Can any dog be a tracking dog?

The short answer is yes — every dog has a nose, and every nose can be trained. The longer answer is more nuanced: some breeds are wired for nose-work, while others need a different motivation profile to stay engaged in long, methodical work.

Working line German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Bloodhounds and Labradors are the usual suspects. But we've seen Cocker Spaniels lay down beautiful trails, and a friend's Chihuahua-mix that out-tracks dogs three times her size. The dog in front of you is always the right starting point.

What matters more than breed is consistency: short, frequent, well-designed sessions beat long, occasional ones every time. That's exactly the loop TrackFellow is designed for — quick to start, easy to log, and detailed enough to spot patterns over weeks and months.

If you're just getting started, lay an aged 50m track in a familiar field, drop two articles, and score the session honestly. Repeat twice a week. You'll be surprised how fast both of you improve.