Making Progress with Kira

 Friday I put Kira on a longer "curved" track and it ended up being aged over 1/2 hr.
She starts on little area on patch - not a real scent pad or circle, just a patch I stomped on and put a small pc. of sausage about a foot in front.  I walked her towards this, said 'find' by mistake (explain later) then 'track' and she put her nose down and moved out.

 She's heading out nicely, I used sausage I had just cooked earlier, a couple of times she went over them, wanted to turn back, but I prevented this, telling her to 'find'.  Then I realized what I was saying!  Stupid me!  I have said 'find' with all of my dogs.  However, Kira being previously trained to search and for scent discrimation, I had used 'find' for her search word.  I had decided to say 'track' for her, as this work was completely different. So for Kira, 'track' means nose down and keep it down.  Hope I remember next time, last thing I want is to confuse her.

 She's making a curve on the track and working along this area a little quicker and confidently.

 A little further ahead she has an opportunity to move to the left or to the right.  To the left was easiest, and she began to move that way, when realizing the scent was more to the right.

 Here she is making the decision, and moves to the right along another pathway.

 We approach a 'dead end' similar to a "Y" and the curve will be almost a 90 degree turn either left or right.

 I painted on the 'choice' ahead, and the arrow shows the correct way...to the left. There was a piece of sausage right at the end, and another one about 2' to the left.

 Kira made the correct decision, I am loving seeing how deep her nose is in these pictures.

 And she begins to move on steadily, a very nice speed to follow.

 Some critter moved in the bush at the side here, she's still moving, but picked up her head to check, it wasn't worth investigating to her, and she put her nose down and continued on.

A little further on, she found a leather mitt.  "Interesting" she says, but I'd rather have a ball.  So I worked a bit with her with the mitt, then removed her harness and we had a good ball tossing time!  Nice work, track five for her, won't do one now until Monday.  Hoping for rain, this weekend is too darn hot!!!

Guess Who Found the Water Hole?!

 TWICE!!!  Little so and so ran and dove into it, going right under the first time.  Could have killed him.  Comes out, shakes, and we start to go up the driveway.  Suddenly takes off back down and dives in again!  He looks very pleased with himself here.

Until he gets back to me and realizes I'm not exactly rejoicing.  Had to laugh at him but meant he didn't get upstairs again until this afternoon. 
This little story is not connected, but just remembered this from two days ago with him coming back soaked.  Tracking in field with Blast and had a sudden unexpected 'visit'.

 

Interesting ‘event’ on Blasts’ track in next field after the class Wednesday.

Thought you might enjoy ‘our near miss’....

He started with his head held high, right at the scent pad, moving out along the leg, and looking around.

Very odd, couldn’t figure out what the heck he was doing....thinking about pulling him off if he didn’t change.

He was dead on the track, but how, I don’t know.

Just before the first corner, what do we see in some taller grass only 3 to 4 feet to the right................a skunk!!!!!!

Yikes!

Much to my amazement, he didn’t try to charge over, or even bark, we both stopped dead and looked at it.  (This is Blast!  He was very calm)

I then pulled him off and to the left to see what the skunk was up to, and still, much to my amazement...Blast just looked.

This was a bigger surprise than initially seeing the skunk!

Skunk then walked toward ditch and we went to the second leg and Blast just started tracking...like he always does.

Thank goodness, nothing happened, but it was interesting!

Kira Following in Spooks' Footsteps??

 This was Kiras' fourth track...beginning her "tracking career" I finally decided to give her a harness today, and it was Spooks'.  Spook was my first tracking dog.  She was "the best" and introduced me to so much.  She also introduced many others to tracking in my area, did many demonstrations and was in a few newspaper stories.  Spook is always with me...maybe she will be 'with' Kira too.  In the picture above, Kira is at her start, a small scent circle today. 

 Her little 'track' will wind our through some paths and make a few turns when we reach some "Y's" in the track.  I am loving this method with Kira....she never walks at any other time, she's always in warp speed, and it's amazing to see her working so carefully along her track in a 'speed' I never see otherwise!

 The nose down work for her is also rewarding (using food, of course) as this is what I expected to be my big hurdle with her, after all the search work we've done. Above she has reached her first 'Y' in the track, and makes the decision using her nose.  It was the 'right' decision!

 On we go, I'm making sure to keep the line taut, and she feels this wearing her harness for the first time and HOPEFULLY she'll continue to work on tracks at a nice speed.  I know it will pick up, but a steady speed is what I'm aiming for (not her lurches as she does on a leash!).

 The second 'Y' in the track takes her up a little hill.  We headed into the wind going up here, she checked both sides at one point and continued on.

 Nearing the top, she's working very nicely, very focused, nose down all the way.  Good girl!

The end!  And what a reward.  I left a frozen marrow bone for her, I think she was totally perplexed, but happy, to find this.  It actually took her a minute to respond, and pick it up.  She then looked at me, wagged her tail, and we headed to the house with her prize.  Back to warp speed!  Very happy with her on her fourth "track".

CCTC Tracking Test May 13th

 A few pictures from the Cross Country Tracking Club TD Test on May 13th.  Tascha and I went down to be tracklayers. We are just returning, off the field, having finished "our" tracks with the dogs and have to move on to lay others. It was a perfect day.

 This picture was from 'plotting' day, judge, tracklayer, flag carrier, starting on the first track.

 Track #2, a lovely working lab (who passed) nearing a corner, with the judge and tracklayer following.

 (had a bug on my lens!)  A beautiful working GSD on track #4 (also passed) just moving off the scent pad.

 This is Ares (from previous photo).  Isn't he just gorgeous?!  He's a black sable.

And these are the passing dogs, now with TD titles, after the Rosette presentation with the judge, Pando.  A real variety of breeds.  It was a good day, and a good weekend!

Trust Does a Long Awaited Field Track!

 Trust has not done a field track for at least two years.  I took her to the class today with me as a treat to get out into the field.  I wanted the class to see how she worked a "real track" as well.  Trust was ecstatic even though she had a three hour wait.  I laid her track first, (there was a dead animal almost directly on the first leg, as I came up out of a ditch, and after the class, Trust went on the track.  Everyone followed so they could watch her corners, articles, work ethic.

 Above she just took her first corner onto the second leg.

 She has completed three legs, found one of her three articles, and turned left at this corner, with two legs to go.

Her last leg went up a hill to the final article near an exit from the field.  Here she sits at her final article.  Her reward was visiting with everyone and being fawned over!  I'm so glad I planned this for her, she worked like she had no layoff from tracking in fields.

More Scent Circle & Serpentine Work

 Yesterday was the first time for Cheryl and Gracie learning the scent circle and the serpentine.  Each dog in the class did a scent circle, was put away for a short period.  This was a huge learning curve FOR THE OWNERS.  A loose leash, walking dog toward the scent circle, and in each case, the dogs just dove in and began working on their own.  Each dog occasionally went out of the scent circle, and almost immediately came back in to it.  Quite eye opening for some.

 Gracie is now out for the second time, and working along the serpentine.  Really nice work, nose down, staying on the curved track.  And each dog WAS ENTHUSED!

 This is Ramona and Libby on their second "track" moving along the serpenting.  Libby also kept her head down, she carries her nose a few inches up from the track, but that's her style...she was tracking along really well.

 Here she has found her article.  Libby is one of the 'old' dogs in the class, and isn't it great to have something like this to do!!

 Gracie (two Gracies) just left her scent cirle, is moving along the straight line to the serpentine.  She's doing it all on her own.

 Ramona almost bumped into her, when Gracie stopped at one curve with a treat.  I don't remember Gracie lifting her head for a moment, or slowing down.

Yay!  Gracie had a straight line to her article, after leaving the serpentine.  Really nice work.

Rose Breasted Grosbeaks

 Many spring birds arrived back this past week.  We usually have two pairs of Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, but so far, I've spied 4 males....I hope that means an increase; if the females arrive, we should have 4 nesting pairs and more babies.  They are such a beautiful bird, and sing as well!

So pretty.  And the first two hummingbirds have arrived, always the same time each year, but luckily, I had put 2 feeders out 2 days before I saw or heard them.  There are still absolutely no flowers for them.  I went out the next day and bought two hanging flowering plants to give them something more than the feeders.  Another strange happening with our weather.  There have been some blackflies out already as well, early for them, hope that doesn't mean they will be bad this year.