Lenape Tracking Club of Central New Jersey, with activities being held in and around Hunterdon County in western New Jersey, was incorporated in June of 1975 by a small group of people interested in tracking at a time when tracking as an AKC approved event was beginning to grow. Current membership is about 40 people.

Our purpose in forming the club was to do our best to assist people 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.

Beginning in the spring of 1978 we held a Tracking Experience Day to introduce beginners to tracking. Follow-up sessions may be scheduled as needed, where experienced members support and encourage 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 in 2026 we will be holding our 36^th Tracking Dog, 25^th Tracking Dog Excellent, and 16^th Variable Surface Tracking tests. Also, we held our first VST test in June 2010.

Club members work together in pairs and small groups throughout the year training their dogs to track, encouraging each other when they have problems and cheering each track well done.

A newsletter, Common Scents, keeps members informed. 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.