3/1 & 3/4, 2025

Goal: 50-60 yard legs on top hat tracks with one article mid track and one planned challenge; practicing my handling, observation skills.

We’ve been doing article games. Find the article in another room, down indication for article during meal time.

T1- 3/1/25

Windy with almost constant gusts of 18 mph on dry grass. Planned Challenge was crossing blacktop track twice and passing near a building & orange construction cone. The unplanned was guy juggling soccer ball on our first turn and large black bird landing near last leg.

Result: River did awesome! She noticed the challenges, especially the soccer ball, but easily went back to or stayed on the track. Beautiful surface change tracking. Both times, she crossed to pavement staying on the track line and got the food drop after going back on the grass. Most of the time she was either going with or into the wind.

River did the track at a nice pace for her handler.

T2- 3/4/25

Colder temp and not as windy.

Planned challenge was moving through area next to fallen trees that were being cut and parked bulldozer. Then, crossing the park path, ditch back on to grass.

Neither is really a new challenge as River has been in our yard with trees downed, being cut and hauled off.

Result: Tree work began, apparently they were only on a break. River kicked butt! She started her track next to the chain saw and bulldozer noise. Took her left turn nicely and then the soccer kids were setting up. Leg 3 had low orange soccer cones in a grid. Track went right through them. River sniffed one to her right, moved off it on her own, went to one on the left but a few feet away she moved back on to her track. She did a really great job getting the left turn. Last turn of the top hat was an open angle turn. So, I saw her head turn as she went to the right and checked, she swung herself back from my right to take the open turn. She did cross the ditch to avoid the water.

I’ve learned that if she explores an object or area she does know that it’s not the track so I can let her work and trust her to lead me to the track. She does look back at me, as if to say ‘Do not question my nose, let’s go already’

Lucky for me she is persistent with me.

Also, lucky for me is that if she’s experienced a surface she just continues unphased.

Here’s the exception. She does move off of snow, water and any wet areas of the track. She did that in last class on wet, muddy area.

Issues:

If she goes to check out the wrong direction I find that my brain is struggling with how far do I let her investigate.

Next track will be starts or maybe heading to tree line with turn and next leg along the tree line (15 yards away from it).