What distinguishes tracking training from obedience training?

The distinction between tracking training and obedience training lies primarily in their fundamental focuses and objectives. Tracking training is specifically designed to develop a dog's ability to follow scents and trails left by a person or object, utilizing their natural instincts for scent detection. This training involves teaching the dog to pick up specific scents and follow them over varying distances and terrains.

On the other hand, obedience training emphasizes teaching a dog to respond to commands given by the handler, such as sit, stay, or come. The goal of obedience training is to instill a level of compliance and reliability in the dog’s responses to these commands, ensuring that the dog can follow instructions in various situations, which is critical for safety and control.

While both training types are essential in a canine handler's skill set, they serve different purposes—tracking enhances a dog's scenting abilities, while obedience training ensures the dog is well-behaved and responsive under command. Therefore, this fundamental difference in focus clearly delineates tracking from obedience training.