Week 15 - Practice 1

2/28/2025

Today we met up with Team Finwe, and Lauritz at a Yorktown.

Team Finwe's 2/28 Blog Click Here

Note about Track 2 I laid for Team Finwe:

I goofed up. I was guiding them through the track and apparently since we track there semi frequently, I had laid a track like this in almost the same spot on a different day. So, I kept guiding them Incorrectly when Finwe was right. We realized when he found food and he got lots of love after for being such a good boy. Lesson Leaned

Heather is putting herself in time out. Heather will not forget her little corner marker clips she had sitting handy....in her truck...instead of in her vest.

Session:

• Weather: 49F, 34% Humidity, Sunny, Wind NW 11mph with Gusts of 24mph!

• Located at open fields at Yorktown.

• I am working mostly 10 feet down the line from Wren.

  • Track One - Double laid. 2 Open Left Turns

    • Rough cut field grass/briars.

    • Laid: 9:57am

    • Aged: 48 Minutes (while we ran other dogs)

    • 200 yd

    • Treats spaced every 30 paces.

    • End Flags are in a V 20 paces past the End Article

    • Food inside End Article

      
      

  • Track Two - Double laid. Open Right & 90° Left

  • Note about the Track 2 audio: I a wearing a microphone to see if I can pick up on both of us talking in recordings because later I couldn't remember how much talking/what I was saying to Wren. So not sure I'll wear it again with the weird background sounds.

    • Rough cut field grass/briars.

    • Laid: 11:38am

    • Aged: 50 Minutes (while we ran other dogs)

    • 200 yd

    • Treats spaced every 30 paces.

    • End Flags are in a V 20 paces past the End Article

    • Food inside End Article

      
      

GOAL FOR THE TRACK:

• To lengthen the spacing for food drops. (last time was 25 paces for each drop, this time was 30)

• Continue working on end article fun in distracting environments.

How did it feel?

• Felt pretty darn good! I was surprised when she started picking up the turn marker and so happy that behavior is starting to peek through on tracks. I did give her a treat as I took it, instead of just verbally praising her. I think in the moment my brain said 'mark the behavior we have been struggling with' but maybe I should remember to just calmly give a small verbal praise and move on with the track in the future.

• I felt like there was a bit more weaving this time around but with the gusts, I don't blame her. I did find it really interesting to watch her little head turns when she does go back to the track itself.

• I need to remember to record (a more recent session) when Wren and I do the tiny 'bridge' tracks of one or two food drops then reaching an article. I think these are helping her make this connection that article games and tracking go together verses being two separate games.

  
  

List three things the dog did well:

1. Being mostly clear when she's tracking verses just sniffing something interesting.

2. Picking up on our cues to 'hey kiddo, don't forget we were on a track not a sniff walk'

3. Finding her way back onto the main track between moments of drifting with the wind.

   
   

List things you’d like to improve:

1. Providing better support in (visually) highly distraction environments.

2. Providing better support in (scent) highly distraction environments.

3. My handling skills in better timing of supporting her when she's drifting with the scent.

   
   
   
   

Goal for next track:

• Continue hyping up the article in puppy parties and get that value built.

• Continue stretching the food drop distance further along the tracks. As laid out in my Homework Notes from class: (Click Here)

• Continue reading her cues better.