On January I went tracking with Michelle, my Canaan Dog friend, at Red Deer College. Her tracking adventure was reported in an
earlier post. Today I am posting the map and pictures Michelle took of River's track. We walked it together when I laid it, then River ran the track 2.5 hours later. In total it was 390 meters. You can hopefully click on this map to see a bigger version.
I started the track in deeper snow, with two short legs (not regulation length) to give River a nice deep whiff of the track scent before heading onto the parking lot, which was packed, hard snow. From the parking lot, we went onto a concrete pad (which was very icey). I had to draw it onto the map as the Google Earth image does not show it yet. River took the left turn, then right turn very smartly. The leg between them was again, very short but the scent must have been captured between the snow piled on either side of the sidewalk pulling her in. From there she negotiated the sidewalk, back onto another parking lot to the end. Altogether there were 8 turns and 5 articles, with one missing - thrown into the garbage...I later dug it out and put it in the recycle basket for this photo...
Here is the picture-narrative of her track...below she is on leg two in deep snow. I put a few treats (dried liver) in a couple of the footsteps to reward her and keep her nose in the track.
From here, she made the transition out to the parking lot. As you can see, it had lots of tire tracks and the snow was not very heavy, some asphalt showed through here and there.
If you look at the map, I entered about one-car-length from the edge of the lot, and River did go and find some scent trapped along the snowy buffer, then made her way back onto the track to make the second turn.
At the next curb was her first article which was a cloth glove. We had to climb over a snowbank to the next part of the parking lot! She made the turn and found her next article (below) which was a wooden square.
I always put a piece of bait after my article as a reward for my dog to carry on with only verbal encouragement. Below, she is having her liver treat after the article.
From here she carried on to the next turn. At this point she swerved off right at the turn to check out an old work glove that was NOT mine! She sniffed it and immediately turned and came back to find the turn very nicely, pulling me onto the icey concrete.
Michelle nearly fell trying to get a photo or two as River took the next two turns so quickly we could hardly keep up! At least I had her line to hang onto! Below you can see River on the concrete. The track turned left, then right onto the sidewalk at this point. I had left pieces of dried liver here and there and I think she is eating one in this photo.
Below, we are following the sidewalk, with that darn garbage can up ahead...the sock was at the lightpost, as a reward for her choosing the right direction. I had expected her to drift down the sidewalk to the right but she didn't even go there! I love seeing what actually happens when I follow my dog.
River proceeded along the sidewalk. At the next "Y" intersection, you can see on the map that she went left, then came back and took the correct direction.
I think there was a lot of traffic coming from that door and down the main sidewalk, as we passed several students along here during the track and while laying it. This is the LOOK River gives me when she is not on track, it is almost mischevious! I had to lighten this photo up to show you, and you can see her big tail wagging! "This is NOT the way," she says. "I am so silly."
From here, we headed down the sidewalk back to another parking lot. Along this leg, I walked a car length from the edge of the lot which is where the ends of the parking lines would be. Here is where I put her metal article. She weaved into the cars, then went off the line the other way, but zeroed in on the metal. Michelle caught this photo of her head up, which is how she looks when she catches wind of an article.
After this, there was one more turn and I hid her last article (leather) slightly behind some snow. I know (I can hear my friend Marge) - she made it this far and it should be an easy one at the end. I only hid it because I wanted to see her make the turn and didn't want her to see the leather.
She did it and actually passed the snow on the far side of the leather, circling around to it. Thanks so much to Michelle for catching these pictures!
The magic moment...the last article!
Hurray! Yay River!!
What was really cool about this track is that I often track on my own and I think River did well. This day, Michelle was with me and walked the track so knew where it went. I made a point of handling River with a loose line so Michelle could see River make her decisions, as I wanted Michelle to witness this kind of tracking. I prayed River would do her normal, confident track, and she did! It felt very good.
Caden's track
About thirty minutes after River's track, I re-laid a part of the track for Caden. His track started at the sidewalk and only followed the sidewalk portion of the track. You can see how he tracks differently from River. His track was along the edge of the sidewalk and he stays right on track to cross over at one point so I could turn right. It was much fresher, but he has also been taught footstep tracking from the get-go. So even though River's went down the middle, and Michelle and I followed her that way, he is dead-on his own track. He made me proud too!
Here we are walking up a different way, so he could have a fresh start. That orange cone is not mine, but it reminds me that these little cones are available at dollar stores and are good for winter tracking when you can't stick stakes into frozen ground.
His start...with a few crumbs...
Go! He is still very powerful but has a steady fast pace and as long as his nose is down and he keeps it steady, I go with him.
I absolutely love this shot - thanks Michelle! I am using it as my profile picture on Facebook right now!
I had run out of treats for him, but used crumbs. He is quite fast and very nose down, so the crumbs did the trick as he lapped them up along the way. They were really more confirmation to him that he was right. Here he had crossed over and you can see the crumbs ahead for him.
This is where River had veered to the left and then gave me her funny look - right at that dark spot ahead. Caden took the turn right away. Down at the end of the sidewalk, River went straight but Caden's track turned left.
I picked up that darn sock from the garbage can and put it at the end for him. I normally don't put articles for him, but wanted him to have one different turn, so put the sock down at the end to help him make it. Where River's track went straight onto the parking lot, Caden's went left for about 20 meters to the sock. He did a slight waver here and lifted his head (a no-no in SchH but something I think is acceptable and to be expected in urban tracking). He found his turn and perhaps the sock helped.
Here he is at the sock, good boy!
We used it as a toy. I usually keep the end of his track a bit calmer, but it was a short, very good track so we had a bit of fun!
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