12-12-24

 Soccer fields. Short, soggy grass, sunny, 43degrees, 15-20mph wind, 50% humidity.

4 start tracks, each leg 50 yd. #’s 1&3 had food on 1st leg & a left turn. #’s 2&4 had food on 2nd leg & a right turn. #1 aged 1 hr, #2 90 min, #3 2hr, #4 2hr 40 min. When tracks were ~1\2 hr old, 2 people with 2 dogs walked almost exactly down 1st leg of track 1, one of the dogs ate the treat & the other peed on the track😒

I used a 10’ line for all. No surprise that start of #1 was a bit of a mess, but it got good after the turn, which Seren readily found. On #4 she overshot the turn & I let the line out to 20’ before stopping her, at which point she came back & found the turn easily. Attitude good throughout, all articles good.


I need to start logging what I do with Dylan so that I can remember where I’m at with him. Today 1 straight track scuff 5, walk 5, food, walk 5, scuff 5, etc. Then same pattern with open left turn, scuffing into & out of turn. Then same pattern with open right turn & scuffed turn. He did great, even downed for article once before I told him to. Next time I’ll do scuff 5, walk 7, food, walk7, scuff 5. I think I’ll start leaving him in the car while I lay his track, as the enthusiastic barking while watching me put the track in gets on my nerves. I’m using Vicki’s harness which I think can be adjusted to fit him better, & I’ll gladly pay anyone $5 to do that for me.

Comments

  1. JudiDecember 12, 2024 at 12:35 PM

    Question, on #4, she came back because you stopped her? If so, keep an eye on your handling and make sure you aren’t cuing the turns!.

    I can’t wait to see Dylan track!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seren trackingDecember 12, 2024 at 3:58 PM

      Yes, she came back because I stopped her. Did that based on your post about line length, but perhaps I was misunderstanding. I did keep my eyes & body facing in direction of 1st leg so as not to cue direction of turn, but certainly did cue that there was a turn. She did not attempt to keep going straight, nor did she really check to the left

      Delete
    2. JudiDecember 12, 2024 at 4:59 PM

      OK, so you got good information. Maybe next do a stairstep, laid as in the resources section, and have a plan—you could…..increase line tension and see if she finds the turn on her own; or go with her and see how far she goes. Have a plan to get back that doesn’t include you guiding her. I think once you stop her (at her level of skill), you’ve taken responsibility for the track. It’s her responsibility, not yours (similar to when you encouraged her to go to a marked tree at our house). It’s a fine line, but you are preparing for an X. Your dog has to show the judges that SHE is the one making decisions. You can read her choices, but you can’t influence them.

      Delete
    3. Seren trackingDecember 12, 2024 at 5:04 PM

      Got it. (I think)

      Delete
  2. Anne (Mila)December 12, 2024 at 3:12 PM

    Nice Betty! Just stopping by so you know I saw this one :).

    ReplyDelete

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