Sniffing Out the Differences: AKC and IPO Tracking Explained

Impactful Canine Owner and Head Trainer, Rick Markum , started his training journey after working on a cattle ranch with heelers. His passion was ignited through his experience of working with cattle dogs on those ranches, and expanded into training his own working dogs. After moving to Alabama, he fell in love with Search and Rescue and other forms of detection work. Today, he’s here to talk about other types of tracking that people do with their dogs. Let’s get started!

AKC Tracking and IPO (Internationale Prüfungs-Ordnung) Tracking, now more commonly known as IGP (Internationale Gebrauchshunde Prüfungsordnung) are two different dog sports that focus on a dog’s ability to follow scent trails. Despite their similarities in utilizing a dog's natural scenting ability, they have distinct rules, objectives, and training methodologies. Here's a breakdown of each:

AKC Tracking

As previously described, AKC Tracking is a sport that demonstrates a dog's ability to recognize and follow a human scent over various terrains. This sport is open to all breeds. In AKC Tracking, a track is laid out by a human (the track layer) several hours before the dog runs the track. The dog must follow the scent trail and locate articles dropped by the track layer. There are several titles in AKC Tracking, reflecting increasing levels of difficulty:

• Tracking Dog (TD): This is the entry-level title, where the dog must follow a relatively short, straightforward track aged about 30 minutes to 2 hours and find an article at the end.

• Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) : More challenging than TD, this title requires the dog to follow an older, longer track with multiple turns and cross-tracks (tracks that cross over the main track).

• Variable Surface Tracking (VST) : In this test, dogs must follow a track that includes non-vegetated surfaces such as concrete, gravel, or sand, mimicking urban environments.

• Champion Tracker (CT) : Dogs that earn all three of the above titles are awarded this prestigious designation.

IPO/IGP Tracking

IPO/IGP Tracking is part of a multi-discipline sport known as IGP, which includes three main phases: tracking, obedience, and protection. This sport was originally developed as a breed suitability test for German Shepherds but is now open to all breeds. The tracking phase in IGP tests a dog's ability to scent and precisely follow a human track laid out on a grassy field, identifying and indicating objects dropped by the track layer.

Tracking : In the IGP tracking phase, the track is also aged but usually for a shorter period than in AKC tracking, ranging from 20 minutes to a few hours depending on the level. The track will have several turns, and the number of articles the dog must find increases with the level of competition.

Obedience : This phase evaluates the dog's ability to perform a series of commanded tasks, demonstrating the handler's control and the dog's discipline.

Protection : This phase assesses the dog's courage, physical strength, and ability to protect the handler, as well as its control during bite work.

Key Differences

Purpose and Focus : AKC Tracking solely focuses on the dog's ability to scent and follow a trail over various terrains with the goal of locating specific articles. IGP Tracking, while also testing tracking skills, is part of a broader assessment of the dog's overall working capabilities, including obedience and protection.

Training and Competition Structure: AKC Tracking is purely non-competitive, with dogs being awarded titles based on meeting set standards. IGP is a competitive sport where dogs are scored and ranked against each other in all three phases of the competition.

Breeds : While both sports are open to all breeds, IGP (and its tracking component) is particularly popular among working breeds like German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Dobermans, due to the sport's origins and the physical demands of the obedience and protection phases.

Both AKC Tracking and IPO/IGP Tracking provide excellent opportunities to develop a working partnership with your dog, leveraging their natural scenting abilities in ways that are mentally stimulating and rewarding for the dog.