W-b Eyes Helping Conservancy 
The Non-profit Earth Conservancy Needs A Federal Grant To Help Buy Old Mine 
Land

By MARY THERESE BIEBEL; Times Leader Social Editor
 Sunday, January 15, 1995 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1D 





It was the first day of archery season two years ago and Hank Novicki had
climbed to a tree stand out in the woods. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hunting conditions were perfect, the veteran outdoorsman thought to
himself, and his heartbeat quickened as he heard a great crashing through the
underbrush. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But instead of the deer he hoped to see, Novicki spied his glossy black
dog. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nose to the ground, Haus Vom Shultz was purposefully following his master's
scent. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This was the Wapwallopen man's first inkling that Haus had the potential to
become a champion tracking dog, the kind of canine that could help police find
a missing person. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The hunter had left the Rottweiler puppy, less than a year old, about 3/4
of a mile out of the woods with his wife, Kim. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Suddenly, there was Haus, acting like a target missile and heading for the
tree stand. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He followed my exact path, zigzagging where I zigzagged, crossing the
creek where I crossed the creek," Novicki remembers. Finally, "there he was
circling the base of the tree. He didn't know enough to look up." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Haus hadn't seen his master; he'd simply sniffed him out. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He has something most dogs have instinctively," Novicki says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Haus has proven that his early instincts -- and subsequent training --
are better than average. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last autumn, after two years of diligent practice with Hank Novicki, Haus
won the TDX (Tracking Dog Excellent) title in a test sponsored by the Port
Chester Obedience Training Club in New Paltz, N.Y. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Four dogs tested on Oct. 16, and Haus was the only one who passed --
succeeding where a basset hound, Welsh corgie and Chesapeake Bay retriever had
failed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pouring over statistics from the American Kennel Club, Kim Novicki has
determined that 560 dogs in the United States competed for the TDX title in
1993. Of that total, only 92 passed. Thirteen of them were Rottweilers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's a tough test. They have to differentiate among a lot of different
scents," says Michael A. Clemens of Albany, N.Y., one of two tracking judges
who officiated at Haus' test. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 To pass the test, Haus followed an invisible, 960-yard track that had been
laid in a field three to five hours earlier. A tracklayer had dropped three
personal articles -- small items such as a sock, belt or eyeglass case --
along the track as clues. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The ultimate goal -- a glove -- waited at the end. Haus found it in 21
minutes, pulling self-taught handler Hank behind him on a leash attached to
his harness. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I had butterflies in my stomach," says Hank Novicki. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The TDX was a test for which man and dog had practiced countless hours. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No one can remember how many belts and socks Haus has sniffed out in the
woods and cornfields near his home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No one has counted the times Novicki has given Haus the command to "Such!"
Rottweilers are a German breed, so the handler uses the German word for
"search." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Oct. 16 test was Haus' second attempt at the title. Novicki blames
himself that Haus didn't pass on his first try earlier last year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The first time Haus took the test the 100-lb. Rotty was on the right track
-- heading toward the obstacle of an electrical fence. Novicki thought the
tracklayer wouldn't have put a dog in danger by laying the track there, so he
pulled Haus away. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Later he found out the electric current had been turned off and it would've
been safe to touch the fence. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He went back four times to the same spot under the fence," Novicki says
regretfully. "You've got to trust your dog." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Trainer and tracking judge Carole Artim of Allentown agrees. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The last thing I always tell people is, Believe your dog, because most of
the time they're right," she says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A dog's sense of smell, after all, is an estimated 15,000 times stronger
than a human's. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Dogs can find scents that the most sensitive instruments can't detect,"
Artim says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But a handler has to be alert to canine signals. Are the ears up or back?
Is the tail high or low? These can all be subtle clues, Artim says, indicating
whether the dog is still on the trail or whether he's been distracted. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One of the Novickis' future goals for Haus is to train for a variable
surface test that the American Kennel Club is designing. The new test will
offer dogs the added challenge of tracking a scent over concrete and macadam
instead of vegetation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tracking judge Clemens says regulations for the test may be finalized by
the end of the year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If Haus earns that title, he'd be certified as a champion tracking dog. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 To the Novickis, he's already a champ. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kim, a systems analyst, and Hank, owner of Ceramic Tile Creations, are as
proud of Haus as if he was a child with a straight-A report card, a football
trophy and first place at the science fair. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They prize the pile of ribbons on display in their rec room. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As for Haus, the Novickis say, he tracks for the fun of it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He loves it," says Hank Novicki. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The dog isn't motivated by food, Kim Novicki says, but he does like to play
with a favorite toy -- a broken golf club that's been chewed apart and mended
with duct tape. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As a reward after he's done well, she always hands him the golf club. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On the day Haus passed the TDX, the Novickis remember how exuberant they
were as a triumphant Haus and Hank ran toward Kim and the golf club. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bystanders told them "It looked like two people in love, running across the
field toward each other," Hank Novicki laughs with a nod at his wife, "Except
that instead of kissing her husband, she hugged the dog first." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Winner By A Nose