Since the VST program started in 1995, only 220 dogs of any breed have achieved Champion Tracker titles. Of those 220, 15 Belgians have earned this honor with Malibu being #15. The CT title is incredibly difficult to achieve. The dog must pass all three of the AKC tracking tests, each testing different areas and levels of scentwork skills, following the trail of the track layer, who represents a lost person, and finding personal articles that were dropped.

First comes a certification test, and then the Tracking Dog (TD) test, typically held in grassy fields with the direction of the first part of the track shown. The track is 440-500 yards long, has 3-5 turns, and is aged from 30 minutes to 2 hours, with a glove at the starting flag to give the scent and a glove or wallet at the end of the track that the dog must find. After earning the TD title, the dog may then go on to test for Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) or for Variable Surface Tracking (VST) or both. TDX tests include changing terrain and are held in fields and woods. Obstacles such as ditches, roads, streams, logs and fences are included to test the dogÕs ability to adapt to changing scent conditions and continue scenting while overcoming physical challenges. This can be quite a challenge for the handler, as well. The direction of the track is not shown at the start and many dogs fail before they ever get started. There are four different articles to find, with one at the start to provide the scent the dog should follow, and the rest along the track. Click here to see the map of Malibu's TDX Track.

The VST test is considered the crowning achievement for a tracking dog. It is meant to demonstrate the ability of the dog to track in an urban environment. It can take years of training to prepare for this test. Virtually everything in VST is difficult! Up to 2/3 of the track is on non-vegatated surfaces. The dog must deal with transitions from concrete sidewalks to pavement to short grass and go up and down ramps and steps and bridges. The track is 600-800 yards long with 6-8 turns, including the MOT (Moment of Truth) which is usually in the middle of a parking lot. Meanwhile, crowds of people and vehicles cross back and forth over the aging track that was laid 3-5 hours before the start of the test. The scent trail can easily move from where it was laid because non-vegatative surfaces do not hold the scent the way long grass does. VST articles are also small and hard to find, made of leather, cloth, plastic and metal.