Finally, what a change a day or two can make. We went into North Bay on Sunday with plans to do two "short" tracks for Trust - different locations, aged one on short side, other longer. We were fortunate to have a good mixture at the waterfront of grass, snow, dry pavement, puddles and ice. Tascha was laying this track and also took the photographs.
Trust is just moving off the start here, how lucky to find a small portion of GREEN grass from under the melted snow. This track was aged a little over an hour, and had five articles.
She is working nicely along the first leg, coming soon to a left turn across the road. Lots of construction going on down here, not sure what they are doing, but gave us added obstacles.
We had to climb through and over this yucky buildup of crusty snow, she had no problem at all and moved right across the road 'on' the track.
She is just sorting out the corner here, a right turn onto some snow.
Off she goes, firmly committed along here. We run into a little glitch further on, we hadn't been able to see it before planning the track.
There was no way straight ahead here, fully blocked by a long pipe and a big mound of dirty snow. While she checks something just off the track, I figured the likely way our "tracklayer" would have gone was to the right, which was correct.
Her first article had been a little past the obstacle (prevous picture) and then moved onto sand before turning right. Obviously we were crossing the road again. Here she had gone a little too far and had also come back too far and now found the exact point to head out on the road. I've gathered up my line for crossing and moved up to her.
After waiting for a few vehicles to go by, we crossed the road, climbed another snowpile down to some grass again and a left turn. A wood article is up front (red arrow) and then we make a right turn along a strip of grass towards a parking lot.
Trust went right across into a snowy area, and up to a little hedge to smell something. I gave her a very firm leave it command there as it was obvious to me what she was doing and certainly no reason for her to do so. She came back onto the pavement and fringed along the snowpile to the right of the actual track until she reached the end of the snow.
She moves back towards the track, but goes across to the other side and moves a bit along there. Then she comes back to the track and moves ahead to the left turn corner. I was pretty happy how she worked here. We had to cross slippery ice here.
With some sun, there was a moist film on the ice that wasn't there earlier, and by this time it was pretty slippery for both of us walking across. She goes over the snow onto some grass again where a right turn is coming up.
After she made the turn, we moved a ways on grass and then came onto snow. There was a metal article left on the snow/ice, and now it had melted a little down into the snow. Trust actually went right over it, paying no heed. I saw it and assisted her to circle back to find it. She came back and scented about 2' around it, but totally missed it again. I decided to point it out, but she couldn't get it. I had to use my heel to dig it out, surprising how it was embedded. I still thought it odd that she didn't get it, though.
So now I'm showing it her. She doesn't have a problem with metal articles normally, but I wonder if this was a temperature thing...
On we went, up a hill and on top. She found the leather article that fell out of our tracklayers' clothing, which was meant to be the final one. Didn't matter, it was a bonus for her. Trust then went a fair way past the turn and here is coming back, fringing along the snow until she picked up the track scent.
We climbed over another big pile of dirty old snow, and over the road again! We were pretty much right on the track...I cheated...I saw the footprints in the snow when we climbed that snow pile so knew we were there, and Trust just moved onto the snow a few feet to the right. Then she came back over to the track on the snow and we moved up the hill.
Last turn, left, and along we go to the final article, now a cloth glove. She worked very nicely, we had a couple of glitches, and wouldn't have passed if it was a test, but I was really pleased with her. More and more I've come to think the pass for the UTDX involves so much good luck. The dog can work really, really well, but miss something along the way. The fact that she is enthused and doing so well after months of no tracking makes me really happy.
It's over! Yay! Look at what I found, I'm so happy, because my mom is so happy!!!!!!
Trust is just moving off the start here, how lucky to find a small portion of GREEN grass from under the melted snow. This track was aged a little over an hour, and had five articles.
She is working nicely along the first leg, coming soon to a left turn across the road. Lots of construction going on down here, not sure what they are doing, but gave us added obstacles.
We had to climb through and over this yucky buildup of crusty snow, she had no problem at all and moved right across the road 'on' the track.
She is just sorting out the corner here, a right turn onto some snow.
Off she goes, firmly committed along here. We run into a little glitch further on, we hadn't been able to see it before planning the track.
There was no way straight ahead here, fully blocked by a long pipe and a big mound of dirty snow. While she checks something just off the track, I figured the likely way our "tracklayer" would have gone was to the right, which was correct.
Her first article had been a little past the obstacle (prevous picture) and then moved onto sand before turning right. Obviously we were crossing the road again. Here she had gone a little too far and had also come back too far and now found the exact point to head out on the road. I've gathered up my line for crossing and moved up to her.
After waiting for a few vehicles to go by, we crossed the road, climbed another snowpile down to some grass again and a left turn. A wood article is up front (red arrow) and then we make a right turn along a strip of grass towards a parking lot.
Trust went right across into a snowy area, and up to a little hedge to smell something. I gave her a very firm leave it command there as it was obvious to me what she was doing and certainly no reason for her to do so. She came back onto the pavement and fringed along the snowpile to the right of the actual track until she reached the end of the snow.
She moves back towards the track, but goes across to the other side and moves a bit along there. Then she comes back to the track and moves ahead to the left turn corner. I was pretty happy how she worked here. We had to cross slippery ice here.
With some sun, there was a moist film on the ice that wasn't there earlier, and by this time it was pretty slippery for both of us walking across. She goes over the snow onto some grass again where a right turn is coming up.
After she made the turn, we moved a ways on grass and then came onto snow. There was a metal article left on the snow/ice, and now it had melted a little down into the snow. Trust actually went right over it, paying no heed. I saw it and assisted her to circle back to find it. She came back and scented about 2' around it, but totally missed it again. I decided to point it out, but she couldn't get it. I had to use my heel to dig it out, surprising how it was embedded. I still thought it odd that she didn't get it, though.
So now I'm showing it her. She doesn't have a problem with metal articles normally, but I wonder if this was a temperature thing...
On we went, up a hill and on top. She found the leather article that fell out of our tracklayers' clothing, which was meant to be the final one. Didn't matter, it was a bonus for her. Trust then went a fair way past the turn and here is coming back, fringing along the snow until she picked up the track scent.
We climbed over another big pile of dirty old snow, and over the road again! We were pretty much right on the track...I cheated...I saw the footprints in the snow when we climbed that snow pile so knew we were there, and Trust just moved onto the snow a few feet to the right. Then she came back over to the track on the snow and we moved up the hill.
Last turn, left, and along we go to the final article, now a cloth glove. She worked very nicely, we had a couple of glitches, and wouldn't have passed if it was a test, but I was really pleased with her. More and more I've come to think the pass for the UTDX involves so much good luck. The dog can work really, really well, but miss something along the way. The fact that she is enthused and doing so well after months of no tracking makes me really happy.
It's over! Yay! Look at what I found, I'm so happy, because my mom is so happy!!!!!!
