2019
NATIONAL SPECIALTY
Border Terrier Club of America
TRACKING
This event to be held at the College of DuPage
We are offering 2 Tracking Dog Urban tests and 2 Variable Surface tests to be held at the College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL, which is about 30 minutes from Pheasant Run Resort. They are open to all breeds, with Border Terriers taking precedence. The judges are Lois Leidahl-Marsh and Walter O'Brien. Those who pass will receive a rosette and a hand crafted pottery specialty logo medallion.
​
Premium coming soon. Secretary - Nancy Foster, 1080 White Rd., Antioch, IL 60002. Fourpaw101@gmail.com
Volunteers are needed. Please contact Nancy Foster at the above email.
TRACKING JUDGE
Lois Leidahl-Marsh
I started tracking in 2000. I was quickly hooked. It is the one sport where the dog is in complete control. We humans have to discover what the dog's body language is telling us, instead of their having to figure out our body language. I decided to become a judge and applied for the first level, TD, in 2010. Currently, I am qualified to judge all levels of tracking.
As an instructor, I have trained a variety of breeds. All of my tracking titles are with Bernese Mountain Dogs. Five of my Berners have earned TDs and three have earned TDXs. One of my Berners, Lena, was the fifth Berner to earn her VST and Champion Tracker title. Even though they are the same breed, each of my dogs has trained differently. I have learned a lot from each.
An animal's olfactory sense has always interested me. I am a retired professor of psychology spending 40 years at Loyola University Chicago. My main research was on pheromones in mammals, i.e., odors that are released by an individual that affect other members of the same species. With my background, it was not surprising that I became interested in tracking.
TRACKING JUDGE
Wally O'Brien
As I enjoy my 26th year of judging, I reminisce about all the great people and great dogs I've seen. One of the biggest joys is watching the people with their first dog. After 20 years of working with Rottweilers, I was especially impressed with my student who earned a TDX on her Yorkie. As far as I know, the dog is still the only TDX Yorkie. It proves that small dogs are just as good as the big dogs when it comes to tracking.
I look forward to seeing everyone and hope I get another day when
everyone passes.
