Something to think about.... As judges, we often place articles in such a way as to help the dog, or reward the dog, for completing a challenge. If, for example, the track crosses a wide, shallow stream, we may place an article 30 yards after the crossing to reinforce both the dog and the handler. If we enter a difficult cover, we may reward the dog & handler with an article. Part of the reason we work indication so much is to build attraction to the article--this is why I insist it not be "DOWN!!!!!" but rather a soft 'down' with as few physical prompts from you as possible. When you walk up to the dog, at some level you are using pressure to make the indication happen (think intimidation). That does NOT make the dog want to find articles--and the dog wanting to find articles is quite simply, in TDX and VST, critical to your odds of passing. If the dog has a strong attraction to articles, they are likely to change their path to get to one....which means the article is going to put you back on the track if the dog has overshot a turn.
Bottom line, you need to be making articles something the dog enjoys finding. This isn't an obedience exercise, it's a motivation skill. And T, TDU, TDX,VST....a dog who will correct its path to find an article is one who has a higher probability of passing.
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