Lenape Tracking Club of Central New Jersey, with activities being held in and around Hunterdon County in western New Jersey, was formed in June of 1975 by a small group of people interested in tracking. Membership has averaged over 50 the past few years.
Our purpose in forming the club was to do all in our power to assist people in training their dogs in the sport of tracking, to encourage sportsmanship-like competition in tracking tests and to sponsor educational programs of interest to tracking enthusiasts.
Each spring since 1978 we have held a Tracking Experience Day introducing beginners to tracking. Three follow-up sessions are held through the spring months, where experienced members support and encourage these new tracking teams. The club has held many certification events, officiated by a licensed AKC judge, simulating actual tracking test conditions since 1975.
In 1990 the club received AKC approval to hold licensed Tracking Tests in New Jersey and we will be holding our 22nd TD and 9th TDX tests in November 2011. Also, we held our first VST test in June 2010.
Club members work together in pairs and small groups throughout the year to train their dogs to track, encouraging each other when they have problems and cheering each track well done.
A newsletter, Common Scents, keeps member informed. We also have a members-only Yahoo List and a website that is geared to the tracking public in general. Each year we hold a dinner meeting where awards are presented to each dog/member team which earned a TD, TDX or VST anywhere during the previous year. In addition, the Club awards the John Mitkus Award to any member who earns an AKC TD title, an additional tracking title with any other registry and a TDX with any registry on a single dog. (John was the first member of the club to do this in the late 1970s).
All areas of scent work are of interest to our members as shown by programs we have held that include: Search and Rescue dogs, narcotic detection dogs, the use of dogs in detecting chemicals, and police canine work.
Lenape Tracking Club of Central New Jersey is looking forward to a very active and productive future.