Since there is nothing to be gained by tracking in a torrential downpour, there will be no tracking this Sunday. We'll try again next Sunday unless the weather is just as bad.
All of you who are trying to recover from various flu-like ailments, drink an extra cup of chicken soup or green tea, and we'll see each other next week.
Dave Port
Friday, January 4, 2008
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Training Day Change
Tracking will be held on SATURDAY, December 29 at 8:00 am, at our Mission Blvd -Whipple Road location .
The Oakland Dog Training Club is hosting an introductory Variable Surface Tracking event at Cal State University -East Bay (Hayward) on Sunday, December 30 at 8:00 am. I am going to watch the event. Join us there!
See you SATURDAY,
Dave Port
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Sunday's Training
Our next training session will take place on Sunday, December 23 at 8:00 am. A light drizzle will not cancel the class, but if it's raining hard enough that you have to run from the house to the car I'll understand if you stay home! Competition people, that doesn't apply. We'll need to be out in all types of weather; trials aren't cancelled due to weather unless it's tornadoes and golf ball-sized hail. :-0
Dave Port
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Dawn and Penny Pass their Orange Star!
Dawn and Penny passed their Orange Star test today! Dawn introduced a new twist to her Orange Star test - the training of article indication. Penny has been trained to lay down upon finding an article dropped by the tracklayer. While they were tracking, Penny found two articles dropped by Dawn, with a beautiful down-in-place that was "fast, close, and straight." I have seen trained Schutzhund dogs that only wished they were that well trained! Congratulations!
Janet and Pepper rejoined us after an extended absence due to illness. Unfortunately I didn't get to see their first track; Janet arrived early to train so she could meet another obligation. Janet reported that she and Pepper were a little rusty. Here's hoping we get to see them next weekend, and in the future!
Lorril and Dottie tracked with their usual enthusiasm this morning. Dottie once again displayed her unique way of "indicating" the end of the track: Her tail wags so hard it literally swings all the way from one hip to the other! It's always fun to watch her find the treasure trove at the end of the track.
See you next Sunday,
Dave
Janet and Pepper rejoined us after an extended absence due to illness. Unfortunately I didn't get to see their first track; Janet arrived early to train so she could meet another obligation. Janet reported that she and Pepper were a little rusty. Here's hoping we get to see them next weekend, and in the future!
Lorril and Dottie tracked with their usual enthusiasm this morning. Dottie once again displayed her unique way of "indicating" the end of the track: Her tail wags so hard it literally swings all the way from one hip to the other! It's always fun to watch her find the treasure trove at the end of the track.
See you next Sunday,
Dave
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Sunday's Tracking
Class will be held Sunday, 9 December 2007 at 8:00 am (7:00 am for Elissa if needed), at our new location at the north end of the field (see map). Britta track for her FH 1 title on Saturday at 7:00am in Manteca. I will keep you all posted on how she does.
There is an "Introduction to VST Tracking Event" being put on by the Oakland Dog Training Club on Sunday, 30 December 2007 at 8:00 am at CSU Hayward. All eligible AKC, ILP, and FFS dogs can enter. I don't know if Britta's titles will transfer since they're not AKC titles, but I'm going to watch if I can't enter. Anyone up for a field trip?
Dave
Sunday, November 25, 2007
New Tracking Location
We will be tracking is a new location. We will use the parking lot of the Pioneer Regional Trail Staging Area. Instead of turning right on Mission Blvd, turn LEFT. Go north on Mission Blvd to the intersection of Whipple Rd. and Mission Blvd, and turn right. The parking lot is at the end of the road.
By using this location, we will avoid the stable smells that caused us trouble today. We can also walk down a horse path to lay tracks on the long side of the field, thereby increasing the usable area for tracking. The horse path does get used by equestrians, so we will have to be considerate of the issues regarding horses reacting to dogs, and vice versa. We will be able to avoid the issue of crossing each other's tracks at the new location, plus you won't have to make any confusing series of turns to get there.
As soon as I find out when I track in my upcoming trial December 1-2, I will advise the class when our next class will be held.
Dave Port
Sunday's Tracking
1. Lisa and Bob, and Janet and Pepper, both passed their Orange Star test! Congratulations! Lisa and Bob passed with flying colors, even though Bob had to climb out of a couple of furrows that were as deep as he is tall. Which is the same as Britta or Hunther climbing a 3 foot hill to follow the scent. Lisa was also getting over a case of food poisoning. Great job!
Janet and Pepper had problems with her track, as did a few other dogs today (more on this later). She had gusting winds, the smell of the horse stables, and dry cold soil to track on. The first attempt didn't go well, so Janet put Pepper back in the crate (in Janet's cool new car!). After a couple more teams tracked, Janet laid another track that Pepper followed calmly and competently to its end. After the second track, I asked Janet for the pace count. When she told me 50/50/50 (with a left and a right turn) I realized that she had just done the Orange Star track! Outstanding!
2. Patti O'Neill and her Tervuren, "Anika" joined us this morning. Patti is going for her Schutzhund 1 title with Anika next week, and hopefully will be joining us again in the future. Welcome aboard!
3. Dawn and Penny, Janet and Pepper, and me and Hunther all had problems with tracks laid near the 8:00 am class start. (Interestingly, Elissa and her two dogs, Bodhi and Leroy, didn't seem to be bothered by the conditions.) All three of us laid second tracks, and all three of our dogs handled the second track much better than the first. I couldn't figure out what was going on, as all three dogs are usually good trackers. But I noticed that Penny's second track was run with a deep nose almost the entire way, whereas her first track had a lot of trailing and air-scenting. For some reason, I checked the thermometer in my truck. I saw that the air temperature had risen form the low 40's to 59 degrees during Penny's second track. The wind had also slowed to almost nothing. Afterward, I laid another track for Hunther, aged it for 45 minutes, and he ran the first two legs almost perfectly. (He had some attention issues caused by some medication I had given him, another variable to be controlled for.) I would have scored him in the 82-85 point range for the second track; he would have gotten a failure for the first one.
Here's what I think was going on: The soil and the air was cold and dry; even for those who hydrated their tracks, the low soil temperature inhibited the growth of the bacteria in the scent to the point that the tracks couldn't age properly. That, combined with the wind further drying the soil and removing more heat, along with the competing distraction of the stable smells to confuse and distract a dog that had already lost the track scent, made the tracks much more difficult for our dogs to figure out. I tried to locate a website that would explain how much faster soil loses heat than air, but got an information overload (none of which answered my question). Also, on reflection it seems that the farther away from the hills and stables a dog was, the better the dog did on the track.
It sure wasn't pleasant watching Hunther perform so badly at first (with a week to go before his Schutzhund 2 trial!), but I learned a lot about environmental factors affecting Hunther's and the other dogs' performance this morning. I also learned to control my panic!
Dave Port
Janet and Pepper had problems with her track, as did a few other dogs today (more on this later). She had gusting winds, the smell of the horse stables, and dry cold soil to track on. The first attempt didn't go well, so Janet put Pepper back in the crate (in Janet's cool new car!). After a couple more teams tracked, Janet laid another track that Pepper followed calmly and competently to its end. After the second track, I asked Janet for the pace count. When she told me 50/50/50 (with a left and a right turn) I realized that she had just done the Orange Star track! Outstanding!
2. Patti O'Neill and her Tervuren, "Anika" joined us this morning. Patti is going for her Schutzhund 1 title with Anika next week, and hopefully will be joining us again in the future. Welcome aboard!
3. Dawn and Penny, Janet and Pepper, and me and Hunther all had problems with tracks laid near the 8:00 am class start. (Interestingly, Elissa and her two dogs, Bodhi and Leroy, didn't seem to be bothered by the conditions.) All three of us laid second tracks, and all three of our dogs handled the second track much better than the first. I couldn't figure out what was going on, as all three dogs are usually good trackers. But I noticed that Penny's second track was run with a deep nose almost the entire way, whereas her first track had a lot of trailing and air-scenting. For some reason, I checked the thermometer in my truck. I saw that the air temperature had risen form the low 40's to 59 degrees during Penny's second track. The wind had also slowed to almost nothing. Afterward, I laid another track for Hunther, aged it for 45 minutes, and he ran the first two legs almost perfectly. (He had some attention issues caused by some medication I had given him, another variable to be controlled for.) I would have scored him in the 82-85 point range for the second track; he would have gotten a failure for the first one.
Here's what I think was going on: The soil and the air was cold and dry; even for those who hydrated their tracks, the low soil temperature inhibited the growth of the bacteria in the scent to the point that the tracks couldn't age properly. That, combined with the wind further drying the soil and removing more heat, along with the competing distraction of the stable smells to confuse and distract a dog that had already lost the track scent, made the tracks much more difficult for our dogs to figure out. I tried to locate a website that would explain how much faster soil loses heat than air, but got an information overload (none of which answered my question). Also, on reflection it seems that the farther away from the hills and stables a dog was, the better the dog did on the track.
It sure wasn't pleasant watching Hunther perform so badly at first (with a week to go before his Schutzhund 2 trial!), but I learned a lot about environmental factors affecting Hunther's and the other dogs' performance this morning. I also learned to control my panic!
Dave Port
Thursday, November 22, 2007
We will be tracking at the Mission and Decoto field on Sunday, November 25. I will be at the field at 7:00 am to accommodate Elissa's schedule, but you can wait until 8:00 am if you like.And now for the good news...they plowed the field! I went to the north end and laid tracks for Hunther and Britta. I sunk in up to my shoe tops! It should be excellent conditions, if anyone wants to try for an Orange Star.
See you Sunday, Dave Port
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Lorril and Dottie Pass The Orange Star!
Lorril and Dottie passed their Orange Star test today! Dottie moved out calmly and confidently on the track. She got to the first turn, and made a hard left onto the second leg. I thought she had smelled a rabbit hole, but she then proceeded down the second leg with no change in speed. It was an extremely accurate turn! She took the second turn the same way, then got to the big pile of treats at the end.
One thing that I noticed was that Dottie's tail did not wag as much as usual, at the beginning of the track. It appears that once she gets going, she concentrates to the point that she forgets to wag her tail. Of course, that all changed at the end of the track.
Elissa and Bodhi tracked well today. Elissa's track wasn't exactly laser straight, but Bodhi didn't seem to notice or care. Elissa later told me that she had trouble laying a straight track. I explained that the inner ear and sense of balance caused this, but I think she thought I was pulling her leg. So, here's the link to a good article about the graveyard spiral. Really, I wasn't making it up! :-)
I had an interesting conversation with an experienced AKC tracker at the Schutzhund club afterward. She told m that Schutzhund-style footstep tracking (like we're doing) made her dog more accurate on the longer, older AKC tracks. She said that if she had to do it over again, she'd train Schutzhund style first, then switch to AKC style.
See you next Sunday at 8:00 am,
Dave Port
One thing that I noticed was that Dottie's tail did not wag as much as usual, at the beginning of the track. It appears that once she gets going, she concentrates to the point that she forgets to wag her tail. Of course, that all changed at the end of the track.
Elissa and Bodhi tracked well today. Elissa's track wasn't exactly laser straight, but Bodhi didn't seem to notice or care. Elissa later told me that she had trouble laying a straight track. I explained that the inner ear and sense of balance caused this, but I think she thought I was pulling her leg. So, here's the link to a good article about the graveyard spiral. Really, I wasn't making it up! :-)
I had an interesting conversation with an experienced AKC tracker at the Schutzhund club afterward. She told m that Schutzhund-style footstep tracking (like we're doing) made her dog more accurate on the longer, older AKC tracks. She said that if she had to do it over again, she'd train Schutzhund style first, then switch to AKC style.
See you next Sunday at 8:00 am,
Dave Port
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Sunday's Tracking
Tracking will be held at the Mission Blvd. and Decoto Rd. field at 8:00 am on Sunday, 18 November 2007. See you there!Dave Port
Monday, November 12, 2007
Sunday's VST Test
I went to the PAFTA VST Test held at Evergreen Valley college, and had a GREAT time! The people were friendly, explained the rules and trial etiquette, then we were off to watch the first team give it a try. Unfortunately, this team (a lady and her Yorkshire terrier) caught a bad break. Their starting area was on a grass strip about 75 yards long; as we arrived to watch, we saw that there were about 30 Canada geese and ducks on the start. You could see the Yorkie pick up the scent, then lose it, pick it up, lose it, etc. Finally, the judges had to call them off. Hopefully they will have better luck next time. One thing that was interesting was this: I don't normally think of a Yorkshire Terrier as a hard puller, but this dog stretched the line when it was on the scent.
The second team was a lady and her Beagle. They started on a downhill sloped grass area, went through a landscaped area covered in English ivy, around a concrete courtyard in the center of a group of classrooms, down a series of terraced concrete steps, along another grass area, down a concrete sidewalk and around a corner to the end. This was all in the center of a typical community college campus, with buildings and trees and a hundred other things to stir the scent. this was another hard pulling dog; the handler had to RUN after him when he was on track! As we hung back about 50 yards and the dog rounded the last turn, we couldn't actually see the end of the track. But we knew the team had passed when a scream went up and the judges began to clap and call us in! It was a very exciting moment! the Beagle's handler (whose name I unfortunately but typically didn't get) said that they had tried the VST six previous times without success. The ladies whose names I did get, Bea and Linda, told me that passes are rare and that I was fortunate to have seen one. They asked me if this was something I might like to try. Oh HELL yeah! I am going to their club meeting next Friday, and will pass on the info as I get it.
This look like it would be a LOT of fun!
The second team was a lady and her Beagle. They started on a downhill sloped grass area, went through a landscaped area covered in English ivy, around a concrete courtyard in the center of a group of classrooms, down a series of terraced concrete steps, along another grass area, down a concrete sidewalk and around a corner to the end. This was all in the center of a typical community college campus, with buildings and trees and a hundred other things to stir the scent. this was another hard pulling dog; the handler had to RUN after him when he was on track! As we hung back about 50 yards and the dog rounded the last turn, we couldn't actually see the end of the track. But we knew the team had passed when a scream went up and the judges began to clap and call us in! It was a very exciting moment! the Beagle's handler (whose name I unfortunately but typically didn't get) said that they had tried the VST six previous times without success. The ladies whose names I did get, Bea and Linda, told me that passes are rare and that I was fortunate to have seen one. They asked me if this was something I might like to try. Oh HELL yeah! I am going to their club meeting next Friday, and will pass on the info as I get it.
This look like it would be a LOT of fun!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Training on SATURDAY, November 10th
Training will be held on Saturday, November 10th at 8:00 am this week. We'll be at the Mission and Decoto field. On Sunday, I am going to Evergreen College in San Jose to watch a Variable Surface Tracking event hosted by the Palo Alto Foothills Tracking Association. Here's the map. I will have to find out the time, but I am planning on being there at 7:30 am.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Sunday, 28 October's Class
Today we had Dawn and Penny, Elissa and Bodhi, and Lorril and Dottie on the field. Today, there were several notable performances from all three teams.
Lorril and Dottie laid a track closest to the stables at the east side of the field. We were concerned about Dottie's reaction to a horse and rider who stopped to watch, as Dottie had never seen a horse. Well, I still think she hasn't seen one, because she never even glanced at it! Deep nose, wagging tail; a happy tracker!
Dawn and Penny had an interesting track. Penny would "buttonhook" back to the food on the track, then continue on. She then tracked Dawn's path back to the car in one steady track. It turns out that Penny is ready for tracks with little or no food on them! Dawn laid a 30 pace track with food in every step. She then walked back to the start, went about 15 yards west of the first track, and laid another, longer track with 2-3 pieces of food at the beginning, and a small pile of treats at the end. Bingo! Penny tracked the second track with a deep nose, no buttonhooking, and a steady even pace to the end! Penny also grasped the indication of articles. In about 15 quick repetitions, she was downing at the article that Dawn had dropped on the ground.
Elissa and Bodhi worked a 210 pace track with 2 right turns, a prelude to a regulation Schutzhund I track. Bodhi picked up the scent right away, and moved out at a steady, even pace. His first turn to the right was taken with no change in speed, no change in depth of nose; it was as if a string from his nose to a hand underground was pulling him around the track. At the second turn, he gave one quick toss of his head to check the track, then turned right. Again, no loss of speed or concentration. Only a particularly hard-hearted judge would have taken one point for the head check; otherwise it was a 99.5 point track! 90 more paces, 2 articles, and Elissa and Bodhi are good to go on trial day.
It was particularly satisfying to see Elissa and Bodhi doing so well. For a long time, it was as if Bodhi didn't understand what Elissa was asking him to do. Elissa was getting frustrated and discouraged. For some reason, the last three tracks that I have seen looked as though a switch had been thrown in Bodhi's head, and the light bulb had come on. "Oh, NOW I get it!" was the picture of Bodhi on the track today, and I congratulate Elissa for not giving up.
Dave Port
Lorril and Dottie laid a track closest to the stables at the east side of the field. We were concerned about Dottie's reaction to a horse and rider who stopped to watch, as Dottie had never seen a horse. Well, I still think she hasn't seen one, because she never even glanced at it! Deep nose, wagging tail; a happy tracker!
Dawn and Penny had an interesting track. Penny would "buttonhook" back to the food on the track, then continue on. She then tracked Dawn's path back to the car in one steady track. It turns out that Penny is ready for tracks with little or no food on them! Dawn laid a 30 pace track with food in every step. She then walked back to the start, went about 15 yards west of the first track, and laid another, longer track with 2-3 pieces of food at the beginning, and a small pile of treats at the end. Bingo! Penny tracked the second track with a deep nose, no buttonhooking, and a steady even pace to the end! Penny also grasped the indication of articles. In about 15 quick repetitions, she was downing at the article that Dawn had dropped on the ground.
Elissa and Bodhi worked a 210 pace track with 2 right turns, a prelude to a regulation Schutzhund I track. Bodhi picked up the scent right away, and moved out at a steady, even pace. His first turn to the right was taken with no change in speed, no change in depth of nose; it was as if a string from his nose to a hand underground was pulling him around the track. At the second turn, he gave one quick toss of his head to check the track, then turned right. Again, no loss of speed or concentration. Only a particularly hard-hearted judge would have taken one point for the head check; otherwise it was a 99.5 point track! 90 more paces, 2 articles, and Elissa and Bodhi are good to go on trial day.
It was particularly satisfying to see Elissa and Bodhi doing so well. For a long time, it was as if Bodhi didn't understand what Elissa was asking him to do. Elissa was getting frustrated and discouraged. For some reason, the last three tracks that I have seen looked as though a switch had been thrown in Bodhi's head, and the light bulb had come on. "Oh, NOW I get it!" was the picture of Bodhi on the track today, and I congratulate Elissa for not giving up.
Dave Port
Class Date Change
There will be no class on November 11th, 2007. There is a VST Tracking test on that date:
VARIABLE SURFACE TRACKING (Outdoors)
Palo Alto Foothills Tracking Association
Event No: 2007285406
Evergreen Valley College
3095 Yerba Nuena Road
San Jose, CA
I am planning on going to watch this, so I can find out what's required to enter and pass. If any of you are interested in watching, let me know and we can make it a "field trip." (sorry, I couldn't resist).
Class will be held on the preceding Saturday, November 1oth. We will be at the Mission/Decoto field at 8:00 am. If this is a problem, let me know and I may be able to set something up during the week.
Dave Port
VARIABLE SURFACE TRACKING (Outdoors)
Palo Alto Foothills Tracking Association
Event No: 2007285406
Evergreen Valley College
3095 Yerba Nuena Road
San Jose, CA
I am planning on going to watch this, so I can find out what's required to enter and pass. If any of you are interested in watching, let me know and we can make it a "field trip." (sorry, I couldn't resist).
Class will be held on the preceding Saturday, November 1oth. We will be at the Mission/Decoto field at 8:00 am. If this is a problem, let me know and I may be able to set something up during the week.
Dave Port
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Sunday, 28 October Tracking
Sunday's tracking will take place at the field at Mission Blvd. and Decoto Rd. at 8:00 am.
See you Sunday,
Dave Port
Friday, October 26, 2007
Friday - Elissa and Bodhi Earn Their Orange Star!
Elissa and Bodhi often run a track on Friday mornings, before attending another training class. Toady, I caught them both as they ran a 150 pace track with a left and a right turn. At the first turn, Bodhi gave one quick check to the right, then took the left turn as if his nose was being pulled on a string under the ground! Same for the right turn!
Of course I "forgot" to tell them that they were taking their Orange Star tracing test; no exam phobia that way. During the other training class, Elissa had to leave early for another appointment. I got to embarrass her in front of the class by giving her her new pin (which I had conveniently put in my pocket prior to their track).
Good job, Elissa and Bodhi!
Of course I "forgot" to tell them that they were taking their Orange Star tracing test; no exam phobia that way. During the other training class, Elissa had to leave early for another appointment. I got to embarrass her in front of the class by giving her her new pin (which I had conveniently put in my pocket prior to their track).
Good job, Elissa and Bodhi!
Last Sunday's Tracking
Sunday's tracking saw Dawn and Penny at the field before the instructor! Julia and Robert Barnes showed up; I got them started on the basics of H.I.T.T. tracking. Lorril and Dottie tracked about 90 paces, and did very well. Janet and Pepper, Elissa and Bodhi and Hunther and I all had a great time!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Sunday, 21 October 2007 Tracking
Sunday's tracking will take place at the field at Mission Blvd. and Decoto Rd. at 8:00 am. Please see the post dated 27 September 2007, as Blogger.com is having "issues" with uploading images as I write this.
See you Sunday,
Dave Port
See you Sunday,
Dave Port
Sunday, 21 October 2007 Tracking
The field map is located in the post for September 27, 2007.
Dave Port
Dave Port
Monday, October 8, 2007
New Member
We have a new member! Julia Barnes and her female GSD Nikita joined Michele and me for a tracking session on Monday. I showed her the basics of H.I.T.T. (Hydration Intensified Tracking Training). Nikita tracked 25 steps on dirt, and 25 steps (twice) on asphalt with great success. While I was talking to Julia after the end of the last track, Nikita spontaneously began to follow the track again! Glad to have you with us!
That session provided some interesting feedback from Michele about a problem I've been having with Hunther's article indication. He has been turning his butt slightly clockwise upon downing at the article. At Michele's suggestion, I followed behind and slightly to his left. Upon finding the next article, Hunther swung his butt counterclockwise and downed. Hmmm. At the next article, I walked up and straddled him, and he stayed straight. Apparently he has been turning to see where his reinforcement will be coming from. So from now on he will be seeing me coming directly over him before reinforcement. That (and some off-track shaping to have him watch the article intently) should solve the problem.
Dave Port
That session provided some interesting feedback from Michele about a problem I've been having with Hunther's article indication. He has been turning his butt slightly clockwise upon downing at the article. At Michele's suggestion, I followed behind and slightly to his left. Upon finding the next article, Hunther swung his butt counterclockwise and downed. Hmmm. At the next article, I walked up and straddled him, and he stayed straight. Apparently he has been turning to see where his reinforcement will be coming from. So from now on he will be seeing me coming directly over him before reinforcement. That (and some off-track shaping to have him watch the article intently) should solve the problem.
Dave Port
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