1/19/25. Short tracks around fences and woods
1/19/25. Laid these short tracks one at a time, ran him within 5 minutes and put him in the car to marinate while I laid the next one. Food drops varied between 10-15 steps apart. He got better with each track. Track #1. Struggled at the turn into tall cover https://youtu.be/imxw4lYuoHA?feature=shared Track #2 short track from tall cover to short towards fence https://youtu.be/bA4Q4ZZpGu4?feature=shared Track #3 Between 2 fences towards woods https://youtu.be/R9EverPLGJ8?feature=shared Track #4 Parallel woods and turn away https://youtu.be/88B4jnpOJYc?feature=shared
If he struggles, you can always move up the line. Support then play the line.
ReplyDeleteUmmmm. Be careful. That track is hard, especially at three hours. Warning: the damage done by asking too much, too often, with a happy dog isn’t seen today, or the next day. It’s seen in 3-4 months.
ReplyDeleteIMHO, the hardest part of TDX is maintaining criteria—your dog should track precisely the same at 5 hours as he does at 5 minutes. And your goal is to set up sessions so that happens. If he needs support….at the top of your list is move up, and then back your training up. A one or two turn track, with scuffed turns, is perfect for a three hour session. Maybe 250 yards.
Ask o e who has done it, rebuilding enthusiasm after over training is a long and challenging process. You have heat on your side for the next 4 months, use it for younger and shorter tracks!
Ok, comments as a watch. You’re essentially starting over at TDX—get rid of the long line. Stay at 6-10 feet. We are back to training not testing. I wouldn’t have held him at the start, but I would have increased line tension to encourage him to be dead on. If you allow him to parallel, he learns to parallel.
ReplyDeleteLove your use of articles!
First turn: again, way too much line. Would you like him to find the leg AT the turn, or 40’ down it? This is training—we aren’t asking ‘can you’ we are instead asking for him to learn to find the older scent as close to the turn as possible. It’s not just less scent at 3 hours, it’s chemically different that it is at 30”. He needs to learn to identify that scent ‘signature’ if you will, and to precisely follow it.
Turn heading towards pine tree—there is an excellent example of testing not training. There was zero reason to let him zip the line out that far. As he passes the turn, increase line tension—not stopping him (although you should have a plan for how far past a turn you’ll allow him to go AT THIS LEVEL OF TRAINING). Swinging around until he scents an article might not be a great training plan!
Finally, he is bolting forward after he finds an article. Let do a track, maybe 90” old, 6 turns, stairstep, all articles ON the turns. After you’ve done that a couple of times, incorporate 1-2 articles ON the turn into most tracks. I suspect part of the reason he’s galloping past turns is that he’s learning that behavior after finding an article. We want him to FIND the track after the article, and you to ask him to TAKE YOU down the leg!