First tracks of the season - Videos you can actually SEE of Jet and Caden
Last weekend I took the dogs out tracking and uploaded videos to Facebook. I didn't realize that if you are not on Facebook, you can't access them, so I am re-posting from YouTube this time. My goal was to lay short tracks and assess where the dogs were at.
Maybe, for value-added, since this is a repost, I will add what I can learn and do differently especially after watching Jet's track. I will make it longer and use more articles and less food for reinforcement (always switching it up, of course). I will watch for that body language on the track (see below) that I miss, and see later in video. I promise I will have an article at the end, Jet. And, I think I need to invest in a flipcam or better video device. These were done with my iphone.
So here is the info....
Jet's track was 45 minutes old (in the cold, I estimate it to be equal to about 2 hours in regular tracking conditions in summer). It was run at 6 PM and there was a good crosswind which you can hear on her first and last legs. Her first turn is with the wind and is just SNAP! I say 'no' to her because she backtracks and I can tell she thinks she missed a cookie and I don't want her to fritter around, ever. This is work. If you knew Jet, you would know she has this tendency to use things to her advantage and can be a little sly, and I know my dog.
She has a sidewalk transition to cope with and figures it out - and her hard surface turn blows my mind - she was so confident! This shows you how our dogs CAN be close to or on the track on hard surfaces. Even though I know this, it still blows my mind to watch it.
I talked to my training guru Dan Waters later and he says that the first tracks of the year can often be great like this - how do you keep that in the dog days of July though? Interesting comment. So here is Jet, in all her enthusiasm. I am very excited about working with her this summer. She is an awesome dog.
I JUST WATCHED THIS AGAIN - AND SEE HER LOOK TO THE RIGHT AS SHE EMERGES FROM BETWEEN THE CARS! I DID NOT SEE THIS WHEN I WAS FOLLOWING HER. OH, I LOVE VIDEOTAPING MY DOGS!
I thought it would be rewarding to simply have a plain McD's cheeseburger there for her - but she was looking for an article. She is such a 'border collie' with that work ethic. She didn't seem overly enthused about the burger without finishing the job. Lesson learned.
Caden's track was 100 steps - about 50 meters - with one turn. I did transitions for him from snow to grass, snow to grass and made his turn on snow so that we had success. He does a great job, a freight train as usual. There were lots of college student footprints here because it was enroute to a bus stop. He smells one - and I say NO. At his turn - he checks right then angles left and takes it so nicely. On his way to the cheeseburger he gets off on another set of tracks in that crosswind, but gets back onto his track nicely with no correction at all.
Caden is not worried about articles yet - we are training them this spring. He's quite satisfied with the cheeseburger!
River did a nice track, nearly identical to Jet's but with a bit more casting on her hard surface turn. I have trained Jet differently and the style is showing. I've used footstep tracking ideas to reinforce being closer to the track. I tried to retrain River this way, but in stress, she reverts to casting. But I was happy with her work too - and she is 11 so God Bless her for her work at this age. But her video - and Ted's - turned out wonky and sideways.
Ted was Mr. Happy - overly enthusiastic and not buckling down until the second half of his track. After that he was literally pulling me on his stomach to the end as I put a ton of drag on the line. He is a tracking machine when he gets his mind right.
Ted and Jet are going to a stockdog clinic in a few weeks - and that is where their hearts are - can't wait. Tracking is secondary, if I had access to sheep. But in the meantime, it keeps them working.
Maybe, for value-added, since this is a repost, I will add what I can learn and do differently especially after watching Jet's track. I will make it longer and use more articles and less food for reinforcement (always switching it up, of course). I will watch for that body language on the track (see below) that I miss, and see later in video. I promise I will have an article at the end, Jet. And, I think I need to invest in a flipcam or better video device. These were done with my iphone.
So here is the info....
Jet's track was 45 minutes old (in the cold, I estimate it to be equal to about 2 hours in regular tracking conditions in summer). It was run at 6 PM and there was a good crosswind which you can hear on her first and last legs. Her first turn is with the wind and is just SNAP! I say 'no' to her because she backtracks and I can tell she thinks she missed a cookie and I don't want her to fritter around, ever. This is work. If you knew Jet, you would know she has this tendency to use things to her advantage and can be a little sly, and I know my dog.
She has a sidewalk transition to cope with and figures it out - and her hard surface turn blows my mind - she was so confident! This shows you how our dogs CAN be close to or on the track on hard surfaces. Even though I know this, it still blows my mind to watch it.
I talked to my training guru Dan Waters later and he says that the first tracks of the year can often be great like this - how do you keep that in the dog days of July though? Interesting comment. So here is Jet, in all her enthusiasm. I am very excited about working with her this summer. She is an awesome dog.
I JUST WATCHED THIS AGAIN - AND SEE HER LOOK TO THE RIGHT AS SHE EMERGES FROM BETWEEN THE CARS! I DID NOT SEE THIS WHEN I WAS FOLLOWING HER. OH, I LOVE VIDEOTAPING MY DOGS!
I thought it would be rewarding to simply have a plain McD's cheeseburger there for her - but she was looking for an article. She is such a 'border collie' with that work ethic. She didn't seem overly enthused about the burger without finishing the job. Lesson learned.
Caden's track was 100 steps - about 50 meters - with one turn. I did transitions for him from snow to grass, snow to grass and made his turn on snow so that we had success. He does a great job, a freight train as usual. There were lots of college student footprints here because it was enroute to a bus stop. He smells one - and I say NO. At his turn - he checks right then angles left and takes it so nicely. On his way to the cheeseburger he gets off on another set of tracks in that crosswind, but gets back onto his track nicely with no correction at all.
Caden is not worried about articles yet - we are training them this spring. He's quite satisfied with the cheeseburger!
River did a nice track, nearly identical to Jet's but with a bit more casting on her hard surface turn. I have trained Jet differently and the style is showing. I've used footstep tracking ideas to reinforce being closer to the track. I tried to retrain River this way, but in stress, she reverts to casting. But I was happy with her work too - and she is 11 so God Bless her for her work at this age. But her video - and Ted's - turned out wonky and sideways.
Ted was Mr. Happy - overly enthusiastic and not buckling down until the second half of his track. After that he was literally pulling me on his stomach to the end as I put a ton of drag on the line. He is a tracking machine when he gets his mind right.
Ted and Jet are going to a stockdog clinic in a few weeks - and that is where their hearts are - can't wait. Tracking is secondary, if I had access to sheep. But in the meantime, it keeps them working.
Category Article Border collie, Caden, German Shepherd, Jet, River, Schutzhund, Schutzhund tracking, Ted, Tracking training, Tracking Video, urban tracking
