February 2, 2023 - Backwoods of Bryan Park (problem solving)

This was a short track to work on Mila re-finding the track in the woods. She seems to go off on smellsploration trips in the woods that sometimes looks like tracking to me and then we have to re-find the track. I wanted to try and replicate this in a controlled way in hopes of helping me learn to read the difference as I won't always have someone guiding me from behind.  I laid an article on a leg and then walked three steps straight, jumped to left and resumed in the same general direction the original track would have traveled. There were a lot more brambles, etc than anticipated so I ended up making this one shorter than I anticipated. I also started it about 5 min prior to it aging to 2 hours to get us deeper into the woods before too many walkers came. Since the track was short we did a 2mi conditioning walk after.

Strengths

1. Working over/through physical obstacles (smaller logs, gully); still struggles with brambles some
2. Restart was strong
3. Found the "new" track readily
4. Came back to check on me when I stepped in a deep hole and fell over like a tree 😏 she was checking on me, or perhaps the cheese... but still (and I could have sworn I saw laughter in her eyes once she saw I was okay). 
5. Overall motivation was high - worked well in a totally brand new location
   

 Work On:

1. Still wanting do check out smells that for whatever reason are more reinforcing than the track.  She knows where the track is but wants to smell about and sometimes follow those "better" smells a bit. I notice this most in the woods and it seems to be more likely relatively early in the track or sometimes after she takes a turn onto the new leg (in other words it seems to happen less on the latter half of a leg). 
2. She did not do what I hoped with the offset leg - I was hoping she'd do more smellsploration and get distracted looking for the leg, but she did not.  She found the offset leg immediately, then came back to where the track had been and then went back to the offset leg and followed it w/out issues.  Need to ask Judi so I can get ideas to set this up better. 

 
 S10W15 F@8/9 (food in articles)
 
 

January 28, 2023 - Tracking Class (woods)

 Uploading worksheet as it has the useful info. Adding - articles did not have any food (not intentionally asked for, Leigh didn't hear me) - noting it because she seemed to do okay with it (even found a clothespin on the ground).

January 21, 2023 - Tracking Class (obstacles - bouncing off & entering)

This was the first class following the Jan 7 class where we struggled. Mila did what she could but she was too tired from the previous two days of activities (adding this hear to remind myself to really adjust if this happens again).  I gave Mila two weeks off from practicing tracking to clean her palate so to speak.  Was happy to see a return of her motivation this class!

Uploading map from today's class which was the track where you go to edge of woods, bounce off, and then turn in the field go back to woods and enter this time, etc. 

Article on every turn except woods-exit turn.

Mila did great - nice start, overall nice article indication, really nice first turn in the field. Got a bit lost on entering the woods (too far to the left of the entry point) but Mila found the track again (with a little guidance from Ralph) and then went very well to wood's exit, then she had to cross the opening and go over to the next section of woods. She investigated some but then committed back to the track to get across the opening. Would like to strengthen woods entry more.

 

January 6, 2023 - Article Track

 

Location: DRH

Conditions: 60F, sunny, windy (cooled off some when ran and got cloudier)

Cover type: nice grass with some older spread manure/shavings

Overall Track: One turn (OL - SinSout)  ~195 to 200 yards

TL: 2:21pm TR: 4:01pm

Note: Track was originally laid on 1/5/2023 @7:53am when conditions were very wet grass, 51F, cloudy. Folks came to use the facility for intended purpose while it was aging and did not leave by the time the track was already a bit more than 2 hours. I had to get to work and wouldn't have been able to return until about 1pm and only had about a 45 min window to run the track before going out of town - sooo, had re-walk and run track today.

Articles (8 total: *=no food): 1. leather piece (start); 2. brown knit glove; 3. green leather glove; 4. wallet; 5. bandana; 6. canvas glove*; 7. orange-ish leather glove; 8. bandana (end)

I replicated what we did in class Dec 3, 2022, with the "re-starts" after articles - except my walking steps were 20 (for some reason I thought it was 20 not 30 or I would have done 30). 

Nicely indicated all but wallet (not sure what happened there - she did get a bit distracted towards the right of the track for a few steps, but I was surprised the wallet didn't "pull" her back towards the track).  She did return strongly to the leg, but it was after she passed the wallet. Unfortunately, I didn't see it soon enough to call her back.  QUESTION to remember to ask Judi (and I think I've asked it before) - at what point do you abandon the notion of calling them back to the article?

Overall tracking behavior - not the strongest start (she wanted to smell around a bit) but once she got going it was strong tracking.  Shortly after article 5; someone showed up to drag warmup ring 2 (about 50 yards from our track 😂) - she barked when they got out of the truck and since I did not want to draw too much attention to us (and I knew folks were behind grandstand and the trailers); I did move her down the line about 5 yards and she went right back to tracking. I was pleased to see she did not allow the distraction to break down her tracking and that the next article w/out food was indicated. 

Wood's entry had a few brambles - she didn't seek along the edges but she did pause for a bit contemplating the cruelty of fate that had brought her to another "rough" entry (at least Mila's version of rough 😂). 

 

Note about map - the start was actually much closer to the other end of the warmup ring.

December 31, 2022 - Tracking Class ( 2 turns/field & woods)

 

Location: Judi's

Conditions: Foggy, 55F

Cover type: Grass Field (nice thick grass) + Woods (brambly entry into woods; mostly clear understory once in the woods; with a section of variable mogul-like stuff

Overall Track: Two turn track - in field (turn 1) and woods (turn 2). Started in field; ended in woods.

Track Layer: Leigh Perret

Articles: Sock (start); black wallet (leg 2); leather wallet - no food(end)

Strong tracking in field - LOS at turn 1 (did her question-mark shape where she loops out around the turn and then returns to the next leg (indicated wallet on leg 2 - which was placed nicely as reinforcement for taking the turn).  At the transition into the woods, she did her seeking both directions along the woods line to avoid going through the brambles, but she (eventually) accepted her prickly fate and went through the brambles. Once in the woods it was relatively clear. There was one weird section of bumpy surface that seemed to capture her attention. We g
ot a bit off line and Leigh had to help us back.  She found and indicated the end article, but it blended into the leaves so I didn't realize it (luckily Judi and Leigh spoke up so I got her back to the article).

Leigh's Map:

December 17, 2022 - Tracking Class (Starts)

 

Location: Judi's -  1) Soybean Field, 2) Grass Field, 3) Woods

Conditions: Mid 30's

Cover type: 1) Cut soybeans; 2) Lovely think grass, 3) Woods (in section with relatively clear under story)

Three Start Tracks - all were relatively short ~ 70-88 yard; one turn each track (not sure of scuff walk pattern for turns, but legs were S10W15F@~8&9

Track Layer: Kelly Gannon

 

1. Soybean field - cut soybeans, dirt

    TL:  8:25am TR:10:49am 

    Ran well, 90R  (not sure of scuff/walk pattern for turn), good turn; nicely indicated the article (I cannot     remember what it was)

2. Grass Field - thick grass

    TL: 8:55am TR: 11:15

    Good start, nice leg 1, found Kelly's handwarmer and indicated it (this would have been around 15 yrds 

    before the turn.  But, she missed the 90L turn - she kept wanted to go towards the flag we used as our 

    field separator marker (which is also where Leigh and I walked into the field).  Since she missed the        turn and wasn't quite on the line up when we got her going back towards leg 2, she didn't find the                article. This was the only article I remember (child-sized flip flop). Not sure?? if she would have found     the article if it was in the wheelhouse of items I have been sticking with (cloth or leather). Despite the        missed turn, Mila kept her tracking behavior and did not lose confidence, so I'm okay with this as she        (and I) have to learn how to recover from these types of errors.

3. Woods - relatively open understory to start, but leg 2 had some really great opportunities for her to            cross fallen logs/obstacles - strong tracking. Had do some encouragement over larger logs that required     her to jump them. Found and indicated the article. 90L turn

December 10, 2022 - Stair Step

 

Location: DRH (field next to road and warmup rings) 

Conditions: cloudy, slight breeze, moist air, 48F

Cover Type: thick grass with spread manure

TL: 9:48am TR: 11:48am 

Tracks: 1 stair step track ~350 yards (legs 3 and 5 were only about 40 yards because I ran out of room; legs 1, 2, 4, 6, & 7 were about 55 yards each.

Articles: S: leather piece; 2. blue canvas/suede glove; 3. wallet; E: bandana (all w/food and I worked hard to wait those full three seconds before saying good😀)

I placed food after turns per your suggestion in the prior HW (closer to turn initially and then further from turn as we progressed).

L1 - scuffed 5 for start; F@29,30 started with some distracted smellsploration. I could tell she knew where the track was but she wanted to sniff around a bit before getting serious - once she decided she was ready, she was workmanlike the rest of the time. (And... I stayed silent while she worked it out and gave one good when she went to work.)

        -->T1 - 90R, scuffed in & out; F@4/5; she cut the inside a bit

L2 - in addition to food for after turn, there was F@29,30

      --> T2 - 90L, walked in, scuffed out; F@steps 6/7; nailed it

L3 - in addition to food after turn; there was an article @29 (wallet) - nicely indicated - 15 steps after article to the turn

        -->T3 - 90R, walked in, scuffed out (near a tree line & spread manure), F@7/8 - LOS, went left to check out the manure line and smelled around a bit, then did the 'quick turn' back to right

L4 - ran along the manure spread line (of course!) and the tree line was about 5 yards along the right side. I didn't go into the tree line because it runs along the road. Despite the smell-stractions, she tracked well. At around where I wanted to put the article, there was a big drop of manure and shavings so I put the article just beyond that at step 37 - nicely indicated.

       -->T4 - 90R, scuffed in & out, F@9/10; nailed it

L5 - in addition to food after turn; there was food at 29/30

        -->T5 - scuff in & walked out; article @ 16 (had to get past manure again) - she overshot this turn and returned to track at the article

L6 - in addition to food after turn; there was F@29/30 - no problems after the overshoot

        -->T6 - OL, scuffed in & out; F@15/16 - LOS to the right - I had to do an open left here instead of what should have been a 90R because I realized that would take me into where I walked into the field when I laid the track; I couldn't do a 90L because I'd get to close to where I parked. 

L7 - in addition to food after turn; F@29/30 - no problems after LOS at the turn

I think working on transitions into and out of woods and/or obstacles is probably a good idea to do soon.