Happy New Year everyone! I believe that this night is a time to be grateful for everything that has come our way in 2008. It is not a time to make resolutions, in fact I am not even a believer in resolutions. I am trying to practice "present moment" living, and believe that every action and thought we have in the present moment will unfold in our lives. Think about dieting - we can waste our time dreaming about how we will look a year from now - or - we can think about each bite we put into our mouths "now." How we eat and drink, and how active we are from moment to moment is the most important thing.
One of my goals is to find a farm and have my own sheep again!
The same can be said for how we interact with our dogs who are very present beings. Training our dogs depends on a moment by moment, interaction by interaction philosophy. If we make the most of each moment, our interactions will add up to create a better relationship and a well-behaved dog.
So having said all that - it is still important to have a "plan" and work incrementally on steps that make sense and are achievable. Each year at this time I like to look at each of my dogs and think - what do I think I can achieve this year? Then I look realistically at the time I have, the access I have to training and trials, and do a bit of backwards planning.
And I hope to enter a stockdog trial this year -
But when? With which dog?
(no this is not one of my dogs, it is a free stock photo)
Backwards planning means looking at trials you may have access to, and coming up with a training plan to get you to that point where you are ready to enter. So if there is a tracking trial I want to enter at the end of May - here is what I do:
What dog
What level
Preparation and training time
Training schedule - I start with the trial, and work BACKWARDS
- May trial
- Week prior to trial - motivation only, and rest
- Entry deadline - decide who to enter
- Two weeks prior to entry deadline - are things going well? This is not the time to fix big problems
- Month before the deadline - do we have major issues?
- April - first training on veg with no snow; assess where we are at
- Note - up to now, we have not trained a lot due to weather
- March - work with a partner and try a blind track
- February - increase age and distance
- January - assess where we are at with a short track
After doing this, I realize that it looks like I have 5 months, but really, due to weather and not being able to work on veg, realistically it is 3 months of work in 5 months. Take away pressures that detract from training, and it might be less.
**This is why it is so important to keep a tracking journal, to stay honest about how much you actually train***
For herding trials, my schedule might be different because I am more of a beginner. I would build in some time to achieve steps in my ability to handle my dog - and give myself more time to get ready.
Since I have multiple dogs, and I work full time, I will look over four training plans for four dogs, and start to do some give and take because we can't do it all, and it is time to set some priorities. My oldest dog River is a big priority for tracking. Caden has lots of time and I can play around with his tracking while I work in earnest with River, since her tracks have to age.
I have to work harder with Jet and Ted to decide who is the dog I will trial first, so my first step in that plan is just to work them more so I have a better feeling for working each one.
Once I have the big picture in my head, I feel I can train smarter and relax because I know the schedule I am working towards with each dog. This prevents wasting time. And notice, I have not made one resolution like "This year I will track every weekend." This kind of resolution is doomed to fail because life is busy and things come up. And there is no real plan attached to the resolution.
Instead, I have a goal which is to make sure River is ready for a UTDX test. I know where they are and when they are, and this will guide my training in a calm manner. And I build in benchmarks to see how we are doing. If we aren't ready, or if I can't make it or don't get into a test - I know what the next options are, and I won't be hard on myself or start to feel defeated.
And of course there are four tracking dogs here - and they need...
River needs her UTDX
Jet needs a UTD and TDX
Caden and Ted need their TDs
But when and where?
Someone once said to me - trying to get by a day at a time is big picture thinking! Get by 5 minutes at a time, and you will find these small chunks easier to manage. The Buddhists, and the positive thinking philosopher Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now) believe that we can lose important moments in our lives if we dwell on the past or future. As Eckhart Tolle says - when the future arrives - it will be NOW!
I hope that when each of my "now" moments arrive I will be ready because I have decided to work steadily, moment by moment, to train and prepare in a calm, thoughtful and positive manner.
I encourage everyone to do this! There is no magic trick or secret to setting out a good plan and enjoying the journey. If you don't train in a positive and happy frame of mind, it will show and your dogs will pick up your feelings of frustration and defeat. Be sure to be grateful that life is good enough that we can spend time in this way. And enjoy your dogs!
Happy New Year and all the best in 2009!
Donna and the Spiritdance Dogs
PS Since there are not many photos in this post - here is what I am making to serve for New Year's dinner tomorrow with some friends, from Jamie Oliver's blog (and from his Christmas Special) - http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/meat-recipes/mince-pies
Baking and cooking are two other ways to stay focused in the present moment!
Ted is my little shadow. When I am at the computer he is always at my feet. He is still finding little bits and things to offer me as his special "toys" (see below)...
We drove to the location of my track, which was at the soccer field at Confederation College. River failed her first attempt at UTD on a soccer field at the University. Sigh. I tried not to think "another soccer field!" I tried to calm myself. I tried not to worry about her sore neck. We had a short walk to the start. River always wants to start too fast, so I have worked on that, too. In urban tracking it is so important to ensure your dog takes in the scent because that scent is more elusive in an urban environment. I held her at the scent pad until I felt she was ready to go. The first leg went west, and was in the shade on a fairly moist area downhill from the soccer field. River looked beautiful. 
This is the nervous part of tracking! Usually I keep River on a shorter line in urban than I use on the field. I decided I would play out a lot of line so that I could get a good look at her from a distance. This can give you a different perspective on your dog's body language that you don't get when you are close. I played out my line and followed slowly, watching. I had just come to my full line length when I saw her make a definite turn to the left! Now I was 40 feet behind her and she was already on the next leg! I ran as fast as I could to get in behind her and before I could even catch up, she was indicating her first article, a piece of wood.
Unless you track with your dog, you can't imagine the feeling when your dog comes to an article. The sport involves so much trust and belief in our dogs because we are visual, and we can't see the track. And our dogs, if trained properly, do this out of love and motivation to work with us. It is very humbling. Even as I type this, I choke up with the memory. 
I felt very calm, and watched River not even hesitate as she made a right turn. This was a long narrow lot, that opened into a big square lot. River trotted along at a good clip. As she entered into the wider part of the lot, she suddenly veered to the right. I remember being very caught off guard. Really? Two turns? She was moving so fast that I actually had the line yanked from my hands. Great form! I ran to catch her line at about the same time as she was carefully sniffing a lightpost.
At this point I started to scan the parking lot. Did we miss our glove? What was going on? River veered back to the original line we were following, and was heading for the berm between the parking lot and a road. I was really beginning to panic, when she stopped dead and dipped her head to nose the glove. She looked at me and started to wag her tail. PASS! The glove was way at the far end, right before the curb. It blended into the pavement. That wiley Marie Babin, she made sure River had to find it! I ran up with my arms in the air telling River how much I loved her. The crowd of my friends ran up for hugs.
At the same test that weekend many of my friends and students also did well. Karen Boyes earned her TCH with her Aussie Penny (above). Karen became the first person in Canada to earn two UTDXs in a row both on her first attempts, two tests in a row - the first being with her Aussie Jasper the previous fall. Penny earned her TDX on this same weekend, so passed both tests two days in a row! Dawn Sanderson, our CKC rep also passed UTD. A US exhibitor also passed a UTD test with her Standard Poodle making her 8 hour drive worth the trip!
The gallery on the field day for TDs and TDXs. Tracklayers and trackers gathered for this shot. It was raining - perfect! However, the rain was too hard for some tracks, causing problems. The same group from behind, watching the 2nd TD track of the day.
In the field test, my friend and students to earn TDs were Katie and her Golden Henley (in a 4 minute track), and first - time tracker Peggy and her Cocker Harley. Harley above, and Henley below. I was so proud - when you are a tracking instructor you are not just nervous for yourself, but you feel like you are in the field with every dog and handler you have worked with! I always tell people - you are the one that did all the work! But I still feel like a proud mom when they pass. Harley was one of those dogs who showed promise the very first time Peggy had him in a beginner's seminar and I was sure they would pass!
My friend, and student, Margaret also passed her TD with aussie Drake.
Drake's first track was fouled by some ATV joy riders. Marie laid her another track on a field full of seagulls. During the track, it poured rain, and Margaret couldn't even see Drake, who confidently towed her to the glove! 
Oh yes, we are happy! Good boy Drake. At one point, Margaret was so disoriented she was facing one way, while Drake was behind her pulling for all his might in the right direction, and he literally whirled her around on the spot!
Sigrid and Dante. Sigrid encourages all of her 'puppy people' to track, and has more titles than anyone else in Thunder Bay on her dogs.
River's breeder Sigrid Appelt passed her TDX with River's brother Dante in a picture perfect track. He looked majestic as he came over a hill to the final glove. She looks like Mary Tyler Moore of the tracking world, tossing that last glove in the air as she hugs Dante. Below is a pictures of me, Marie and Sigrid, and littermates River and Dante! I am holding River's wooden article. 
Thanks, River -you are such a wonderful friend. River is also known as Lindau's Uncharted Course UTD JHD HCT