Urban Tracking with my Girls this weekend...(long)...
Here I am with Jet this afternoon at the end of her urban track (described below)
Jet's track last night
As you can see above, Jet had some confusion at her hard surface turn. It was interesting - she only went about 15 feet (3 m) past it and froze. This is her little bugaboo - she is not casting a lot, but likes to stand and take stock. This parking lot was narrow and I made a BAD turn, I think. My turn was up onto a concrete sidewalk lined on either side by cedars. It was narrower here, and the lot widened again after the sidewalk. I thought it would funnel the scent, but instead, she passed the turn and could not get back and had no clue. The cedar may have been overwhelming for her - including cedar mulch.
I want her to learn to work out problems and she needs more work in this area. So I stood neutrally and encouraged her. When I encouraged her - she decided maybe she would lie down as if indicating an article. I was able to verbally get her up and working again but that was a NEW one on me! Interesting how her response to stress is also one of her strongest behaviours when she is working well. She finally was very tentative and once she got onto the sidewalk, it went well to the end. So TODAY, I laid her a track well out in the open with no funky trees or tight areas.
One never knows how scent flows in urban areas. This was a new area to me too. Having seen her do this once, I would reconsider plotting a track that way. If I did it again, I would watch to see if it is indeed a scent trap. One thing about getting to know an area is getting to know the weird spots. This can also be very helpful when a judge comes to town and doesn't know some of the funny scent flows that are consistent. It can help when a chief tracklayer is able to point out these things - even though of course, the dogs must be prepared for everything (but we want them to pass!)
River's track last night
I laid River a really funky track (above) that was NOT regulation but covered so many transitions and surfaces it was simply fun for her and me. I put purple numbers that correspond with the pictures below - taken with my Blackberry. Due to light - we were not able to age it for 3 hours, it was only just over 2 hours old so was fairly easy for her. She was a bit challeged by one footbridge, but finally got past it (and the scent underneath - "yes Susan, she did that too" ) - and moved on.
Photo #1 footbridge - the track went onto the lawn past that snowbank, but she went up and down and looked under the bridge before moving forward. There was a metal article on the lawn.
Photo #2 - brick. She had already done gravel, asphalt, footbridge and lawn...
Photo #3 - I saw this little opening and went for it! River was sucked right through with no hesitation. There was a plastic article just past where I caught this photo.
Photo #4 - emerging onto the gravel parking lot.
Photo #5 - taking the left turn and working her way along. She investigated scent at the curbs but her article (a sock) pulled her back over to the track.
Photo #6 - Sock - This was near the end, and she had been tracking so well, that when I caught up with her, I suddenly got all choked up. She was really ON and enjoying herself but at that article, she looked so old and tired. I wished it was the end, but she was game and kept going.
Photo #7 - She found her last turn and the last glove. Then, despite looking old, she wanted to run for the car for her last big treat - and found a burst of energy! This will be her last year of tracking. She is showing her age, and every time I track with her I feel like I will cry. She has been my partner in tracking and in life and I love her so much. She has been a GREAT TEACHER.
Jet's track today
Part One - So here she goes. I was very frustrated with her harness today, it keeps spinning to one side or the other. I have to fix this fast! You can see it was causing problems. Poor Jet. Last night I accidentally put Ted's harness on her, which was too big. Dogs are so forgiving!
In part one above, she is a bit off but close (you can see my footprints) and gets sucked to the right, in part I think by traffic pulling and pushing scent. I love this though, because she comes back and takes the turn exactly where I walked. She always stops and stands, then makes a decision and goes. I gush on the video over this!
Part Two - In part two, I threw in a turn on a hill to give her a little problem to solve and she handled it well. This was the area where the bunny ran from, even though Jet and I had not wandered this far. She does a little sniffing around a tree, but gets out of it nicely. You can see her look in the track direction before checking the base of the hill. Maybe I could have said 'good girl' here like a "click." I will try that next time, and less line.
What I find interesting when I watch this, is how she stands off the track and looks in the direction of the parking lot. The track over there does not look so far away. What if she took off and hooked onto it? She plays the game and sticks to the track but it is an interesting moment for me, after I watch this video again!
She had another problem to solve today which you will see in part two. I deliberately laid a track in an area where I know River always gets sucked right up to the building windows. There is weird brick under the grass and it is in between two berms. If you look at the map again (above) you can see where she went. This was not an easy thing and in a test, I think I may easily have failed here. The turn I made at the joining of sidewalks was NOT an easy turn. But as you can see with some verbal questioning, she checks it out and sorts it out, with a lot more confidence than she had last night on her turn.
As I watch this again, I think with a judge's brain, and if Jet had gone beyond those pillars, that would have been the end of it as recovery would have been pretty tough. I was letting her work it out but would not have let her go past them. She finds something to eat (?) and when I tell her to get out, she comes back my way. I am not sure I would get away with such a reprimand, but safety has to come first. She gets over the berm and finds her article, yay!
Thankfully (hopefully) you would NOT see a turn like this in a test, at a convergence of sidewalks. I had a similar turn once, left off the grass beside a sidewalk onto grass - in a test. Ahead was a road and asphalt pathway to a parking lot where the glove was waiting. To the right was more grass. I followed River straight. She did something very similar to what Jet does in this video - lifted her head and I am sure, got wind of that article. Scary moment! I failed that test, but learned something very valuable. SO - it pays to be prepared for anything, and that is how I train.
Part Three - I wanted to see Jet solve a few problems, and work her through it. I put in another little hill (berm) with a turn to the parking lot. Hills are notoriously hard as scent flows down in all directions. Jet was way more ON today and after solving that problem between the berms, flew along the hill and I had to speed up.
Jet cut the corner as you can see in the video above - and flew down the hill to find my entry to the parking lot. She nearly nailed the turn, then suddenly ran to the boulevard for a pee. This was upsetting, but she went offtrack to do it, then came back. However, it made her miss the article by being a bit off.
Now that I look at this, I am not happy with the article placement. In the photo BELOW you can see that it is at the end of this little concrete walkway that curves to the road and I can see now how she could pass it and think it is ahead if the scent is pushed that way. I had to verbally encourage her to it - which I would do in a test too, being her team member. She did find it with my help. Of course - I would be an idiot to let her keep going! Some better line handling here would be a good thing too (mental note to self)...
ADDENDUM TO THIS POST (MAY 3): I asked about the article placement on the CKC Tracking Discussion list, and got some excellent feedback from Darlene Barnard (she and husband John provided the seminar to grandfather in many CKC judges for urban judging, and are highly regarded judges and instrumental in VST development). Darlene notes that I turned too soon, hopping from one yellow line to another - BAD! Move my turn out away from the lines, and put that glove well before or well after that oval berm thing. NEVER put an article next to something a dog can pass by and be right. Also, yellow glove, yellow paint - BAD! Dogs are colour-blind, but give a handler a chance, LOL. Thanks Darlene for that feedback! I love it.
I had a plain McDonald's cheeseburger ready for her at the end!
I call her my Schutzhund Border Collie...
...and then she had the traditional treat in the car... *the rest of the hamburger* - this is important because they need to know that even in a test, there is a reward coming (no food or toys in tests!)
After River retires, Jet will move in as my main tracking dog for CKC. She is so bright and confident. She works differently from River. But River will have to ride shotgun of course, coming for car rides.
I love my girls! Stay tuned for more on River's track this evening at Olds College.
PS I learned this afternoon that River's littermate Dante died last night suddenly from bloat. This is such heart breaking news and my heart goes out to Sigrid. I am so sorry Sigrid. Dante just earned his UTD last fall and was also doing a great job in tracking and was a very handsome big sable boy. He was a champion, herding dog, tracking dog and junior handling dog. I remember when River and Dante were puppies. It is hard to accept when they age and we lose our friends.
Category Article Border collie, German Shepherd, Jet, River, tracking maps, Tracking Video, urban tracking, UTDX training
