Working Dogs of America Police Dog Tracking Title  Level 1 (PDT1)  2026

This evaluation is designed to determine if a dog can track a person in an unfamiliar place and indicate articles that the person had dropped while leaving the scene of a crime. This test is intended to simulate real working situations.  It will test the dog’s temperament, training, and ability along with the handlers control of the dog. 

General Rules and Regulations  Click here

JUDGING:

Judging begins as you report to the judge to receive your instructions. The dog s responses to commands will be judged. Any dog determined to be un-controllable and aggressive to the judge or spectators will be dismissed.

The judge will follow behind the handler/dog team as would a back-up partner do in a real working condition. Judges may also use an assistant who will follow the team to pick up articles that the handler may have missed. 

Judging of the test will be on a scale of 0 to 100 with 70 being required to pass.  The handler and dog team will be judged on control, responsiveness to commands, and desire to work, indication intensities, and the time it takes for the dog to work out the track.  If a dog cannot complete the track, it will not receive a passing score.

TRACK LAYER:

The track layer will be unknown to the dog if possible. The track layer will receive instructions from the judge as to what directions the track will be laid.  The judge will also inform the track layer as to what type of articles are to be dropped on the track and the distance between articles.  At the end of the track a piece of clothing (ball cap, shirt, glove, shoe, etc.) will be left.

TRACK:

The handler and dog will be secluded from view of the track while it is being laid.  When the test begins the judge will inform the handler of the approximate area within 25 yards as to the start of the track.  The handler will be told in which direction the track leads. There will be two different articles dropped on the track and one piece of clothing at the end of track.  The track will be 1/4 mile long (440 yards) and have two different types of surfaces (dirt, grass, concrete, asphalt, woods, gravel, etc.).  The age of track will be 15 minutes to 45 minutes old prior to beginning the test. The track will have two turns that are at least 90 -degree angles. 

TIME:

Level 1 allows (15) minutes to complete the track, time will begin when handler announces to the judge that the dog is on the track.  Handler/Dog have (5) minutes to locate the start of the track once the judge has given the approximate area the track starts.

ARTICLES:

 Two articles will be used in the Level 1 evaluation with the end of the track being a piece of clothing. The two articles will be different and approximately  5 to 10 inches in length and the piece of clothing may be a ball cap, wadded up tee shirt, glove or shoe (larger items such as a jacket or pants are not allowed). The handler will inform the judge of his/her dog’s indication response prior to the start of the track. Points will be deducted if dog does not perform the declared indication behavior.  If dog indicates in any other form than what the handler informed the judge points will be deducted.  If dog fails to indicate the last article of clothing 20 points will be deducted. 

COMMANDS:

The handler is allowed to use both verbal and hand signals, the handler may encourage his/her dog with commands and praise.  The judge will evaluate the responsiveness of the dog to obvious commands given. The handler is allowed to pause tracking without point loss for safety reasons and give a down command if a perceived danger is occurring (such as an approaching vehicle loose dog). The judge will stop the time of tracking during the safety pause.  A command to begin tracking after each article indication has been performed is mandatory.

EQUIPMENT:

The handler shall use the appropriate equipment while tracking; the tracking line must be at least 15 feet long up to 40 feet. Dogs can be tracked using harness and/or flat collar, fur saver, pinch collar on dead rin