Week 2 - Practice 2

11/27/24

I practiced 2 sessions while traveling from VA to GA for the holiday.

Each track was a close spaced trail of Chicken with No Articles.

Session 1:

• Weather: 57F, 34% Humidity,

  Cloudy, Wind E 7mph.

• Located in a gravel parking lot in a small downtown area we traveled through.

  • Track One - 2:40pm & Ran at 2:46pm

    • 5 yd on pea gravel

    • Chicken was spaced closer together for new surface.

  • Track Two - Laid at 2:58pm & Ran at 3:06pm

    • 8 yd on damp short pea gravel.

    • Chicken was spaced closer together for new surface.

    
    

Session 2:

• 10:00 pm - Weather: 62F, 93% Humidity, Cloudy, Dark with porch lights, Wind S 5mph.

• Located in my family's back yard.

• Each Track laid and ran in quick succession, no aging.

  • Track One was 15 yd on damp short grass.

  • Track Two was 15 yd on damp short grass.

GOAL FOR THE TRACK: (Same Goal for these Two Sessions today)

• To practice with new surface textures, and new environmental factors.

How did it feel?

• Watching how the scent changed on a new surface was eye opening. I am very proud of her for not giving up or turning to look to me for direction. I loved seeing her puppy brain work it out.

  
  

List three things the dog did well:

1. Recovering after the unusual loud screaming PARROTS yelling at us from across the street.

2. Re finding the track after she got confused on the new surface type.

3. Really leaning into the harness and digging in.

   
   

List three things you’d like to improve:

1. Me getting better with handling where I can better support her starting straight instead of possibly creating a confusing back pull that made her drift diagonally. (It is 100% something I am doing so I know she'll be golden as I get better with my handling.).

2. Me being quicker with my chosen 'starting ritual' of clipping on her harness to make the starts more fluid/keep her interested instead of giving her puppy brain time to wander.

   
   

Goal for next track:

• Find more textures and surfaces to practice on.

• Make the chicken tracks longer in easier areas, as well as keeping them shorter while taking her to more busy locations. (Busy with sights, smells, and sounds.)