Monday, October 5, 2009

A nice day for tracking

Sunday was a beautiful day for tracking, so I gave Devon a VST track and Page a TDX track. Both tracks were aged about 3 hours and 15 minutes. It was sunny and 61 degrees with an occasional wind around 8-9 mph.

Devon's track was short, approximately 350 yards. She started on grass, then crossed over a drive to a turn on a sidewalk then across a parking lot. Devon started well and went across the driveway nicely. She worked the turn for a while, but finally committed to the new leg and went confidently across the parking lot. The track was between two curbs, so it held scent for her.

Onto grass and a metal article for a reward. Devon handled this next leg along the front of the building very well. I took her from grass into the mulch flowerbed then onto the sidewalk in front of the building entrance then back into the mulched flowerbeds and back into grass.

Her next turn was again on a sidewalk, which she worked for a while. After going across a driveway to the island beyond, she turned and saw her plastic article which drew her to the correct leg. It was a bit of a cheat, but that's ok! She worked very strongly from there to the final leather article.

Page had a 710 yard track that she handled much better than the windy track on Friday. She started in short cut grass then went into medium cover. From there, she turned and went across a road, which she handled quickly and confidently.

Back onto the veg, she found her track into heavier cover easily. I then angled across some cut grass with a steep slope to a blacktop walkway. She had to fight not only the hill, but the scent on the walkway and a pond with ducks just below it. After investigating the pathway, she rejected it and moved back to her track and headed back up the slope into the heavy cover.

For her last turn, I was able to put her into a woods line with a turn just into the woods line. She worked this area but quickly found her turn and tracked out of it to the final glove.

Her article indications are getting much better. I'm not allowing her to move on until she gives me an indication. After asking for a "fetch" or retrieve, Page went back to her initial indication of a down on the article. While it's not what I prefer for a Golden, I'll take it.

Page is starting to understand that if she wants to continue to play the game, she has to play by my rules on articles. I'm sure she's thinking my requirements are absolutely the dumbest thing in the world, but she loves the game and she'll do it! It helps that she gets a reward when she does give me an indications.

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