Tracking with the PEEBs

Millie Starts January 26, 2025 Goals: Work starts; slowly introduce short tracks of greater age. Four start tracks, each about 50 yards x 35 yards (some with shorter second legs owing to space constraint). Aged 0:45, 1:30, 2:15, 3:00. 1 food drop on each leg.  Partly sunny, 45°, light breeze. Rather than starting with a 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, 2 age track, I wanted her to start getting used to something with a bit more age. Her starts, except for once in class several sessions ago, have been good, and I thought she could handle it. Difficulty enhanced by unexpected cross-tracks (the Longwood University Cross-Country team was practicing on the field). All four starts, except for the 2:15 start, were very clean. The 2:15 start was also very good, considering that I had inadvertently brought her in at an acute angle, so that she had to turn about 120° to pick up the track, which she did nicely after some searching. (She also tracked a bit wide left on the second leg of that track after draggin...

Millie Article Track January 23, 2025 Goal: to reinforce Millie's article indication. In her last time out she detected but failed to indicate one article, so we have to make sure we work on articles in the rotation. Rather short track (280 yards), 2 turns (both open right), aged 1:10. Six articles aside from start. Partly sunny, 28°, Light Air. RH 43%. Rough grass with some patches of snow. Good start (we work on starts next time). She found and indicated all the articles clearly. (She still doesn't have a sit or down indication, but she acts in a distinct and easily identifiable way each time she gets to an article.) On three of the more visible articles she actually stops about 5 feet short and indicates. Ilsa did this occasionally, but I haven't seen Millie do this before. It works, just as long as I see the article as well. Only on the last leg did she track a bit wide at the end, but even then she indicated the article. Good loss-of-scent and clear commitment to the n...

January 20, 2025 Millie--goal: to combine several challenges in a row on a very short (140 yard) track; continue to be aware of handling skills. No turns, 1:20 old. Cover mixed snow and field grass, with a road crossing. Sunny, 30°, light breeze (Force 2). RH 40% Good start taking her towards the first challenge, a passage through a tree line covered with pine straw and pine cones, a favorite haunt of squirrels and a regular source of distraction for my dogs. I left a couple of strong-smelling food drops (peccorino romano cheese) to help pull her through the passage, but at least this time she seemed unphased by the other distractions. She sniffed at, but really didn't indicate, the article on the snow. Beyond this was a low rope barrier and a road crossing; she balked a moment at the rope, which was unexpected, and came out wide. Road crossing fair to middling. Picked up track again on far side. One serious handling error at 4:48, when I side-stepped to get her going in the right ...

1/19/2025 Brigid--Goals: To get Brigid further accustomed to tracking in unusual conditions (ground about 50% snow cover), and to start to work from close behind her, to refine handling skills. Relatively short (230), young (20 min) track, 3 turns, food drops every 25 yards, no scuffing. Cover roughly 50/50 grass and snow (quickly disappearing). Cloudy with drizzle, 42°, calm, RH 81%. I brought Brigid to the start roughly perpendicular to the first leg, She immediately detected the "turn" and tracked very accurately down the short (50 yard) first leg (mostly snow). She showed loss-of-scent a few steps beyond the corner (open right) and found the leg very quickly. I was pleased with the way she stuck with that leg (almost entirely grass) in spite of the strong smell of rodent under those trees. Her second turn (open left) was not quite as well-executed as the first; she went about 10-15 feet beyond the corner before stopping and circling to intercept the third leg, halfway dow...

 January 14, 2025 Millie in Class Tuesday. Judi asked me to post this one. This one actually precedes the one for 1/16, but I had problems downloading the video from my phone (I hate Apple!). No commentary necessary, except for Judi's comments. A lot to absorb.

January 16, 2025 Millie -- Goals: 1) to work turns and loss-of-scent indication; 2) to accustom her to working in snow and other cover challenges; 3) for me to refine handling, particularly working turns, and learning to follow on a short line (4-6 feet) as a training technique.     Six-turn stairstep, 360 yards. Aged 1:30. 2 articles + start. Mostly cloudy, 32°, gentle breeze (Force 3). Mixed snow w/ sections of field grass.     Start very good. First leg dead on, she wasn't even fooled by the obvious cross-tracks--human and animal. Clear loss of scent on first corner and very quick discovery of second leg. She was very good and determined on second leg, although I seem at times to be following the track and not Millie--I wasn't consciously guiding, although that seemed to be the effect. Millie went straight into the the third leg with no difficulty whatsoever, an achievement since we were crossing some very distracting territory. Nice indication of first article. A...