Location: Private property (Haley's Place)
Description - large, undeveloped lot in neighborhood. A scatter of copses of trees and single trees and small wooded section. Lot is somewhat rectangular with one short side being along road and opposite end being along trees/"woods." One long side is predominantly and cypress tree line while the other long side is two large houses on large lots. The tracking lot sits up high on a bluff above James (only mentioning it because sound carries to this spot, which sometimes can be a distraction for Mila).
Ground cover - mix of nice thick grass, winter berry, and a few odd areas of a broad-leaf plant that when leaves are crushed smells like a wild geranium of some sort (photo shows when field was fresh cut).
Conditions: Very windy with strong gusts (most notable on leg 1 of track 1 - strong wind coming from behind me (and after turn from left to right); clear sunny; upper 50s; low humidity.
- At least one long(ish) first leg
- Work along tree line w/out entering woods
- Enter in and exit woods
Track 1 - totally approx 100 yards, aged: 1 hour; S10W15F@8&9 (except leg 1, there was an article where star is for one of the food placings, article was brown knit glove w/ food).
Start article (yellow leather glove with food on top)
Leg 1 ~75 yards (strong wind coming from behind) - started in the geranium for about 10 yards - Mila showed some LOS when we left the geranium and entered the thick grass. Mila showed a very patterned casting behavior after each treat drop, she'd go a bit to the left and then a bit to the right (slight preference for going right towards the houses). Did not show signs of "stress" and pretty sure she knew where the scent was. I waited it out (quietly!) each time and she'd quickly return to tracking the track, then repeat at each treat drop (this lessened as we go closer to the woods). She was going to do a drive-by on the article, but I stopped her and I didn't need to say anything, she came back to it and did her "standing" indication. Good drive after article, but I'd say was similar (with maybe slightly stronger) to pre-article.
1 turn 90R - stopped at the turn and wanted to explore a bit down the outside of the copse and then returned to turn
Leg 2 ~ 25yrds - went down the line with a scoot to the outside of the thicker winterberry ground cover that lined the woods edge (princess feet)... did standing indication at end article (wallet).
Track 2 - (this flows downhill to the woods, once in woods there's a bit of a central, large gully)totally approx 40 yards, aged: ~1 hour; S10W15F@8&9 (except a bit more scuffing into the woods and on leg 2 - leg 2 also had some treats as did entrance into woods; the scuff treat patter for the exit actually worked out nicely where the scuff part of the leg led up to the transition zone so the two treats landed right at the transition and then it was scuff out and start walk pattern to I placed end article between step 8/9). All non-wooded sections were nice thick/tall grass.
Leg 1 - (start article was leather square w/ 1 cheese piece on top) The green circle is a large cedar that was close to the start so that whole first leg was shaded. This was intended to be an into woods one left turn to head out of woods. When I got to the woods edge realized I couldn't cut through the brambles fallen tree limbs enough so I had to change to what you see.
Leg 2 - short (like 5 yards) - all scuffed with treats, required walking under tree limbs from fallen tree and through ground cover that princess feet didn't like. Mila spent a lot of time on this particular "problem" before realizing the only way through was actually well, through! I did not say a word to her, (except for once or twice I said good after she made the decision to move forward). And though she was conflicted, I did not see signs of stress or breakdown - she just didn't really want to have to walk through the unwelcoming brambly ground cover and was waiting for me to tell her what her decision should be. I waited her out for quite some time and did finally take one step up behind her and she did start up again. Once she got over it she turned into the woods nicely.
Leg 3 - stalled briefly about halfway from turn 2 and 3 - slope of downhill was increasing and it's an angled hill too as it's downhill from the direction we were turning as well. I waited her out again (not saying anything!) again no real strong signs of stress/breakdown, but to help avoid that, I decided to take two steps back to see if I could get her feet moving - they did. She trotted back to me with a "happy" 'oh you're still here face' and then marched on down track.
Legs 4 & 5 proceeded with her methodical, no-cheese-left-behind approach and ending nicely (bandana w/ food) with standing.
Super pleased with how she problem solved. Am somewhat curious about the casting after the treat drops on the first leg of track 1.
