sport - a Champion Tracking Dog title on one's dog. You have earned that honor by being a superior handler and having the knowledge and persistence to train your dog in all phases of tracking. Take tremendous pride in the fact that you have achieved a goal that most of us will never accomplish and you were able to participate in this event. I salute all of the participants at this year's event for everything you have done for the Sport of Tracking across the country.

Respectfully submitted,

Art Twiss

Final Comments from Judge Maureen Foley

It was a fun and interesting weekend. All of the tracklayers were AKC tracking judges who had come to be a part of this wonderful event. It was such a pleasure to work with so many people whose names I've known but had never before met.


Awards Dinner

On Saturday night, awards were given out to the participants and judges at the Grove Park Inn. Pat Scully (AKC Board of Director) and Curt Curtis (AKC Director of Companion Events) thanked everyone for their participation in Tracking. After the awards presentation, everyone enjoyed a wonderful buffet.

Click on image for caption and larger view.