Using the --track option when creating a branch

We have had a few "crossed stream" problems when developers are working on a local branch and they do an unguarded git push/pull, when they really intended to do git push/pull origin branchname.

We use git in a way that makes it desirable for us to only push/pull to the same remote branch. So, if I'm in branch X, I want 'git push' to push to origin/X, and 'git pull' to fetch into origin/X and then merge into X from origin/X.

In other words, we want git push/pull to behave in branches other than master the same way it does when in master.

I have discovered the '--track' option when creating a local branch, and this appears to me to be the thing that gives us the desired behavior.

Before I tell the rest of the team that this is the correct way to do things, I need to be sure I am correct, so if anyone here can confirm or deny this, I'd appreciate it.

Also, once a branch has been created, how can we add a '--track' option after the fact?

Finally, is there a 'global' config setting that would set this behavior for all repos (new or existing)?

We are using git 1.6.* versions here, mostly.

Thanks.

Bill