Week 48 - Practice 1

10/14/2025

I have lost footage / not posted a couple tracking sessions between this and my last post. This will be the 5th session working with Single Lay instead of Double Lay tracks.

• Tiny Tracks 1, 2, 3 (not recorded)

  • Weather: 65F, 81% Humidity, Spotty Rain/ Cloudy, Wind N13mph.

  • Located at open fields/gravel disc gold paths.

  • I am working mostly 10-15feet down the line from Wren.

    • Straight Single Lay Tracks with no food drops. Start Flag w/article-->20 Yards--> End article.

      • Short cut field.

      • Laid and Ran about 10 minutes aged each.

      • 20 yds each

  • Wren did well on these, grabbing the articles and looking to me like 'ok reward me woman!'

  
  

• Track 4

  • Weather: 65F, 81% Humidity, Spotty Rain/ Cloudy, Wind N13mph.

  • Located at open fields/gravel disc gold paths.

  • I am working mostly 10-15feet down the line from Wren. More given at turns when she circles.

    • Track One - Single laid. 2 Turns: 90° Left, 90° Left

      • Short cut field.

      • Laid: 11:30am / Ran: 12:15 pm

      • Aged: 45 Minutes

      • 300 yds

      • Start Article: wallet (cloth), End Article: Glove (rubber/cloth)

      • Food Drop Pattern: Shuffle 10 paces, Walk 5 paces, 1 food drop on step 3 of the walk pattern, repeat.

      • Extra food drop before and after the water, Extra food drop inside a part of taller grass, Food is every couple paces on gravel stretch.

GOAL FOR THE TRACK:

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

• Continue working on Single Lay Tracks. This is the 5th day (mutiple sessions per) working in single lay.

• Combine elements we have been working on consistently through the year. We have done a combo of these elements in smaller bites (Gravel, short/tall grass transition, water, etc.)

  • This was the first water one (besides wet grass) that we have seen in about 2 months.

    
    

How did it feel?

• Felt really good!

  • I got slipped a couple times on their first long leg of the track and Wren didn't seem to notice my stumbling. Nearly face planted at the start line, nearly landed on my bum around the 30yards or so... whoopsy!

  • I was a bit worried when the scent did something funny between the water and gravel crossing. I definitely did not account for the fact we haven't crossed a water puddle in about 2 months... so when we reached it and she circled, I was a little concerned.

    • BUT it was really cool watching her work, think, check, recheck, then decide what to do!

      
      

List three things the dog did well:

1. Wren worked very well in an environment with loud Booms!

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

3. Working through each element in a single track verses separated into back to back tracks.

   
   

List things you’d like to improve:

1. Ahhhhh I did it again! I didn't stick to a consistent behavior to mark for her article indication. Yes, she is picking them up but I need to get better with deciding what is the end picture I want. Picking it up like a retrieval, picking it up and looking at me, picking it up and holding, etc.

   1. I think, during games, I see a natural desire that bounces between her wanting to do a full 'Retrieval' or

      her wanting to do a 'Pick Up and Stare/Paw/Stare at me again'

2. I think a portion of this one is the new gopro placement since my old harness broke. In person, i feel like I am holding my hands center and natural, on camera I feel like it looks up high and off centered.

3. Supporting her turns better. I think I jumped the gun in thinking she was loosing scent and started slowing down a little too soon especially on turn 1.

   
   

Goal for next track:

• Continue working on that article indication being consistent.

• Better handler support, don't trip up myself or my dog.