Week 43

9/8/2025

Woot woot! Trucking on down the line for a reunion of Team Finwe and Team Wren in tracking instead of just play dates.

Session:

• Weather: 72F, 61% Humidity, Spotty Rain/ Cloudy, Wind NE 8mph with gusts of 18mph.

• Located at open fields at a park with dogs, and disc golfers.

• I am working mostly 15 feet down the line from Wren. More given at turns when she circles.

  • Track One - Double laid. 2 Turns, Open Right and 90° Left

    • Short cut field.

    • Laid: 2:45pm / Ran: 3:30 pm

    • Aged: 45 Minutes

    • 200 yds

    • Start Article: glove (rubber/cloth), End Article: Wallet

      
      

GOAL FOR THE TRACK:

• To continue adding length back into our tracks after the hot summer.

• To continue with little changes in track textures/grounds

• We have been practicing in public spaces with cross tracks occurring naturally before and after my track is laid.

  
  

How did it feel?

• Woof!

  I feel like Wren did very well. I feel like I as the handler was very 'disconnected'.

  • So, this is very silly, but in the beginning I got a loop around her back leg. I kind up fumbled to fix it and after that, I felt like I could not get out of my own head.

    You know what it feels like when you become aware of taking breaths, instead of just breathing subconsciously? That is how I felt. Every little step, every little play of line, I felt hyper aware and overthinking. I just could not get back into my groove. So I felt very unconnected from my dog. I feel like watching the clip I can painfully see myself fumbling my handling.

  • That's ok! I will make sure to stop, breathe, and settle my brain next time. I feel like that was a one off weird fluke of a day. Even when we don't work our best, I usually feel very in tune with Wren, and that we communicate well down the line. Today was just a weird day.

List three things the dog did well:

1. Wren worked very well in a heavy heavy heavy contaminated field. There was a total of 5 dogs, and 6+ people that all walked around/through/across my track.

2. Being clear in her 'loss of scent' moments vs her finding the track.

3. ARTICLES LOOK AT HER GETTING ARTICLES WIHTOUT VERBAL CUES!

   
   

List things you’d like to improve:

1. All the weird disconnect issues I spoke of in my How it felt section.

2. Wowzer...Maybe I am too much in my head still but I think I played toooooo much line on those turns? It felt very off, but I'm not sure if that is because I was already disconnected in the moment or if it was poor handling brain moment.

   
   

Goal for next track:

• Providing better training support in turns she might overshoot.

• Clean up my handling again.

• Work on cleaner fields for longer and older tracks (as separate sessions)