...because the rest of the day might be downhill from there. That is pretty much how my day went yesterday with me following up tracking with a major website glitch causing a slight panic at work THEN going and dealing with the DMV trying to get my new van registered. Apparently I am the only one in the state who has bought a vehicle from out of state....
I usually try to track in the morning, especially when I am initially laying a tracking foundation in a young or inexperienced dog. I don't get up at o'dark thirty but I like to take advantage of moister tracking conditions if I can. I try to do the same if I am challenging a more experienced dog to expand his skill set. I always advise my students that if they are increasing the didifficulty of one variable (surface, age, length etc) then they need to keep everything else within the dog's skill set. Contrary to most sport trackers however I also have no problem tracking at other times of the day. The success rate might be lower later in the day when conditions are less moist and temps are higher but, unless it is physically harmful to the dog, it is essential for working trackers who may be called upon to track at any time of the day or night. Calix once did a beautiful fugitive track through a busy recreational park at 5pm on one of the hottest days of the year. He even tracked along a running track, lifting his head as he passed each runner to take a quick sniff and then continued on. His track was later confirmed by the subject to be completely accurate - the kid made it to his house upon which his dad drove him to the police department. Gotta admire a dad like that...
Anyway my day yesterday started out with Steel running a beautiful track through a portion of the local mall complex. The stores had not opened up but there were cars as well as a few pedestrians around. I like working in the area because the concrete is very rough and tends to hold scent better than smooth pavement. This is really helping me shape an attentiveness to the hard surface. In addition to his work on the concrete I was pleased with how well Steel solved several tricky sections in the track - particularly the section of the track that ran through the mulch on top of the berm. Coming across the parking lot and making a sharp turn on top of the berm really set conditions up to where I would expect the scent to flow down the berm. Steel went under the barrier and made the turn very nicely, following the correct track and working just a small distance to the left of the actual track.
I was also pleased with his decision making on the road crossing - he wants to check each direction thoroughly but he is becoming more confident once he make his decision to cross. He also impressed me with how well he worked the track along the road edge. This is a excellent progression in his skill as this used to be more of a challenge for him. As cars drive by they blow scent away from the road - in this case there was a hill and tall grass and a treeline to collect scent. You can see Steel loop into that pool as he crosses the roadway but works through it and determines the correct track along the roadway edge. He gets caught into the tall grass but returns to the actual track for the remainder of the track.
Overall I am pleased with how well he is developing his skill set and also the level of confidence he is showing in his work, he didn't even let me throw him by trying to restrain him when he was correct. This was a test of my handling skills - if that restraint had affected him then I would know that my handling was overly influencing his decision making skills. Instead he just stops, puzzled, and then goes back to tracking. Which is better than his big brother Calix who would have screamed obscenities at me first.... <roll eyes>
That was fun to watch!
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