Anything's Fair When It's Saturday Tracking

Tracking practice days for the group I track with take place on Saturday mornings, most every Saturday morning -- usually it's only frigid cold or dangerous road conditions that will keep us from meeting up at the park.

Since most tracking tests take place on Sundays (with plotting days on Saturday) there's always been a saying amongst the tracking group that anything is fair on Saturday, meaning if the track you put in for someone would not exactly be considered legal for a test track it's all good, this is training, not testing and we accept deviations, such as short legs, an article close to a turn, etc.

The past couple months most Saturdays have consisted of just Phil and I tracking together.  Phil is known for putting in rugged, challenging tracks and, because he's been doing this for a while and is very familiar with the park, all tracks he lays are blind -- no markers to indicate where there are turns or articles.  So having Phil lay your tracks is a great way to learn to really read your dog, because the dog is all you've got to find your way.

Quite often when we meet back at the cars after putting in tracks for each other's dogs Phil will say to me, "Remember, it's not personal, it's just training." 

On those days I know I'm in for a wild ride, probably lots of woods and steep, slippery hillsides in the woods.  Over time I've found it fun to put in similar tracks for him and before we run his dog on the track I remind him that it's not personal.

Yesterday when I finally made it back to the cars, taking almost an hour to put in a track for Como, Phil's Dalmatian who is working towards a TDX, I told Phil there was a new name for tracking with me -- Track with Nina and see the world.  

Phil chuckled and said, "Oh, you went to some new places today.  So did I."

So what happened, you might ask, that takes someone an hour to basically walk 800 to 1,000 yards?  Well, sometimes you can get caught in a place where there's no way out and, unless you want to ruin a perfectly good track (at least to that point) you can't turn around and go out the way you came in, you have to find a way through whatever is blocking your path.

I started Phil's track in an open field and all went great for the first 3 legs of the track. I gave him two blind turns and took the track through a short tree line into the next field and then, after the third leg, turned into the woods at the back of that field.  The woods were open, not thick with growth, and I made my way deeper into the woods than we usually go, but it was so green and pretty and spring-like that I was just enjoying the scenery. 

Part way in I left the first article for Como to find, a small faux-leather change purse, with some chicken inside as a treat.  When I got about 20 yards from the article drop I really looked around to see where to head next and that's when I realized that all of a sudden the growth had gotten very thick with lots of thorny growth and I was stuck in the middle of the woods with two choices -- either ruin a really nice track in the woods or blaze a new trail to get back to the fields to finsh the track.  Thank goodness I had brought my clippers with me, I knew what I had to do.

I looked up at the tops of the trees and tried to figure out which way was the shortest way out of the woods.  I decided to go to my left and started clipping thorny branches and forcing my way through the dense undergrowth, forging a new path, battling my way to freedom -- I know, a little dramatic, but, well, it kind of felt that way!  It took a lot of time, because it was so thick, but in time I finally made it back to a path we usually use for tracking and then I was out of the woods in no time.

I then took the track back through the cut at a point further along the field and was again in the field where the track started.  The track then went across the field to the bottom, turned to follow the line of the woods on the far side of the field and then another turn towards the front of the field where I had started the track -- I left the second article on that leg that was about a hundred yards long.  I put in two more short legs and left the glove at the end of the track.

All in all my measurement of the track was close to 800 yards, shorter than I usually put in for Phil, but long enough because of the time spent in the woods and the difficulty there might be for Phil and Como to navigate the close quarters getting through the woods.

The track was aged for 2 1/2 hours before it was run, but Como did a great job.  She found her way to the first article in the woods and then I reminded Phil that he was going to need to use the two words EASY and WAIT a lot before we left the woods, as the dogs can always make it through the brush so much quicker than we humans can, as we're sometimes forcing our way through the thickets and stepping over logs or avoiding vines.  I had marked the path through the woods heavily with clothes pins with pink surveyors tape tied to them so that Phil knew exactly where the track went, and I was so relieved when we were all out of the woods and back to field tracking!

Como continued on the track back to the first field, made the turns, found the second article and then went on to the glove!

As for Rigby's track, she had a very nice start on a track that was aged about 2 hours.  She made the first turn and headed diagonally uphill across the field.  

She was moving at a good pace on this second leg when I heard Phil tell me to stop that there should be an article right about where I was, that Rigby had passed up. Missing an article is quite odd for Rigby, I always feel really confident in her ability to find and retrieve articles -- but not this time.  I looked around and just to my right I saw a small, black article.  It was a business card holder made of faux leather.  

I stopped Rigby's forward progression and I backed up and called her to me, giving her another chance to find the article.  She still didn't find it.  I told her to "find it" and she started circling and circling, going right over the article, but still never indicating it.  Finally I picked it up and showed it to her and threw it a few times for her to fetch and bring to me before I gave her her usual treat of canned salmon for finding an article.  Phil told me Rigby and I would be seeing a lot more of that business card holder article in the future, so I'm sure she'll get better at finding it!

Then we continued on her track up to some piney woods that split that field from the upper field.  She did well in the woods, came out turned left and tracked parallel to the woods, to the next right turn that went uphill further into the field.  Another right turn and Rigby found the second article, a leather wallet, which she retrieved to me (and I gave a sigh of relief that her article finding skills were still intact.)  After celebrating the article find with another small container of salmon we were off again and there was another right turn heading us back downhill.

A left turn took us into the woods to the side of the hill and I shortened up my line and slowed Rigby down as much as I could.  Phil had opened up a new path for us and it was mostly downhill, through woods, over logs -- a challenge to keep my footing while holding a tracking line and watching where I was going, let alone keeping track of Rigby and constantly slowing her down.  The slowing her down worked wonders for her tracking and she followed Phil's winding track trough the woods with amazing accuracy and found the final glove resting on the forest floor.  

We must have done at least 75 yards in that stretch of woods alone.  My handling in the woods has gotten better, as the line never got tangled as it has in the past and I was able to keep Rigby from moving at her usual breakneck speeds!

As a reward, and to save me from being dragged through the rest of the woods back to the cars, I let Rigby have some off leash time as we all made our way down a deer trail and across the creek to the edge of the woods.

It was a fun day tracking, as usual, with new trails blazed and happy dogs at the end.

THE START OF RIGBY'S OBEDIENCE AND RALLY CAREER

One of my favorite things about this blog is that it's a great way for me to keep track of Rigby's show career and record everything in one place where I can find it so easily.  I'll admit that I write this blog for myself, but I do enjoy sharing it with those who care to read it.

Rigby and I first entered the rally ring in September of 2014 and the obedience ring in February of 2015.  The purpose of this post is to record our experiences in the ring, our successes, our failures, our scores and placements.  Periodically I'll do updated posts in an effort to keep a history of Rigby's advancement in her obedience and rally career.

Our first time in the ring was a total disaster!  We entered Rally Novice B at the rally trial put on by the local German Shepherd club on Sunday, September 14, 2014.  

Rigby was all excited and hyped up and I had little to no attention.  She pulled at the end of the leash and for most of our time in the ring was almost out of control.  I was careful not to pull on her and it was obvious to the judge, Jeff Showman, that the tight lead was due to Rigby's antics and so we were not excused and did make it through all the excercies, but NQ'ed due to the deductions for tight lead, out of position, etc.  

This photo was taken at the GSD rally trial, our first time in the rally ring.  That nice attention didn't last long and we NQ'ed this time, but learned some very important lessons!

It was a bit of an embarassing performance, but I learned that Rigby needs to be crated for several hours at the show site before she is ready to go in the ring -- I had crated her in the car that day and only brought her into the building shortly before going in the ring.

September 19, 2014 Rigby was entered in Rally Novice B in two trials on the same day at Clarion Canine Obedience Club.  Learning from our earlier experience, we arrived early at the show site and I set up the crate and sat with Rigby through the Excellent and Advanced classes, giving her time to settle in and get used to the environment.

Our first time in the ring that day was quite an improvement from the first time, but Rigby was happy to see the judge, Karen Schroeder, and did several leaps here and there resulting in too many tight leads and, once again, an NQ.

Back in the crate Rigby went to await her second time in the ring that day. Shortly before her class I took her outside and worked with her, trying to get her attention on me, reminding her of why we were there.   

Then it was time to go back in the building and give it another try.  Waiting to go in the ring I got a feeling that there was a change in Rigby, she seemed to be remembering that we were a team, she was actually listening to me and giving me attention.  We scored an 80 and got our first Rally Novice leg!  She would have had a 90, except that I messed up on the second sign and didn't have her sit!

Our final entry into the rally ring in 2014 was at the WCOTC trials in Delmont on Friday, September 26th. Once again that time in her crate at the show site seemed to work for Rigby and she got her second Rally Novice leg with a great score of 94!

February 1st of 2015 was Rigby's debut in the obedience ring.  The local Sheltie specialty was being held at the Washington County Fairgrounds, just a few miles from our home.  Although the rally trials were Sheltie only, the obedience trials allowed other breeds to enter and compete, so I entered Rigby in Beginner Novice B.

We attended the Obedience B match on Friday night at the show site to give Rigby a chance to see the building and acclimate to the venue.  On Sunday I showed her in Beg. Novice and she did a very nice job, earning a score of 193.5 and getting 1st place.  A nice start to her obedience career!

Rigby's winnings from her first time in the obedience ring, a 1st place and $5.00!

Rigby and the toy she won in Beg. Novice.

Just a slight deviation from the show ring, on Saturday, April 28th Rigby got her CGC title at a testing held at Golden Triangle Obedience Training Club.

Rigby earned her CGC title on April 28th, 2015.

Taken at the CGC testing, waiting for our turn.

Rigby anxiously waits for me to return from the out-of-sight portion of the CGC test.

I decided that Rigby's next show would be at the Youngstown All-Breed Club Training Club trials, two rally trials in one day, two chances to get her Rally Novice title.

Three weeks before the trials there were run-thrus held at the YABTC training building and Rigby and I drove to Ohio and spent the day doing run thrus in Novice Obedience and Rally Novice.  It was a long day, but well worth the trip, another good day of training for Rigby.

This video is from Rigby's Rally Novice titling leg at the YABTC rally trials!

On Good Friday, April 3, 2015, Rigby earned her Rally Novice title at the first trial of the day at Youngstown with a score of 97.  Then in the second trial she did just a bit better and got a 98 and a 3rd place!

Rigby earned her Rally Novice title at the YABTC trials on  April 3, 2015.

Ribbons from YABTC on April 3, 2015, new title, two qualifying rosettes, a third place ribbon and toy!

Because Rigby was not ready to compete off leash I decided I would continue to show her in Rally Novice B for a while longer as we also continued to work towards her Beg. Novice title.

Friday, April 24, 2015, Rigby and I traveled to Morgantown, West Virginia to show in Beginner Novice and Rally Novice.  This was Rigby's first time to be shown at an all-breed conformation show run in conjuction with the companion sport events and there was a lot more activity in this building than Rigby had ever been exposed to before.

We were fourth in the ring for Beg. Novice and my nerves were pretty much shot, I allowed too many little circumstances to bother me and get me upset -- a good lesson to learn, concentrate on me and my dog and let the other things go, stay in the moment with my dog and our journey!

Rigby earned her second Beginner Novice leg with another nice score of 192, but she actually lost a point on the recall when she hesitated in coming to me when called -- quite a diference from her usual performance where she streaks across the room into a perfect front.  I really think that my nerves affected her to the point that she just wasn't sure she wanted to come running to me!

Things went a bit better in Rally Novice and we got a 95 and 1st place in the class!

I have Rigby entered in a trial in May where I hope she will complete her Beginner Novice title.  She will also be competing in a Sub Novice class which is like the old Pre Novice class, everything on a 6-foot lead, including a one-minute sit stay and a three-minute down stay.

Plans are for a possible debut in Novice 
obedience in the fall, depending on how our training goes between now and then.

Golden Triangle Obedience Training Club Monday Night Puppy Kindergarten Class

Congratulations to the 10 puppies and puppy owners from the GTOTC Monday evening Puppy Kindergarten class, who all graduated with honors on Monday, March 23, 2015!

Here are some group photos and a photo of each of the puppies with their diploma. 

You were a great class, lots of fun, wonderful puppies and great owners.  I wish you all the best of luck with your pups in the future and hope each of you continues on with your training!

TDX Training -- The First Two Months

Time for a review!  Eight weeks have passed and Rigby has been training every week for the TDX level of tracking.  I've been keeping a journal and I thought I'd take time to do some contemplating on how we're doing and what we need to work on next.

What did we do in the first two months?

Length: 440   400   650   650   835   730   650   700
(Yards)

Age:       45    30     90    90     70    100   135    90
(Minutes)

Articles:  There have been at least 2 intermediate articles on each of Rigby's tracks and she's found them each time.  She retrieves the articles to my hand and gets a nice reward, usually salmon, for her effort.  Her restarts took some time to develop,  but she now seems to understand that the track doesn't end with the articles and she happily heads back down her track.  Articles have been in open fields and in the woods.  So far all articles have been cloth or leather.

Obstacles:  We've worked change of cover, short grass to tall; woods; dirt roads; stone roads

Starts:  We've consistently worked our starts at different angles and Rigby seems to have no problem finding the track.  Her toughest day was the track that was over 2 hours old, and that makes perfect sense.  On a day that is good for aging I'll work starts, laying three short tracks each one getting gradually older, to extend her ability to find older scents.

I've put in 2 of her 8 tracks, which is nice when learning something new, I know where the track goes, so I don't have to guess if she's right and can praise her at the optimum time.

Of her 8 tracks 3 have been totally unmarked, adding another challenge for me and helping me in reading her tracking behaviors and indications.  I love working the unmarked tracks and, because she is tracking so well, we've had very little need for help to stay on the track.

The biggest improvement I've seen, especially the past two weeks, are Rigby's restarts after finding an article.  At first she would go back down the track and stop at the point where she found the article and then return to me.  I had to encourage her to start to track again.  With one small aid, a piece of hot dog placed about 10 yards past the article, she now knows that the track is not over and she eagerly moves off again after receiving her treat for finding the article.

Some short notes taken from my journal for the first two months include:  Nice start; Happy and enthusiastic; Eating deer poop - BAD!; Great start; Be patient, let her work things out; Slow her down, especially in the woods; Nice job in the woods.

What have we achieved so far?  In my opinion, Rigby has learned most of the components of TDX tracking:  She's done the length, works well in the woods, finds her articles and restarts after and is doing well with the single flag starts.

What do we need to work on for the next few months?  My goals for the next two months will be to increase the age of the tracks and work starts at older ages, to introduce cross tracks, introduce more varied articles and to track on some different surfaces, such as paved areas.

Although there's usually one place each track that we need some aid from the track layer, I can't say she has had a bad tracking day yet.  Rigby always works hard, never quits and gives it her all.  She quivers in anticipation at the start flag and seems happy after every track .  So another goal will be to keep her attitude at this level and continue to make tracking fun by introducing more challenges.

Over the Rivers and Through the Woods : New Tracking Venues Now That Rigby Passed her TD!

October 19, 2014, Rigby earned her first performance title, Tracking Dog, TD!  I am so proud of this girl and love her enthusiasm for tracking!

Saturday Rigby and I drove to the Cleveland, Ohio area and spent the night in Westlake at a Red Roof Inn.  This was only Rigby's third night in a hotel and the noises outside our room still make her a bit anxious and neither of us got a very good night's sleep.  But come morning we were both ready to head out and have some tracking fun!

The weather was perfect for tracking!  After quite a bit of rain Saturday, Sunday was cloudy and cool, great for holding scent on the track.

The test was put on by the Cleveland All-Breed Training Club and was held at Charlemont Reservation in Rochester, Ohio.

We arrived early for the draw of the tracks which was to be held at 8:30.  The other TD entrant, Karen Phillips, and I were sent to a nearby cemetery to keep us out of sight while our tracks were laid. Karen and I kept ourselves busy reading the weathered headstones and wondering about the lives of the people buried in this old graveyard.

Then we had a few moments to exercise our dogs before it was time for the draw.  I played fetch with Rigby with a glove for a few moments, trying to make sure she was in a tracking frame of mind.

Karen was No. 1 in the catalog and she was the first to draw.  The draw gifts were large bags of homemade dog treats with one treat being in the shape of a glove.  Karen's treat bag had a 2 on the bottom of it, meaning she got the second track.  Of course, that meant that Rigby and I had the first track! 

The draw gifts were large bags of home made dog treats
 with one treat being in the shape of a glove.

I went and got Rigby from the car, gathered up her harness and tracking line and headed for the start flag.  The judges, Ken Barna and Steve Ripley, told me that the track was properly aged and I could start when we were ready.  I put Rigby's harness on, fastened the line to the D-ring and encouraged her to start tracking.

While in between the two start flags Rigby hesitated a bit and searched off to the side of the track a bit, but with another word or two of encouragement she settled in and started down the first leg.

Honestly, I don't remember a lot about the track, it all went pretty quickly and I spent most of my energy trying to stay upright and not inhibiting Rigby's forward motion.  I thought the only things I said to her were the words, "Yes", "Easy" and "Nice turn," but I was informed by more than one person that at some point along the test I said to her, "Easy, don't kill me!"  So it gives you an idea of what was going through my mind.

The field her track was in went from scrub grass to areas of short mowed grass, back to higher grass, then into the short grass again.  There was a small ditch that I'm so glad that Rigby stopped and stood in, so that I saw it and didn't fall over it.  One time she also paused when the track went back into the high grass, turned and looked at me, as if asking if it was okay to do the change of cover.  I told her, "Yes," and off she went again.

I started to remind her to look for the glove on the next to last leg, I knew we were getting close.  She made that last turn just before the woods, toward the road, so I knew the glove was in that stretch of land and, sure enough, she paused and I could see the glove.  She gladly brought it back to me and I whooped in joy, as did the judges and gallery!!

Rigby's track was 450 yards in length and was 38 minutes old when we started it at 8:38 and she found the glove at 8:43 -- a very quick 5-minute track!

To follow the track, you start in the lower right-hand corner where there are two flags and follow it to the end.

The two photos above are of the judges, the track layer for my track, Lisa, and, of course, Rigby and me!  The field behind us is where Rigby's test was held.

I'm happy to report that Rigby was not the only dog earning a tracking title today!  Karen Phillips and her Golden Retriever also passed their TD test and Kim Cassida and her Belgian Tervuren got their TDX title!!

The CABTC doesn't give ribbons for the passing dogs, instead I got a fob with the letters TD and pretty stones, that I can hang on Rigby's crate or somewhere else in the car.  The fob was made by club member Karen Phillips.  I also got to choose a prize from among a variety of items and I chose a blue leather lead that should look nice on Rigby.  Of course, we also got to keep the glove that Rigby found at the end of her track!

I am so appreciative of CABTC for putting on this nice test and all the club members who volunteer and help out!  Thanks to one and all!!

We had a wonderful day and these will be memories I will cherish for years to come.

Now, on to TDX training, the woods, streams, cross tracks and all the other challenges!

We're Certified, But, Oh, What a Day of Craziness It Was

This is a true story, you just can't make up things like this.  To protect the innocent, the names of the participants in this story have been changed, and those of you familiar with all those involved might find some humor in the way the identities have been "shielded."

Two weeks ago when I made the plans to try to certify Rigby for an AKC tracking test I never gave a thought to the fact that the date would fall on September 13th!  I was born on the 13th and have always considered it a lucky number, not a number to avoid.  I've never had triskaidekaphobia, even on those times when the 13th fell on a Friday!  After this morning I might be changing my opinion and never schedule anything of importance on the 13th of any month!

It started from the time my alarm went off at 5:45 a.m. -- I fell back to sleep and woke up at 6:08, not terribly late, but it put my morning into high gear to get ready to leave for the park and not forget anything, especially the harness, the line and plenty of good treats for Rigby!

I had hoped for a cool morning for our certification test, looking forward to dew on the grass, and hoping for no rain -- I just don't like to track in rain (Rigby could care less, she'll track in anything).  As soon as I started driving toward the park the rain started to fall -- at least it was just a very light rain.

On the way to the park I called one of my fellow trackers, Allen, to let him know that I'd be a few minutes late -- didn't want them to think I had chickened out at the last minute!

We arrived at the park to find out that I was not the only one who had overslept this morning.  The tracking judge who was to do the certification had a malfunction with her alarm clock, woke up late and decided not to come out to track.  Thankfully the tracking judge, Phyllis, called Allen to relay this message and Allen reminded Phyllis that she had agreed to do a certification track for Rigby.

So now we had extra time to wait before the certification track would be ready to run, more time for my stomach to get tight and the nerves to take over.

To keep me busy, I was assigned the task of laying track for one of the other TD dogs, Greta, and I put in her track and then followed along as she expertly followed my scent, making her always precise turns, finding a few hot dogs along the way, till she arrived at the glove.

As we were finishing up Greta's track Phyllis arrived and, after a brief discussion with Allen, left to lay the certification track.  I headed in the opposite direction to lay a track for Phyllis' dog, Perry, that would be run after Rigby's certification attempt.  I was finding it tough to keep my mind on the tracks I was laying, getting anxious to see how Rigby would track on this damp September morning.

Finally it was time to head out to the field where Rigby's track would be run.  I got her out of the car, we headed to the start flag, harnessed her up and away she flew.  The track started in the very center of a large field that we normally divide in half to make two tracking fields.  I was surprised when Rigby's first turn went to the right, as I thought that that side of the field had been used for the track of another TD dog that had not yet run his track.  But Rigby's indication was true and off we went.

Putting Rigby's harness on.

Rigby was moving very quickly and I was just trying to stay with her and watch for indications of the next turn, but what she did seemed very odd, she dropped down about 10 yards and then seemed to follow a track that ran a bit lower than the previous track we were on.  To my dismay I heard Phyllis call to me, which meant that we were off track and we would not certify.  Then Phyllis signaled for me to look ahead of where we were and I saw two start flags about 70 yards away, it was obvious that two tracks had been plotted in the same field, and the second one had hot dogs on it, as it was a training track, not a testing track.  This meant that our certification track had been fouled and Phyllis agreed to put in a new track in a field that had not been used already.

You might wonder how this could have happened. Well, so do we.  All I can tell you is that sometimes communications get crossed and the wrong messages sent.  Phyllis thought she had the entire field to work with and Allen, who laid the other track, thought Phyllis was using only the far end of this large field.

My concerns were with Rigby.  She was tracking with great motivation when suddenly she was pulled off the track with no chance to finish or find a glove. 
I've always been told this is not something you want to do with your tracking dog as it can be demotivating.  I took Rigby back to the car and put her in her crate and gave her some hot dogs while telling her what a good dog she was.

I was beginning to think that this was just not meant to be the day that we would get to certify, nothing was going right.

We left the area while the new track was plotted and put in. Thankfully I was able to go watch Allen track his Irish Water Spaniel (well, she almost looked like one after her track) Zsa Zsa, which took my mind off another wait for our track to be ready.

We drove back down to the field and were told that the track was ready to run.  Suddenly a car swerved off the road and into the parking area between my vehicle and Phyllis' van.  A man jumped out of the car and almost ran over to Phyllis asking for directions to someplace he was trying to find, all they while ranting about how he dislikes Pennsylvania. Just what I needed, another delay.

Once the man was dispatched with the needed directions, I got Rigby out of her crate and we headed to the start flag for the second time.

I put her harness on.

She eagerly took off on her second track.

There was no problem with motivation with this dog.

She tracked as true as she usually does.

Headed up to the corner of the field that always gives her problems.

Made that turn and tracked across the top of the field.

She found the glove with no problem, retrieved it to me and passed her certification track in a mere 5 minutes.

Heading back to the cars after the track.

Rigby would keep tracking if given the chance.

Two happy girls on a great tracking day.

So now I'll be sending my entries in to try to get a place in a tracking test this fall.  But you can be sure that I won't be entering any tests that fall on the 13th of the month!!

Later in the morning, while heading out to track Phyllis' dog, one of the other trackers mentioned that he sometimes has his birthday fall on Friday the 13th.  Ironically, Phyllis said her birthday is also on the 13th and I said, mine too!  Then we started comparing months and I found out that both Phyllis and I were born on January 13th, although not the same year.

NOTE FOR NON-TRACKERS:  Are you wondering what it means to certify a dog in tracking?  Well, in order to enter a tracking test a dog must first be certified by a tracking judge that the dog and handler are able to pass a tracking test.  So, in essence, before I can enter Rigby in a tracking test we have to pass a test with the same requirements, to prove we can do it.