After a long layoff with both Tank and Blast, we're back at it. The main goal this year has been to finish Trust with her UTDX and earning her TRACKING CHAMPION title.
I am still amazed (and thrilled) that we have accomplished this. Of course, she still wants to "go out tracking" and we will do occasional tracks for fun but now the training is aimed at Tank and Blast, both towards their UTD's.
Yesterday, I did a track with Tank, NO pictures with him pulling as hard as he does, I need both hands! However, it was not a good training track anyway. As we were part way on our first leg, I saw a lady walking her dog on a flexi way up ahead. It was obvious they had walked fully along our first leg and wouldn't you know, pretty much continued to do so. ALL the food I left on hard surfaces was gone and Tank was wavering off and on the track. They finally moved off it towards the end which was hard surface, and he did much better. Just one of those things in urban locations....
Today was Blasts' first track since last fall. He was, let's say, raring to go! Nice start, good first three legs and corners, all on grass. It was steady rain, which I hadn't expected, before we started and continued the whole track. He had a wood article on grass, which he indicated nicely. In the above picture, he is on leg 4, about to turn on leg 5, taking us through the sand with a corner there.
The start of this area was recently 'aerated' so it was an 'extra' transition.
Blast almost contorted on this corner, he took it so sharply.
We moved from the sand onto a stretch of grass. He worked to the left of the track closer to the fence, right up to the parking lot.
We went from grass to gravel before moving onto the parking lot. This area also is busy with vehicles coming in and out, which would have driven across our track and final corner.
Blast turned just before the corner, and worked slightly off the track on this last leg.
There had been quite a bit of rain while it was aging, and running off down this way.
The second article was after the last corner, on the last leg, plastic lid. I had left a tiny piece of meat under it, and he is nosing it off, to reach it. Lucky it was still there, with the number of cars that had driven over.
Here he is at the glove (final article). You can see the runoff of rain on the asphalt.
I was quite pleased with him considering how long it's been since he worked. Plus he had just begun on urban training, after getting his TD last fall. Lots to do, but will be fun (and easier!) to have them both working at the same level and just fun tracks for Trust...maybe some back to fields and forest...my favorite.
A wild, ring necked pheasant, male, showed itself this afternoon! How beautiful is this?!!
I have been hearing the strangest squawk off and on for a few days, no idea what it was. Wasn't happy, though, as the dogs barked every time, not recognizing it as something 'normal'...Three days ago, I spooked a "big bird" and all I saw was what looked like a football with wings take off through the trees, not getting much height in flight.
Before he showed up this afternoon, just ambling along out front, we had heard him call four times. The dogs watched (and barked) at the front window as he walked through and down the driveway. At least now I know, but pretty as he is, I don't need another distraction that makes a racket!!!
