Thunder Bay Tracking Test Day One Field Results
This is the Thunder Bay Kennel & Training Club report sent to the CKC chat group by Test Secretary Karen Boyes (who has two TCh Aussies Jasper and Penny)...
Hi All, We have just completed the Thunder Bay Kennel and Training Club spring tests, with one new TD title, and one new UTD title. We had lovely weather: a welcome break after an extended winter and very cold,wet spring.
Many thanks to our TWO excellent judges: Dawn Sanderson (of Thunder Bay) for judging 6 TDs and 4 TDXs on Saturday; and JoAnne McLeod of Courtenay, BC, who judged 5 UTDs and 3 UTDX tracks on Sunday. Both spent many hours plotting ahead of time and gave us an excellent set of test tracks.
Saturday started out fairly calm (cool and sunny) as the first tracks were being laid, but as we got started, the wind picked up quite a bit,and dark clouds lurked in the distance… sending variable gusts across the fields.
TD#1 was a boxer who got off to a wobbly start and quit working almost immediately: her handler decided to call it a day and try another time.
TD#2 (an adorable Maltese) also had a hesitant start and spent much ofthe first leg energetically checking options on both sides of the track. She made some progress but was whistled off after a turn off the firstleg took her too far off to recover….
TD #3 was a young Golden Retriever boy and by now the wind gusts were picking up. He worked his way up the first two legs and turns, but then got disoriented and back tracked to corner two. He could not get past that area, eventually not working any more and even offering up lovely obedience fronts to his handler, so she decided to call it a day. With a little more problem-solving experience, he'll do great another time!
TD #4 was another Golden Retriever (female) and despite a nice start,this dog also began to quit after working up the first leg in the wind gusts. The handler called the run.
TD #5 was a young Cairn Terrier in a slightly more sheltered field and this cheery fellow galloped down his first leg, made his first turn and then second (open angle) turn nicelybut then got off track and headed the wrong way just before the next turn … he went towards an opening in the trees and the wind may have been pushing the track scent through it, pulling him off the track. He will do great another time!
TD #6 is our NEW TD titled dog: Ch Lindau's Schiehallion HIC, "SHEA"owned and handled by Sigrid Appelt.
(picture coming)
Shea did a beautiful track right from the start, showing excellent focus and pulling Sigrid strongly along, nose deep into her track. Approaching turn #3 she pulled Sigrid off track first right and then left, and then cut that corner headed off at a slight angle diverging from leg#3. She disappeared down a slight gully (the wind may have been pushing the scent down into it) but then soon enough we saw them reappear and re-connect with leg 3 to make another lovely corner and pull directly to the final glove. Yay, A PASS !!!! And a show of excellent handling by Sigrid !!
We then moved onto the TDXs. The winds were now variable, with calm spells alternating with strong breezes and gusts.
TDX #1 was a male Golden Retriever. His start and first leg involved a fair amount of casting back and forth to find the track and he seemed a bit distracted, but once he made the first turn he seemed to be settling quite nicely into the track. Unfortunately he then took the cross track in a convincing manner and his handler followed, to hear the whistle. When put back on he did a very nice job.
TDX #2 was a very energetic Cocker Spaniel male and he was another dog not quite "on" his first leg, somewhat paralleling it in the strong breezes and searching around a lot as he made progress forward. He cut the first corner, finding leg #2, and paralleling it, then the same for leg #3, searching enthusiastically but criss-crossing the track. Unfortunately he passed by turn #3 and proceeded straight ahead, taking him off track and away from the first article, and away from legs 4 and 5 of the track. A very motivated tracker and handler - they'll beback!!
TDX #3 was a German Shepherd female and again we had shaky first leg that did not seem to quite lock onto the actual track. She worked the area until she made turn #1, and then looked like she was settling in well on the second leg, but this dog also took a cross track quite convincingly!! When put back on she completed the track nicely.
TDX #4 was a male Beagle who was quite unfocused at the start, and along the first two legs wanting to be 'a Beagle' and check out all kinds of interesting stuff. His handler knew things were 'not going well' when he let out a few "beagle bays" at some other strong scents he discovered and he eventually pulled her off the track. He did have a good time ! They are a fairly new team and with some more experience should do well!
Too bad such a low pass rate ... with the late spring the ground is only now letting loose with all that 'spring' scent and new growth. I think that (and the wind) was a overwhelming for some of the dogs to handle, with such little time to train in this spring.
Karen Boyes, Test Secretary
Hi All, We have just completed the Thunder Bay Kennel and Training Club spring tests, with one new TD title, and one new UTD title. We had lovely weather: a welcome break after an extended winter and very cold,wet spring.
Many thanks to our TWO excellent judges: Dawn Sanderson (of Thunder Bay) for judging 6 TDs and 4 TDXs on Saturday; and JoAnne McLeod of Courtenay, BC, who judged 5 UTDs and 3 UTDX tracks on Sunday. Both spent many hours plotting ahead of time and gave us an excellent set of test tracks.
Saturday started out fairly calm (cool and sunny) as the first tracks were being laid, but as we got started, the wind picked up quite a bit,and dark clouds lurked in the distance… sending variable gusts across the fields.
TD#1 was a boxer who got off to a wobbly start and quit working almost immediately: her handler decided to call it a day and try another time.
TD#2 (an adorable Maltese) also had a hesitant start and spent much ofthe first leg energetically checking options on both sides of the track. She made some progress but was whistled off after a turn off the firstleg took her too far off to recover….
TD #3 was a young Golden Retriever boy and by now the wind gusts were picking up. He worked his way up the first two legs and turns, but then got disoriented and back tracked to corner two. He could not get past that area, eventually not working any more and even offering up lovely obedience fronts to his handler, so she decided to call it a day. With a little more problem-solving experience, he'll do great another time!
TD #4 was another Golden Retriever (female) and despite a nice start,this dog also began to quit after working up the first leg in the wind gusts. The handler called the run.
TD #5 was a young Cairn Terrier in a slightly more sheltered field and this cheery fellow galloped down his first leg, made his first turn and then second (open angle) turn nicelybut then got off track and headed the wrong way just before the next turn … he went towards an opening in the trees and the wind may have been pushing the track scent through it, pulling him off the track. He will do great another time!
TD #6 is our NEW TD titled dog: Ch Lindau's Schiehallion HIC, "SHEA"owned and handled by Sigrid Appelt.
(picture coming)
Shea did a beautiful track right from the start, showing excellent focus and pulling Sigrid strongly along, nose deep into her track. Approaching turn #3 she pulled Sigrid off track first right and then left, and then cut that corner headed off at a slight angle diverging from leg#3. She disappeared down a slight gully (the wind may have been pushing the scent down into it) but then soon enough we saw them reappear and re-connect with leg 3 to make another lovely corner and pull directly to the final glove. Yay, A PASS !!!! And a show of excellent handling by Sigrid !!
We then moved onto the TDXs. The winds were now variable, with calm spells alternating with strong breezes and gusts.
TDX #1 was a male Golden Retriever. His start and first leg involved a fair amount of casting back and forth to find the track and he seemed a bit distracted, but once he made the first turn he seemed to be settling quite nicely into the track. Unfortunately he then took the cross track in a convincing manner and his handler followed, to hear the whistle. When put back on he did a very nice job.
TDX #2 was a very energetic Cocker Spaniel male and he was another dog not quite "on" his first leg, somewhat paralleling it in the strong breezes and searching around a lot as he made progress forward. He cut the first corner, finding leg #2, and paralleling it, then the same for leg #3, searching enthusiastically but criss-crossing the track. Unfortunately he passed by turn #3 and proceeded straight ahead, taking him off track and away from the first article, and away from legs 4 and 5 of the track. A very motivated tracker and handler - they'll beback!!
TDX #3 was a German Shepherd female and again we had shaky first leg that did not seem to quite lock onto the actual track. She worked the area until she made turn #1, and then looked like she was settling in well on the second leg, but this dog also took a cross track quite convincingly!! When put back on she completed the track nicely.
TDX #4 was a male Beagle who was quite unfocused at the start, and along the first two legs wanting to be 'a Beagle' and check out all kinds of interesting stuff. His handler knew things were 'not going well' when he let out a few "beagle bays" at some other strong scents he discovered and he eventually pulled her off the track. He did have a good time ! They are a fairly new team and with some more experience should do well!
Too bad such a low pass rate ... with the late spring the ground is only now letting loose with all that 'spring' scent and new growth. I think that (and the wind) was a overwhelming for some of the dogs to handle, with such little time to train in this spring.
Karen Boyes, Test Secretary
Category Article tracking test results
