We shall teach them to follow a track that has given conditions. We shall teach them to follow a track that is made from a person (you or family member) and we shall teach them they have to mark and maybe retrieve objects you have put in the track core.   We shall teach them to find and follow tracks of various ages, all from 20 minutes to maybe 3-4 hours.

These are the conditions of scent tracking and these are the conditions our tracks will have so we shape the dog to be more eager and thorough when they sense tracks of certain given conditions. This doesn’t mean they will stop collecting information on their walks, but they know when they face a track and are given the signal of work that this is separated from other nose work.

Then why do we have to work with our dogs? This is a soapbox of mine. If we have bought one of the most potent working dogs the canine world has, we need to give it a meaning to its life. This breed is bred to work and work hard. If we don’t have a farm with cows and livestock and we don’t herd them long hours from one grazing land to another, we have to compensate the dog for this unemployment. If we don't, he will find other ways of using his built in skills, like excessive guarding of toys, food, family members, and house and garden.  He will probably become harder to handle as work is the best way of establishing a relation to the dog, to show him in action which place he has in the pack ranking. A dog of the Rottweilers calibre needs to be shown through pack ranking and work (mental stimulation) that it is beneficial for him to follow his leader, that the leader takes care of his needs.