Tracking may very well be the most difficult and the most rewarding activity that you can do with your GSP. It requires developing patience and trust in your dog, and builds a tremendous bond between the dog and handler. There are three titles that can be earned in tracking that are added to the end of the dog’s name: Tracking Dog (TD), Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX), and Variable Surface Tracking Dog (VST). If a dog earns all three titles, then the coveted Champion Tracker (CT) title is put at the front of the dog’s name replacing those tracking titles at the end of the name. Few dogs of any breed ever earn the CT title. Only one GSP to date has earned the Champion Tracker title by passing all three tracking tests. (To visit AKC's Tracking section, CLICK HERE.)

To complete for the Tracking Dog (TD) title, a dog must first be certified by a Tracking Judge as being able to pass a TD test. The TD test will be between 440 and 500 yards long, will have three to five turns, and will be aged 30 minutes to two hours before the dog is allowed to track. There is a starting article for scenting purposes and an article the dog must find at the end of the track (typically a leather glove). Once a dog has passed the TD, it may be entered in either Variable Surface Tracking or Tracking Dog Excellent tests.

The Variable Surface Tracking test is between 600 and 800 yards long, will have 4 to 8 turns, and will be three to five hours old. There is a starting article for scent and three other articles that the dog must find. These four dissimilar articles will be: one leather, one plastic, one metal, and one fabric. The track must be laid on a minimum of three different surfaces and two of those must be devoid of vegetation (i.e., concrete, asphalt, gravel, sand, hard pan or mulch.) One-third to two-thirds of the track shall be on surfaces devoid of vegetation. Tracks are laid utilizing the diverse scenting conditions created by close proximity to buildings, fences, breezeways, ramps, stairs , bridges, shelters, parking areas, etc.

The Tracking Dog Excellent test is between 800 and 1000 yards, will have 5 to 7 turns, and will be three to five hours old. There is a starting article and three other personal, dissimilar articles that the dog must find. Various types of terrain and cover, including gullies, plowed land, woods, and vegetation may be used. There will be at least two obstacles on the track and these may be natural obstacles, such as streams, or man-made obstacles, such as fences, bridges, or lightly traveled roads. After the track layer has laid the track, two cross track layers will walk together crossing two legs of the track. Not being able to follow the track, missing an article or following the tracklayers scent, of course, results in hearing the dreaded judge’s whistle indicating the dog/handler team have failed the test.
The best way to learn about tracking (and meet people who track their dogs) is to call a club that will be holding a Tracking Dog test in your area and ask to be a stake carrier for the judges. A tracking test is a two day event and the day prior to the test, the judges, stake carriers and tracklayers will meet for the purpose of "plotting" the tracks for test day. As the Judges determine where the tracks will be laid, the stakes are put in the ground at the start, (and at 30 yards in the TD), and then at each turn and at the end where the end article is to be dropped. For each track plotted clubs need an experienced tracklayer (drawing a good map for test day reference) and a stake carrier to go with the judges during the plotting. For someone with no experience or someone who could only participate on the day prior to test date, carrying stakes and placing them for the judges is a great introduction to tracking. You get to walk the track with the Judges and listen to their planning of tracks.