Yesterday morning Mom took me out tracking for the first time since spring! I was so excited when she started cutting up string cheese and steak bits (usually I track with hot dogs but with short notice, she had to share her steak with me!). We drove to a big local park to meet a couple of friends and their dogs, and then I got to watch the other dogs track first. I could hardly wait my turn! Mom is using Sil Sanders' book "Enthusiastic Tracking" and the Field Cards that go along with it. We had been in section 3 last spring, but were mixing it with a bit of Search and Rescue stuff. So Mom and her trainer decided to go back to basics and start me over with straight tracks and go through all the beginner cards again as a refresher course for me. That's all good! More hot dogs for me!
Yesterday I did one long, straight track laden with food. Mom introduced the down at the beginning of the track and as an indication when finding an article. I did great and Mom is going to take me tracking on her own a few times a week as well as meeting with her trainer as we progress. We are working towards an AKC TD title but the trainer likes the Schutzhund tracking style of footstep to footstep tracking and a deep nose. I think if she wanted a "deep nose" she should have seen me jumping in the river at Dock Diving practice! My nose was really deep then!
Mom didn't take any pictures of me tracking yesterday so here is a picture of me in stealth mode. I am very good at hiding. If you look really hard you might be able to find me in this picture!
Bye for now!
