Monday, April 27, 2009 - Tracking Training With Dot

I was down in Sunnyvale for another reason and I had Dot and Dino with me. Afterwards, I set up a track across a grassy area, then down a paved path with a couple of turns and then a left turn back onto the grass. I hid the scent article with treats behind a tree. I spaced the treats out anywhere from one to eight feet in various spots, coming closer at turns.

I brought Dot out and put on her harness. I started her in some tan bark just before the grass. The grass was a couple of inches tall, in need of cutting. She followed it along the grass really well, and was definitely tracking along the grass to find the treats and follow the track. She was putting more work in on the grass, which is normal. No problem on the paved path, got the turns. Great again on the grass before the tree and followed the track around to behind the tree.

I was pretty happy. I thought she stayed on the track solidly and appeared to be trying to find the track when she couldn't see the food in the grass.

April 18, 2009 - UCD Terrier Races

More to come. These are tommorrow.

April 17, 2009 - I will summarize some things I have been doing with Dot the last few days

I will summarize some things I have been doing with Dot the last few days

Yesterday I took Dot to the Castro Valley dog park. They have both a large and small dog park. I took her to the small dog park because I thought she would be challenging to the big dogs. She did great with the little dogs and seemed a lot more at ease. The only dog she was having a problem with was a herding dog mix that was fence fighting with the big dogs next door and Dot was joining in. I did stop her, of course, and tried to redirect her to another part of the park. The owner of that dog was not controlling his dog at all, so it was tough to constantly keep Dot away from him, and I didn't want there to be a fight if one of them didn't back down. I had her in there for about 20 minutes with it being pretty positive and then I took her out.

That same day, earlier at Hayward's Memorial Park, I worked Dot on a clicker and having Mercury in his crate. I brought the crate out and clicked and treated each time she displayed interest in the crate and checking out Mercury. She was doing great, but then got distracted by a vehicle that pulled up. I had her do it one more time with gusto, and then I stopped.

I also brought with me a small dried carcass that I found a couple of weeks ago. I had Dino touch it several times and then click and treat after each. He did it several times with gusto. I brought out Dot, and she was barely interested. She liked better the live squirrels that were moving around in the trees above us.

Oh, I almost forgot, I did a track with Dot at the downtown shopping center. I laid the track, which had a few turns, short legs and spacing from two, three and four feet. It had some curbs and dirt and concrete. It was aged one hour. When I got back from laying a track for Dino down at Bay Fair, I ran Dot through hers. She was dead on it and never lifted her head even when I lost the track when I was too far over. She quickly found it again and followed it again. She got the turns and even kept on the four foot spacing. I was pretty happy.

Saturday, April 11, 2009 - I laid a track for Dot at Bay Fair Mall

I laid a track for Dot at Bay Fair Mall. I walked Scout up a walk way that led to a back entrance of the mall and then I made a right turn toward a covered walkway and then another right turn to head back out. I made a left turn when the building stopped and then another right turn in about 15 feet when I got to the building. I made another left turn at the end of the building and then another left and then a right to where the scent article was.

She got all the turns and only picked up her head once near the end. It took her a few seconds to find the scent article at the end. She was going around and around it and then found it.

The big difference was that this track was two hours old and she didn't have any problems at all. I am working on aging the track and adding the various componets described in the VST training book. I don't want to lenghten the track yet until the other two are increased. I am also working on increasing the steps between the kibble. I am up to the most at three steps and she hasn't had a problem at all with that. She keeps forward and is definitely sniffing out the trail.

Thursday, April 8, 2009 - Tracking Training in San Carlos

San Carlos - After picking up my mail at Lorrie's house, I went to the Wells Fargo bank. Behind the bank is a large parking lot that has stores on three of its perimeter and the street on the fourth side.

I laid the track with Dino along the back of the stores with a few turns here and there. Most of the tracks have been 15 to 20 minutes long by the time I lay the track, get Dot from the car and get back to the front.

She did really well. When she did briefly loose the track she looked around and around until she found the correct direction.

I will start to increase the age of the track and to increase the spots from two to three steps.

Dot's First Race Meet, Sloughhouse, April 10 2009

Sloughhouse April 10 2009

April 4, 2009 - Sloughhouse, CA. Three times a year a person puts on racing meets where all breeds can particiapate and compete against each other. I had gone there once before last year to shoot the event. I went back again this year and entered both Dino and Dot. See Dino's blog for his results.

I practiced with Dot on Saturday since she had not done it before, not had she had a muzzle on and those are required. She adapted to the muzzle quickly and then I ran her in a couple of practice runs first half way and then all the way. She was lightening fast!

I decided to sign up her the next morning. So now, in addition to shooting the other dogs, I had to manage both Dot and Dino's races. It was a very busy day.

Dot raced against two other Rat Terriers, both who were very fast and experienced. Dot won all three races. At the end of the day I asked if I could run both Dot and Dino together. Dino was out front until Dot caughted up with him and passed him. I think Dino was pretty surprised.

I have her signed up for the Terrier races next weekend at the UC Davis Picnic Day. I also sent in her LP registration for UKC so I can race her in May at a two day terrier meet in Ione. I think I must be totally nuts, but I was also looking into taking her to Kalamzoo, MI, in June for the national UKC show. Holy crap, I don't even know where Michigan is. I think it is north.

Here are some photos from the meet that somebody else took for me. I also took some portraits of her after the show. Dot is in the blue blanket.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009 - I took Dot to a large parking lot in a business park in San Leandro

I took Dot to a large parking lot in a business park in San Leandro. I brought Dino out and laid a long track with kibble every two feet. The track started at the water fountain and went along one of the paved path and then went along grass and back to the sidewalk, out to the parking lot and crossed a planter to the scent article. This one included a lenghth of grass for about twenty feet, which was her longest. She followed it all along the grass without a look up. She followed the track all the way to the scent article.