Track a minimum of two times per week outside of class. Blog after each outing. (No need to blog about your class day)
After blogging and publishing it to the tracking website, text Judi and Mary Ann and your assistant. Cell numbers can be found under the SCHEDULE tab. (scroll down to the four boxes, select SCHEDULE, then look down the table to CELL PHONE NUMBERS) Please include your name in every text. The three of us will review your post within 48 hrs. AND if you REPLY with a question or comment, text us again. We are trying to stay up with 20+ tracking teams!!
In session 2 (Sat Nov 30th Groups A and B; Tues Dec 3rd Groups A and B) we touched on:
Having a copy of the AKC Tracking Regulations in your training bag, along with the GOALS paper form to fill out and draw your map on (TRAINING tab, TRAINING PROGRAM, under Training Program is box that says TRACKING GOALS FORM – click on it, print multiple copies. Use this form, draw your map on the back, take a picture of both sides and insert it as a ‘picture’ on your blog). We covered watering your dog on the track, continuing to use a 6 ft leash, working on double lineups for straight lines and for understanding the location of the track.
We wanted to make sure that you don’t get stuck in the same walk – food drop ‘pattern’. So, for example, if you are a beginner and double lay your thirty foot straight line track where you dropped food every 3 steps and your dog does GREAT at that pattern for 2 training sessions …. Change it for the next session! So perhaps you double lay a thirty foot straight line track but you do food drops every 5 steps. If he struggles, stay at that pattern or go back; if he does GREAT repeat it again. Next time you keep food every 5 steps but you double lay a forty foot track. Even the folks who are making one or two turns should be implementing ‘change’ when the dog is successful for 2 training sessions. The thing to remember is only change ONE thing – so if you want to make your track longer, keep your food drops the same. If you want to change your food drops, keep the track short. If you want to age your track another 15 minutes, don’t change anything else. When you make one thing harder, keep the others familiar and easy!
Hit the road – you need to take your training to a variety of locations. Staying in your backyard just ain’t gonna cut it. Visit your local school, local park, local church, etc. Call another student and meet to train together! Always carry your cell phone with you!
When your dog struggles or stares off in space – DO NOT POINT TO THE GROUND. PERIOD. Don’t do it at the start, don’t do it when he stalls out. Don’t do it. That is a bad habit to get into. Your lead is short, your spacing on food drops is appealing, just be quiet and wait. Don’t pull your dog back to the track. If you feel like it is a lost cause, take two pieces of food out of your pocket, get his attention and toss them ON TO the track in front of him. That should restart him. If you are working with articles, you can take your start article out and toss it over his head and end early with an amazing indication. When dogs stall out on the track – they are telling you something. Is your track age too much for him? Is your food drop pattern waaaaay to long? What is causing it? PLAN your next track to address the issue.
Remember = you are in TRAINING mode, not test mode. For the advanced folks, your sessions should rotate through the parts of a TD or TDX. For TD that rotation is starts (one turn), articles (TRAINING tab, TRAINING PROGRAM scroll down to ARTICLE TRACK), turns (50 yd legs, see example under TRAINING tab, TRAINING PROGRAM), distance, age. For TDX that rotation is starts, articles, turns, distance, age, obstacles, crosstracks. Train the parts, reinforce the parts, change how you plot for the parts, keep it fun!! There are videos on this tab of games that will help maintain your article indication. Keep it fun! Don’t nag!
Session 3 TUESDAY groups….Tues Dec 10 (Groups A and B meet as noted on SCHEDULE)
Session 3 SATURDAY groups…..Sat Dec 14 (both Groups A and B are combined and meeting at Cool Water – arrive between 745 and 8 am)
Mary Ann & Judi
Thanks for all the information.