River and Ted - tracking journal and maps

Last week I applied for a Passport (finally) and like a good tracker, I scouted the area for an urban track. It lacks enough veg for a test, but thought it would be a great place to train on lots of non-veg. Since it was a federal government holiday today, the parking lots were nearly empty. I laid a track for River that was nearly 500 metres with LOTS of articles - gloves, cloth, plastic, metal and wood. While it was aging, I laid a track for Ted at the College and made it harder than anything he has done all winter.

I went back to run River' track and she was primed to get going (in drive!). I carried water today for the first time in awhile as it was so warm I wasn't wearing a jacket and had no gloves.

River literally ran parts of her track, often with her head up. She overshot one corner, and to my shame, it was to head to a leg well beyond a corner, where I had come back to close the box. Clearly she knew there was track over there (you can see it in the map above).

This brings me back again to parallel legs and plotting in urban tracking. I am starting to really question doubling back on your own track to make a box in urban settings. I held my ground and she gave up easily, and then found the corner and a plastic article. At the next article, a woman pulled up in a car to chat about her German Shepherd and ask about tracking classes - I tried to be polite but then begged my leave of her because poor River was trying to keep going!

There was enough veg for her to touch down on the scent and remotivate. The dead grass is mostly apparent now in town, where snow is melting. She turned and completed the last half of her track at a trot, only dipping her nose from time to time. I am sure that even though a building presents its own challenges, it does act as a barrier between parallel legs whereas in open parking lots, the scent seems to spread.

I was so proud of her confidence today! As I type this note, she is sleeping at my feet. Usually she hangs out on the bed, but after we track, she usually feels a bit more mushy and wants to be close to me.


After that, I ran Ted's track. It had three articles and was 350 metres, but a good portion of it was on mud and at the edges of a parking lot. The first turn was at the top of a hill and after turning in a circle, he was very sure of the direction. He turned again nicely towards a parking lot. I would have gone into the lot but it was full of cars using the College athletic facility, so I walked along the edge of the lot half on asphalt and half on dirt. Ted stood for a moment thinking it through, then suddenly dove down the leg.

Once Ted reached the third turn, he was quite torn about taking the leg or crossing the road. I had to hold my ground and finally he chose the leg. It turned to cross the road and once reaching the other side, Ted's head was high and he was on a mission. I realized, by how he was tracking, that he had winded the final glove from well back and was just trying to get there. We had a tremendous play session afterwards.

I am looking forward to getting him back to the fields to prep for his TD attempt in May!