November 21, 2024

 Worked on duration this morning by laying 2 straight tracks (both 250 yards long).  

1st track - I laid this track in the Mashburn's front yard to see how Vivi might react to passing cars.  She didn't seem distracted by them so in the future I will lay a track closer to the road.  Vivi was right on for this track.  She did stop a couple times midway when we were right in front of their house because their dog was barking.  But Vivi just looked up and went back to tracking.  She nosed the article at the end, but no automatic down.

2nd track -This started in the front yard and went into the back field.  She was doing well, but about 2/3 of the way through she seemed to be a little distracted, checking out some other scents mostly to left of track.  She also stopped and just looked like she was staring into space.  Don't know what caught her eye, but I just waited her out.  The wind was picking up around this time so maybe that had something to do with it.  I also wondered if she was mentally/physically tired from the 2 long tracks and needed a break. She was about a foot left of the article when we got to the end, but went to it and nosed it.  

Tomorrow I am substitute teaching so we will work on article indications in my side yard when I get home.  So many leaves in that area that the articles are camouflaged really well.

Comments

  1. JudiNovember 21, 2024 at 2:49 PM

    Sounds like a good day! We have some Mary Ann article indication game videos under the training tab—they are perfect for back yard work.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JudiNovember 21, 2024 at 2:50 PM

    Oh—and next time you train duration, perhaps make the end of the track. (In this case the second one) more reinforcing than the beginning—make it worth her while to keep trying to concentrate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vivi and CarolynNovember 29, 2024 at 12:37 PM

      Thanks! We worked on duration Wednesday and I gave more frequent food drops. She did well on both tracks.

      Delete
  3. Anne (Mila)November 21, 2024 at 6:23 PM

    Having a pup that can get a little worried about external stimuli, I always appreciate when other dogs work through distractions like cars and barking dogs! Sounds like a good start!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vivi and CarolynNovember 29, 2024 at 12:40 PM

      Thanks! The past few days there have been lots of gunshots going off (I guess all the hunters enjoying their Thanksgiving break!). We ran a track this afternoon and there were some gunshots in the distance (plus the first leg went by a horse) and she didn't seem bothered by them. She did stop to look at the horse, but then got back to work.

      Delete
  4. Jack's JourneyNovember 28, 2024 at 2:46 PM

    Carolyn if you have questions on the article games, reach out to me 804-467-5947 see you Tues

    ReplyDelete

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