This afternoon, I was short on time to get three good dog walks in, and decided to try a little experiment and take Kira out with Tank. Kira thought she had died and gone to heaven, Tank was very kind with her, and loving all the attention.

Tank has the new blue ball in his mouth and Kira just about did head stands to try and get it from him.She had her "arms" wrapped around his head, jumping on top of him, and he finally let her take it. No doubt, it was just to get rid of her, if only for a moment.Then the little witch teased him mercilessly, running back at him, sticking the ball in his face, over and over.Finally, he took off after her, much to her delight, and they ran full speed circles around the bushes and the trails until I had to intervene. It's clear who is boss in this scenario, but they both had a great time.

Walks, Huge Branches and Balls...

Although the nights are below freezing, the days are sunny and "almost" warm...still good weather for this time of year. After tracking in the morning, just did two afternoon walks...one with Tank, Trust and Blast, and one with Kira.

As I planned to do some "ball work" with Kira in the field, I wouldn't let her take anything on our walk out, and she just HAD to dart into the forest first and drag out a large branch.The worst part of this, is that she runs straight at me, and I have to duck around something. She knows one speed, and that is full throttle...Ah, I managed to find a momentary lapse of attention, and was able to break it! I'm getting the "what did you do that for" look...We then went on to work on the balls which certainly made her even more happy than trying to knock me down with the branch.Jumping Jack Blast. Have to make sure Tank doesn't get any opportunity to catch that ball, he's up and ready to grab it, before Tank barely left his sit position.Trust has just about had enough of both of them, and flips around to show them both who is really the boss here.

I like to think this all tires them out, but, alas, it doesn't last very long before they try to convince me we haven't been for a walk yet!!!

Great New Urban Tracking Location

I walked through this area a few weeks ago, and had it in the back of my mind. It's a huge (80 acres) outdoor sportsplex, new this year. Now, it is rarely used (time of year) and I went back to check it out. Perfect! So many configurations could be put in here. Only one front field still has some geese/poop on it, the rest is clean as a whistle. So, I decided to lay a track there yesterday for Blast and today I went back and did an identical one for Tank. Between the fenced fields it's like a wind tunnel and there are cover changes all over. Both yesterday and today, I never saw another soul there.

I really can't handle either Tank or Blast properly and try to take pictures at the same time. So I decided today to take a few while I laid the track. Above is my first leg. There is a paved parking lot to the left of this grass. Before I reach the pavillion, there is an asphalt drive, woodchips, on to a cement area under the overhang. Then back out on woodchips, then grass again, where I make a right turn.Second leg on grass, over a paved drive by the fencing and both days I laid a serpentine track through this complete section, with the first article 2/3 of the way up. This was the 'wind tunnel' area.Even though there is fence on each side, there is still plenty of room to train. All the fenced in fields are locked.This picture shows the track coming out of the serpentine area, turning and moving along one field in grass, and a second article out behind. Then an open turn up and over onto coarse stone driveway, which is next to a strip of asphalt again, beside another fenced in area.Moving along the stones and making a turn between two more fenced fields and out onto sparse grass.A left turn onto a long stretch of paved drive and and up to the final article next to unfinished area which was dirt. It was interesting to do the "same" track for both dogs. Conditions were very similar and both Blast and Tank did pretty well, but made it obvious how they have very different styles of working on a track. Neither worked the serpentine as well as I thought they might have, but it was strong wind coming towards us both days. Would be interesting to give it some time and try again, if weather co-operates...running out of time here before winter!!

Finally, Trust Gets to Track

I remember when I used to think how slow Trust worked and that she seemed to 'daydream' along the track. Not doing a track very often with her any longer, since she became a TCh...what a change to go back to her from Tank and Blast. A REALLY NICE change, I mean...It was so nice to be walking 'behind' her...

She's so confident now, and happy and full of energy going tracking. She acts like the puppy she never was!Trust just made her first left turn, I'm just about to follow. We will be crossing the road, towards the lake.We had to wait for traffic to cross, so are now running over as there's another car coming along.We've crossed a stretch of grass and moved out into the parking lot. Luckily, the geese seem to have mainly left, as there wasn't the normal amount of droppings...I had forgotten about that! This is a tough area, normally with wind coming off the lake.We've turned left, I really don't remember what she was 'interested' in here, I don't remember seeing anything there.On we go across the asphalt, there is a cloth article before the curb, and then over onto grass. She's really working nicely here.We move up a little slope and under some trees, she's very determined and close to another turn.After her corner, we go down a slope, over a walkway and up a little hill. She's just reached another article before the top of the hill. Windy on top. We will go over the hilltop, down and along a long stretch of patchy grass to her final article.There it is! This was not a really long track, just a good time for her and she did it with ease. She was hopping around like a young pup after we were done, walking back to the van. Such a good girl!

Emmas' Track Thursday

Tracking both Emma and Trust along the lakefront on Thursday, not as many distractions as normal due to very cold and frost morning. Emma started out with two legs on nice grass and headed up over a hill to turn right along a sidewalk.

A little bobble getting started but then moved along both legs really well. This is an area where people cut through with dogs heading to the boardwalk.Working along here really nicely, look at her nose!After crossing a driveway, they turned and went through some bushes onto a strip of grass then into this parking area. I think her second article was just before she turned left in this picture. They would be on their fifth leg here,heading toward the strip of grass again, and then to a road crossing. Emma is working great.It was quite a wait for cars in both directions to clear, as it takes a while to cross the road. Tascha is staying close here, just in case. They will make another right turn on the grass taking them to their final article behind the sign.Emma just loves her articles, and has a great time playing with them at the end of her tracks. Nice job.

Today - Tank & Kira

I still have pics. from yesterday, but since only taking a few today, thought I'd get them on here quickly. Tank worked in a busy intersection area, around the Quints' home (in the background here) and in front of a hotel. I didn't get my camera out until his fourth leg, he had slowed a bit by then, and mainly done with the grass area. Like yesterday, unexpected obstacle on his...It was quite windy here, cold but sunny, aged 1 1/2 hr., 4 articles.

Did a lot of short grass with garbage scattered about, and had a cloth article on his second leg. Above, we finish most of the grass, and will turn left onto brick walkway after corner of this building.Tank has just hit his corner, and turned. Will move down brick walkway alongside building to the front of it.We hit a small triangle of grass before crossing a well-used driveway. Tank has just found a small plastic article under the bush branch. I hid this one, as the walkway is busy, and I didn't want someone to pick it up.After the driveway, we cross a small square with grass into hotel parking area. Tank headed to a piece of ?, close to the track and he dismissed it. Red arrow shows the track. Besides the sewer drain, is his metal article, luckily, still there. Just before it, pointed in yellow, was an old leather glove. It was there when I laid the track. Tank actually picked it up and looked at me. I said "is it ours" and he spit it out, moved to the sewer and found the metal article. Further on, you will see the track goes UNDER the transport truck, under the first set of tires, which was making a delivery.Tank stopped at the article, I asked him to "touch it", which he was just preparing to do.He tracked well over to the truck, and made a little detour around to the front. Surprised me, actually, it looked too easy! (my dogs always surprise me, they're smart, I'm not!After going around the front of the truck cab, he went back on the track, still on pavement, until this area, when he crossed the curb and moved along, down into the deep ditch for the final article. It was quite a drop, more garbage, and although I went down in it to leave the article (leather), I was glad he picked it up and climbed back up to give it to me. He did a really nice job!

*While it was aging, Kira and I went to the shopping mall and trooped around through there...meeting lots of people of all sizes and inspecting some (at first) kind of scary Hallowe'en 'pretend' people. A lady approached us from a local paper and was quite interested in what we were doing and took a bunch of pictures. She might do a little story, regardless, I will contact her to see if we can get some pictures.*

Still have more tracks from yesterday, when I get back to them tonight or tomorrow.

Blast-Working as Long as We Can!

Back out tracking, into the cold now....until winter sets in. Hate having to stop when it gets just too cold, or too much snow. Once we have snow here, it stays, and it's not possible to track right through the winter. So we are enjoying the time we have left. We did a track with Blast today, and also a fun one for Trust - she was amazing!!! and a track for Emma, as well.

Blast is at the scent pad, I took him in on a bit of an angle, so he would determine the correct direction himself. No flag here, I leave a tiny piece of kleenex stomped into grass, so that people won't see the flag and come over while the track is aging.Off he goes, a solid start as I begin to let out some line. I will mainly work him 'short' today, and work on our focus/distraction, as I expected dog walkers.The track leads out over the wide driveway, and near a big "green box" where we have the first corner to the left.Blast just found his corner, today, I left one pc. of food on each corner, otherwise just a little food along the hard surface. He stopped immediately on this corner (with food) and then turned abruptly onto the next leg...what I was looking for.He has started on the second leg with determination, no fooling around. I'm at about 10', have a knot on the line at 10'.Just reached his first article, a plastic lid, and he flips it, looking for a treat beneath. I rush up and grab it quickly as he's already on his way. (Red line painted on in front shows our direction.)Blast has just slightly overshot the exact corner, and is making his turn back onto the track. This was good, no searching around, he had the scent. Wind was coming from behind us. (Flags in second picture show the strong winds).A piece of food on the asphalt. The blue van had just driven past us, and pulled over and parked. It is directly over top of the track...interesting, unexpected obstacle...Moving along very closely on the track, I was really pleased with his work. I continue to stay close on the line, if he does veer off I will control the distance this way, not allowing him much leeway off the track. He knows darn well where it is.Very interesting, he tracked right to the van, on the track (see little crack leading up to it in front of rear tire) and almost stuck his head underneath. I let him work it out, saying nothing, and he moved around the back, checking, then turned and went around the other side of the van, picking up the track.Shortly after passing the van, we turn right into grass, and a wood article is just ahead. You can see it past the cut tree stump he is at, between that and the pole.We did a leg on the grass towards the back, and Blast just found a sock here. I'm having trouble sticking it in my article bag. He wasn't happy waiting. Before we hit the brick walkway at the back, we will make a left turn, taking us to the end of the track.Before we reached it, I saw the article was gone, which I had worried about when I left it near the far edge of the walkway/bike path. I had also seen a couple of dogs being walked over here when I left, and wondered if they would go over here. Well, I guess they did. It is actually way, way out ahead in the grass, a white pc. of leather. Blast is about 2' from where it shoud have been, so I'm ready to rush up and throw out something else for him to end the track.There you go, Blast. Much to my surprise, he actually was "looking" for something in this area. I always have found it hard to believe that the dog would "actively search the area" as described in the CKC rules when an article was missing. However, he seemed to be. So was he, or other dogs in these instances, actually searching for some miniscule scent remaining, or was it a lot of fresher scent from a person, and like a dog in this case, that had found the article, spending time in this spot and leaving mucho scent????! Regardless, he did a great track, with two unexpected 'happenings' along the way, the van, then the missing article. We did go out and get it, and it was an extra bonus for him when he picked it up and tried to tear it apart!!!