My Tracking Line

Well, I am packed and ready to go to BC where I am entered in a UTDX test with River. At some point this evening, I realized I was missing MY TRACKING LINE. I was out training on Tuesday night in the pouring rain, and I suddenly pictured my line, lying on the parking lot. It is a beautiful orange line made of mountain climbing rope. Surely it was gone, I thought! I pictured it being used to tie down someone's ATV on a trailer, or some such thing.

I did what any tracker would do - had a fit, cried, and fantasized about canceling all of my plans.

Then I called my Schutzhund tracking friend Dan, because he trains in the same location a lot. I asked him to keep an eye out for my line. Dan and his wife Susan actually drove there, found my line and brought to my house! I was so thrilled! Hugs all around.


The trip is back ON. And look how beautifully wound up my rope is! I took a picture, because it will never look like this again. A good omen, now!
This is Dan and Ali after completing a successful track at the Prairie Regionals, where Dan placed 2nd overall. After he is done, he coils that line right up. I think he winces when he sees me fiddling with my line! If I am going to do SCH I need to learn to coil mine up, too.

Thanks Dan and Susan!

Jenny Glen and Lad at the World Stockdog Championship Trial, Calgary Stampede 2009

I attended this trial on Sunday July 5 and watched 80 handlers from across Canada and the US compete. Each handler had 4 minutes to do a gather, put 3 sheep in a figure 8 around two barrels, then come around the handler, drive up through a side chute, and finish by penning the sheep. The sheep were tough, and tended to face off the dogs and do a lot of stomping. It was a tough trial but in this run Jenny and Lad make it look easy. They had the second fastest time of the day of 2:27 minutes. Randy Dye of Bowden Alberta won the day with 2:18 with his dog (I think it was Sweep). Albertans did fantastic at this trial with many making the final cut. The overall winner (as I heard last night over the phone) was Pam Boring of British Columbia. Congratulations to everyone! You can read more about Lad under Trial Dogs at http://www.altapetestockdogs.com/

I wish I had brought my real video camera, this was filmed with my little Panasonic Lumix.

What do dog trainers do on Canada Day?

Well at the Calgary German Shepherd Schutzhund Club, they trained! I love dog people who are this passionate. We all brought some goodies and enjoyed like-minded company.

This is Brian and Ali. Ali was the #1 Bouvier in the World two years ago, competing in Germany. He has an amazing list of accomplishments, and just won the Prairie Regional Championships. I wonder if training under a double rainbow has any secret mythical powers?
There's Ali's last Out at the Prairie Regionals. I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time to get this photo. The Calgary Club did well, with first and second place and between several members won the Club trophy for total points too. I am new to SCH so can't add to much to that - however I am appreciating the great training tips from such seasoned competitors.

The sky was the scene stealer that day, as the weather could not make its mind up. I love the Alberta sky. Club members worked around on July 1 on the grounds. Below is the entrance to the club, decorated with some haybales for the Stampede Week. Boy, all of Calgary gets onboard with the Calgary Stampede. Check out the beautiful sky!

And here is my car TWOLVES. I tried really hard to get a picture of Ted. Ted is such a mild-tempered dog, but that afternoon he sat in my front seat and got really into the Schutzhund spirit. During the training, he started to bark quite seriously in the front seat. Every time I went towards the car he would grin at me and smile and pin his ears back. I finally had to hide and take this from a distance - the REAL Ted, coming out of his shell! Nose pointed in the air as he barks.

Sucky Ted pretending he is just mildly watching from the window...

Ted and Jet sleeping on the way home. Caden and River are in crates behind my seat. Jet claimed the seat, so Ted crawled in-between. Watching SCH can make a dog tired!

For more sky shots, please visit my photo blog (http://spiritdancephotoblog.blogspot.com/ )

Introducing Alberta Tracking

Introducing - Alberta Tracking
http://albertatracking.wordpress.com



I have started up a separate blog that will focus on Alberta Tracking - the link is http://albertatracking.wordpress.com/. The photo on the blog header was taken at a field east of Calgary. Love the big sky!

This is the welcome message, to give you an idea of the blog focus:

This blog is created to act as a gathering place for information related to tracking in Alberta. Please visit regularly to find out about training opportunities, clinics and seminars, upcoming tests, rules and regulations and test results. Links will also direct you to some great tracking chat groups where you can carry on conversations and ask questions. Find people who are like-minded souls and want to share and train together! I hope that here in Alberta we will soon see more tests, including urban tests! With the enthusiasm and commitment of the trackers in Alberta, we should all be very optimistic about what the future holds for tracking in Wild Rose Country. This blog will also provide resources for tracking-related activities in neighbouring Provinces and States.

Fun, motivatonal training demonstrated in this video

This was posted to a Schutzhund chat group I belong to, as an example of how all performance should be achieved with fun for both the trainer and the dog. All I can say is 'wow.' How delightful to see dogs so happy in their work, no matter what they are doing! We should all strive for this!

Tracking Videos Below...

Below is a short zig zag track with Caden, who is at the beginner's stage, followed by a series of video clips of River doing an 800 m, 3 hour old urban track - she is 9 and Caden is a year and a half. I hope you enjoy watching them, and seeing the contrast between them!

Donna

Zig Zag Track with Caden

Last night a friend video taped Caden for me. Caden reacted to them standing there with the camera! Once he got going on legs two and three though, he really did well and was better on the corner. Nice to track him on a night with no wind, finally! This track was 45 minutes old on very short grass at Olds College, around 8:15 PM.

Now I know I need him to get used to distractions as well, but will be more concerned about his continued learning as he won't be tested this year so I have lots of time.

River's UTDX Training continues

The videos below are posted in order from start to finish of the track, scroll down to watch them all...

River with her final article - a very well-worn old glove, missing fingers. No one will ever pick up this glove! It is too hacked out! I had to use a flash, because it was getting dim by the time we were done.

River is blowing me away, which is always dangerous when you are building up to a test. I lay my own tracks, but try very hard to use a loose line, and follow her as though I don't know where it goes, but as you know - when you know where your own track goes, you can do the most subtle things to guide your dog.
Map from Olds College website, showing River's track and articles. A normal UTDX has three. Her articles were - cloth, plastic, leather, metal and the final was another leather. The track starts at the bottom right and ends by the water tower, with a little jog on a brick path past a Gazebo and through a garden.

The track was 3 hours old on the nose. Laid at 6:22 and run at 9:20. When she was finished, it was 9:39 - she just motored! I have a squishy shoe - sorry for that irritating noise. This time I tried to whisper and not talk too loudly, just in case she does speak English.

This is the map for this track. I will try to arrange the video clips in order. I kept hitting pause, so I could break them up a bit. I pre-plotted this track on Google Earth, but had never been to Olds College before. It worked out pretty well, but at the end, I decided to go through a Gazebo garden as I could see that if I continued as I had plotted it, I was not going to have a good walk-out. So I ended by the water tower instead.

River's UTDX training track, Olds College - first leg

River's UTDX training track, Olds College - 2nd leg to article

I have never been to this College and plotted the track on Google Earth, so this turn is not what I had planned and is a bit wonky following a sidewalk to veg. In addition, there is a new road to my left, which Google Earth showed as a big lovely lawn area! I was a bit nervous as I started out, and excited. Do you notice anything? I am wearing River's harness around my neck! I put it on at the first article, but she sure didn't seem to mind tracking on a collar...