Our start was just back from the package of garbage on the left. We saw a man, woman and dog walking back on the other side of the road, and thought they had first walked up along the edge here. Tank was certainly following "something" along the edge, for a long way, before coming back on to the track.
There was a really tiny ball about 1 1/2' off the track, we were curious to see if he would find it...sure enough! I told him to leave it, and he went back on the track.
His first turn would take us to a cement walkway. He had gone slightly past the corner and curved back to the track just before it headed onto the walkway.
He has the odd small piece of food along the hard surface, and keeps right on the track.
The red line shows the track. He had followed it dead on until we reached the curve and the overhang above, and walked out onto the pavement. After a few feet, he came back up onto the walkway, on the track.
I stood back from the turn left, while Tank checked into the doorway entrance to the building, turned and came out onto the left leg.
We've worked here before with other dogs, and at this spot, they all usually try to go 'right', back into an "opening" beside the building. The highway is close behind, a very busy corner. All we can figure out here is that the busy highway traffic and open area is pushing and swirling scent over into this area, making it tricky for the dogs to "get past" this spot. Tank is still "looking" in that direction, while the turn is to the left, through the parking lot.
This is his first article, a sock. He will continue alongside the white line and then make a right turn, continuing on through the parking lot. There were actually four hard surface turns in this track, one on the cement walkway, and three in the parking lot.
We had turned right and he came back, I think, for a pc. of food. He had been moving nicely without food, and don't like to see it draw the dog back. However, I put a few down as reward past some difficult spots or past turns.
Same leg as above, making a left turn with the next article, wood, beside the pole. I walk up to give him a food treat for this one after he lies down.
Tank continues over the pavement and will go up onto the grass and make a right turn.
This track had about 3/4 on hard surface, four articles, aged 3 hr. and had gotten fairly warm. I had hoped for a cool morning, but you can't control Mother Nature. We had planned to age tracks for three hours, but I always feel a track agine in heat is just that much more difficult for the dogs.
Tank is just making his right turn on the grass. He had gone up to the edge of the road again first, and came back...confirming my thoughts at the start, the someone had been walking along the edge while we were gone.
What can I say.....? Pit stop! He actually found a tiny bit of shade to stand in...
And we continue on. A little ahead, he will make an open right corner over to his metal article.
He's just about to reach it in this picture. I was going to leave it on the cement circle but it was afraid it would become too hot there while aging, so just left in down in the grass.
Tank seemed a bit concerned about 'this thing' deeper in the grass and seemed hesitant to touch it at first.
I told him to 'down' and when he did I approached and treated him.
Off again....across a driveway and over onto a narrow grassy area with a quick turn alongside a fence. You wouldn't encounter this in a test, but in training, anything goes if it serves a purpose in experience and training...at least that is my method. No problem, Tank is on the track and reaches his glove. We had a little "sardine party", the same as Blast did, and played with glove. This was a nice place to end on a hot day, in the grass and some shade for him for a few minutes of play and reward. He did great and I was really pleased with how he worked. It was a pretty difficult track with so much non-veg. surface and turns. Thanks to Tascha for helping us today and taking the pictures...all 108 total...! I have a few more of Emma to do yet!
