The Most Hopeful Day of the Year

Christmas Eve has always been my favorite day of the year.  I don’t want it to end.  On this day, all things seem possible.  Our hearts are light and our heads are filled with our sweetest wishes and dreams.

Most of us at sometime in our lives, believed in the magical.  It is the magical that gives us great hope.  We believe that life will be better and miraculous changes will occur as they did in “A Christmas Carole.”  It is a glorious feeling, which I never want to end.

Isn’t it more fun to look at the presents under the Christmas tree and imagine what they hold than to open them?  Unopened, they represent everything we desire.  For some, opened presents never live up to the dreams.  This is not to say that we are ungrateful or unappreciative.  Just that our imagination exceeds reality.

Christmas Eve seems to go way too fast for me.  I have so much I do on that day and before I know it, the day is gone.  I always miss that midnight moment when the animals talk. I want to hear what my dogs and cats are saying.  Does Magnum talk about tracking and agility?  And Shadow, what does she say about being blind?  I am sure next year I will be present at that moment and hope you will be too.  Here’s wishing you everything you dream!

The Holidays

So much is written about the holiday spirit – lack of it, getting it, transformation, and having it.  Probably it all has some truth in it.  Along with many, I am concerned about the over commercialization of Christmas.  I am not a religious person, but I love the values exemplified in the Christmas story.

I have never had a lack of Christmas spirit, but I too have to watch my spending.  I tend to use Christmas as a time to help my son’s family financially.  I think that is okay.  I am also generous to non-profits during this season.  I took a child’s request off the tree in the library to purchase a gift for them. 

I end up giving money to some non-profits I decided not to fund.  These are mainly national organizations.  I try to give locally because the impact is greater and there is less spent on fund raising.  One of the organizations I wasn’t going to fund was the U. S. Humane Society.  I heard a piece on NPR recently that many movies that state there were no animals injured in the making of the movie were out right lying.  And, the Humane Society was a part of this.  But, I decided they also do a lot of good and my heart is with animals.

I love to watch and read Christmas stories.  I have watched almost all the Christmas stories and find something to like in all of them.  No matter how unlikely the story, there is always a transformation in the last 20 minutes.  Some of the stories are just plain silly, but I still enjoy watching them.

A part of the holiday spirit for me is knitting something while I watch the holiday show.  This year I am knitting a sweater for my grandson.  I think I will try to do it every year even though I may eventually get the title the “Sweater Grandmother”.

Then there is the baking.  Since I am trying to watch my weight, I make a lot of dog biscuits.  They are great gifts for friends with dogs.  And, most of my friends have dogs.

I will end with saying “May the spirit be with you!”

Result - VST

Sunday, Oct. 27^th was a cool day with dew on the grass – perfect for tracking.  The tracking test at the English Springer Spaniel Field Trial National Specialty had 4 dogs for tracking dog test (TD), 1 dog for tracking dog excellent (TDX), and 3 dogs for variable surface (VST).  I got to draw first for the VST and drew the first track.  This meant that Magnum and I would be the first VST tested.

While waiting for the tests to begin, I was talking with another of the VST testees.  With her was a tall man who said he had the first Springer to pass the VST test.  I knew the name of the person who had the first VST Springer so I asked his name and he said Ed Pressnell.  I had been using Ed’s book for VST training.  The woman with him was his wife.

The only dog to qualify for any of the tracking tests was a TD test.  None of us passed the VST test.  I wasn’t surprised or upset with Magnum because I didn’t think he was ready.  He started the test on grass and had a good start.  He transitioned from grass to asphalt and did fine.  He came to a crossroad with buildings to the left and right or could go straight.  This was about 100 feet from the start.  He did not commit to going straight and was uncertain.  I let him smell the scent article several times.  Finally he went to the left where there was grass running next to the asphalt.  He thought he found an article and I picked it up.  Shortly after this, the judges whistled.  The judges whistle when you and your dog have failed.  His track actually went straight for another 60 feet or so, and then turned.  The tracklayer said she thought he was uncertain and saw the grass and felt comfortable with grass.  Ed told me Magnum didn’t have the confidence to go straight and thought I turned my body to the left and so Magnum went left.

Ed has tracking workshops that cover VST, so I plan to attend one.  Unfortunately, the workshops close to me are full until summer.  So, I think I will go to New Mexico in March so we can be ready for either spring or next fall.

Ed suggested that I just spend a month working on short transitions doing 4 or 5 at a time.  Good advice.  I think I will go back to using curbs for about a month before the transitions.  I will cut back on the number of days we track to 3 or 4 per week.

The agility trial did not start well for us.  We were having a great standard course run and were 3 obstacles before the end.  Magnum was heading for the tunnel when a photographer, standing outside the ring, but next to the tunnel, started shooting pictures of Magnum.  As soon as Magnum heard the camera, he headed toward the photographer.  This had also happened to a couple of other dogs.  Magnum is young, so I hope he is now used to this distraction.  I quickly got him back to the tunnel, but he had gotten a refusal.  He had been running really well and fast.  On the jumper’s course, he again ran fast, but knocked a bar.  Seems like he knocks a bar at every trial, so we need to work on this.  He tends to drag a back foot.

The next day we were entered in Standard, Jumpers, and Time 2 Beat.  He qualified in each, so I was pleased.  He again ran fast. We're traveling for a while and entered an agility trial in North Carolina.  We'll see how we do.

VST Ready!

I am getting ready to leave tomorrow morning for the Variable Surface Tracking (VST) Test at the Springer Nationals outside of St. Louis.  The test is on Sunday.  Just finished my last practice track with Magnum and he was awesome.  We tracked at Antioch College and the campus was busy with the new students and people in the community who walk on the campus.  There were lots of cross tracks. 

I was a little frustrated with Magnum on the first leg because he kept trying to follow cross tracks.  I just had to be patient.  He was running about 4 feet off the track and almost missed an article, but came back for it.  I was impressed.  I let him smell the start article several times to remind him what he was tracking. 

He made most of his turns decisively.  A big difference I see in VST is that he wants to check out bits of trash along the way to see if they are articles.  I have to let him do it or he won’t give up on it.  He went about 30 feet past his first turn, but then came back and found the turn.   The track was a little over 3 hours old. 

It was a good way to end it before the test.  He tracked well and reminded me that I need to be patient and follow my dog. 

We are taking so much with us on the trip because after the nationals we are going to Rice, Texas to pick up a Casita Travel Trailer.  We’ll spend about 10 days camping making a circle back to Ohio.  So, we are packing camping gear – towels, sheets, dishes and all the stuff we will need.  I actually started packing about 5 days ago, which is rare for me.  I think I have it all together. 

I so want Magnum to pass the VST test.  Preparing for it has taken so much of my time and Alan’s time.  I am ready to move on to some other stuff.   I won’t stop tracking, but will only do it a couple of times a week.  Wish us luck!

Moment of Truth (MOT)

Moment of Truth

A moment of truth may be defined as a critical or decisive time on which much depends; a crucial moment.  A moment of truth (MOT) in tracking with my dog, Magnum is basically the same.  AKC defines it as a turn that should be plotted with 30 yards into the turn on non-vegetated surface followed by an additional 30 yards after the turn before another change in surface.

What it really means is that it is an extremely difficult turn and demonstrates your dog’s ability to track on a non-vegetated surface.  But, let’s face it; every turn in tracking is a MOT.  Your dog either figures out the direction to go or you are no longer on the track. 

Yesterday late afternoon I tracked with Magnum on a 3 hour old track laid at John Bryan State Park.  The track started in the grass, had a turn that transitioned to a parking lot, and then had a turn on the asphalt.  The turn on the asphalt was a MOT.  Magnum, for the first time ever, needed no assistance from me.  He got to the turn, stopped several feet after, and explored all directions.  He then took off in the correct direction. 

Wow – was I excited.  Magnum, as I have shared in the past, is an incredible tracker in that he is hard working, doesn’t give up, and is always enthusiastic.  He really gets it and understands his job. 

When I say it was the first time I hadn’t assisted him, I don’t mean that I usually lead him.  I don’t.  But I know where the turn occurs and I don’t let him go in the wrong direction.  I always let him explore and check out bits of trash all over, but I don’t follow him in an incorrect direction.  I wait until he is going in the correct direction and then follow him.

This particular turn was like his turns in the grass, very decisive and he pulled strongly.  We are one week away from our variable surface test (VST) and I am getting anxious.  I have thought about pulling him because I am uncertain if we are ready (we does include me).  Yesterday gave me tremendous hope.  And, isn’t life and joy about hope.  More to come later!

Tracking Dog Excellent - Passed!

Magnum, who just turned 2 years old two weeks ago passed his Tracking Dog Excellent Test held by the Cleveland All Breed Club on May 12^th, Mother’s Day.  The test was held at the Charlemont Reservation a part of the Lorain County Metropark.  This was our 2nd try for the Tracking Dog Excellent test.  In 2010 (most recent year for stats) 137 dogs earned the Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) Title.

The weather was perfect for the test and the site was lovely.  Magnum did the 850-yard test in 20 minutes.  At the start flag, he just led out in the correct direction and didn't explore any other path.  We struggled most with our first turn. He had indicated a turn, but I thought he hadn't pulled very hard.  I thought it might be a cross track.  We continued on for 30 to 50 feet and it was clear we had missed our turn.  The challenge at that point was to get him to go back since the handler isn't permitted to lead the dog.  Magnum circled around several times, which allowed me to move back, and then he found the turn and took off.  The rest of his turns, even those he explored all directions, were very decisive.  Most of the track was in very high grass and he tried to eat quite a bit of the grass along the way.  One time he laid down on what might have been the track, which is his way of saying this is absolutely the way the track goes, cross my heart.  Except I have learned it usually means it's an animal track.  So I looked at him and said, "Is this really the track?"  He then got up and went to the correct track and took off.  

Magnum was great in the woods, which had been our downfall at the Dayton Dog Training test.   After the DDTC test, we really spent a lot of time in the woods tracking.  I learned a lot and saw how Magnum handled the woods.  It paid off.  He tends to go into the woods on the track, then check out all directions before returning to the track and will repeat this process every so often.  I have to go slowly until he commits to the track.  This track went through 2 different woods.

Magnum did stop several times and look at the crowd following us and I had to tell him to track.  Once getting the track command, he got back to tracking.  One of the judges, Ken Barna, told me it's really hard to train your dog for a crowd following him.  Magnum did great at finding 2 articles on the track and downed at both.  He found the last article, a glove, and I held it up and looked back at the judges because I couldn't believe we had really completed the track and they all started clapping.  I am so pleased to have him pass the test.  We have trained so hard - usually 4 or 5 days a week.  So we are taking time off before we start on Variable Surface - concrete, asphalt, gravel and around buildings

 The big difference for me at this test was that I felt really confident in my dog.  I told him he could do it and I would help as best I could.  My mantra to him was "You are an awesome tracking dog!" and it worked for us.

Alan was able to video the entire test.  He was permitted to follow the judges.  I watched it and realized at the first turn, Magnum pulled really hard, I just must have been too nervous.  The lesson – just follow your dog!

April - Tracking Dog Excellent Test

Tracking Dog Excellent Test – Failed.  Those of us who enter the test with our dogs have a one in five chance of passing.  Magnum and I failed our first test at the Dayton Dog Club test in April.  All dogs entered in the tests that day failed – four Tracking Dog tests failed and three of us in Tracking Dog Excellent failed.

I did not start the day with confidence in myself or in my dog, which is not good.  Magnum had a good start and confidently made several turns and headed into the woods.  I was shocked how we entered the woods.  I had to bend way down and almost crawl into the woods.  Once in the woods, Magnum seemed to be everywhere and I thought he was hopelessly lost.  He tried to turn me right into a bush that led further into the woods.  I thought we should go left heading out of the woods.  Now I can’t tell you why I would think I knew where the track went since my nose was not on the ground and even if it was I still wouldn’t have known.  A dog’s nose is 100,000 times better than a human nose.  So, Magnum wanted to meander and I wouldn’t.  He got all tangled up and I had to abandon the lead and put a different lead on him.  We left the woods about 20 yards from the actual track.  We eventually got whistled, which means it is over. 

I walked back to the judges and the tracklayer.  The tracklayer walked us through the rest of the track.  Magnum had been meandering correctly in the woods, he had been on the track.  The place where he wanted to turn into a bush was the track.  I had to walk with the bush between my legs.  Seems hard to believe.   It was a lesson for me.  I hadn’t really understood about meandering in the woods.

I talked with both judges and they encouraged me to enter another test as soon as possible because they thought Magnum was ready.

I’ve entered three more tests.  The first two were in Michigan and I didn’t make it into them, but was on their wait list.  There were no passes at either test.  I was the first selected for the Tracking Dog Excellent test in Cleveland and will be tested this Sunday – Mother’s Day.   This time I will just follow my dog and support him as best I can.  If we are going to screw up, it might as well be his error rather than mine.  I am feeling much more confident in Magnum and in my ability to read him.  Keep positive thoughts for us in your mind.

The Agony and Ecstasy of Agility

The Agony and Ecstasy of Agility

The agony and ecstasy of agility – okay, maybe I am being a little dramatic because agility is just a game.  But there is some truth in it.  Most of us train our dogs at home a couple of times a week, some of us more.  We attend one or two classes a week as well as attend a seminar or so a year.  All to train our dogs and us to run around an agility course and complete it with a clean run.  We pay between $15 and $25 for a run that will last between 25 and 55 seconds at an agility trial.  We are usually up early on the morning of the trial, driving at least an hour, waiting for several hours for our turn, and then we run with our partner for under a minute.  We want so much to be successful not just for ourselves, but because we love our partner so much.  Our dogs work so hard to please us and do what we ask.  They follow our bodies, hands, feet, turn of our shoulders, our speed, our voice, our words, and our emotions.  They try so hard to do just what we ask them and we want so much for them to be successful.  So, indeed it can be agony we aren’t successful and glorious ecstasy when we are.

I’ve been participating in agility for a number of years and this is my third dog I’ve trained.  My last agility dog went blind and it ended her agility career abruptly.  Now I have a 23-month-old English springer spaniel (just turned 23 months on Friday) that is my partner.  I’ve been training him in some capacity since I brought him home at 8 weeks.  At the breeders he had been going through tunnels and tugging.  We have had a spectacular career up through January – qualifying almost every run.  Then I went to Hawaii – well someone had to go – and came back with a bad back and a re-injured ankle.  Hiking on lava can be rough on the body.  I got home late on Friday, picked the dogs up from the kennel, and had an agility trial on Saturday.  What was I thinking?  I hadn’t practiced with my dog for a month or more.  We actually did fairly well and he got his Open title in Jumpers.  He needed one more qualifying run to have the Open title in Standard.

For the next month I worked with my physical therapist to heal.  My back and hip got better, but exercises for my ankle seemed to exacerbate the injury.  Next I had a three-day trial.  On first day we did well with me limp-running around the course and qualified both runs.  The next day my ankle/foot was swollen and hurt so I asked my instructor to run Magnum.  Not all dogs will run for other people.  Magnum ran for her, but he was tentative and worried.  He stayed with her and completed the course, but didn’t qualify.  The third day I ran him and of course we didn’t qualify.  I couldn’t do the turns or run like he needed.  I was okay with all of this because I knew it was due to my injuries.

Now my back and hip are normal and my foot/ankle is much better.  So this past weekend we have another three-day trial.  Alan is videoing it for me.  The first day we had a great jumpers run, but Magnum dropped a bar.  Our standard run was great until Magnum got near the baby gates where people were sitting.  He lost his focus and acted liked he saw someone.  We didn’t qualify.  I was bummed out.

Over the years, Alan has videoed most of my agility runs.  I’d watch them, but I don’t think I learned much from them.  This time I did learn.  I realized that Magnum dropped the bar of a double jump because I was doing a back cross after the jump and he didn’t know what I was doing.  He looked to me instead of the way we were going and down came the bar.  He is a young dog and I need to provide support to him.  I treated him like he was more experienced.  I realized that with the standard course getting so near the crowd of spectators he lost his focus.  By the time he refocused on me, we were past the obstacle he was supposed to take.

The next day we qualified in the jumpers run and placed second.  The standard run he again lost focus went around a jump, but had a good finish.  I tried to keep his focus, but it wasn’t enough.  I watched the videos several times trying to decide what I needed to do.  I decided I would say his name and clap my hands, all with delight and enthusiasm.  The last day he had a great jumpers run, qualified and came in second.  Then there was the standard run with lots of challenges besides the weave poles with a sharp turn to several jumps right in front of the baby gates.  We made it through the first few challenges, then the turn.  So I enthusiastically said his name, clapped, and stayed with him.  I thought it went smoothly and he made the jumps.  Next was the a-frame into a tunnel by the dog walk, a jump and sharp turn to the teeter a jump, turn and two last jumps.   Previous handlers were challenged by the speed of the dogs coming out of the tunnel.  I too was challenged and almost didn’t get Magnum to the teeter, but he made it.  I was late in a front cross after the teeter, in part because Magnum had lost his two-on and two-off  on contacts.  So, he came off the teeter on wrong side of me, but I quickly sent him over the jump and backcrossed – and he didn’t drop the bar.  We had a clean run and came in first. 

Magnum and I celebrated with hugs, him eating treats and I sang “I feel good, so good, la da da da da da da da – OO!!”  Okay – I wasn’t James Brown, but I tried.  We are in Ecstasy!!    It’s a day later and we are still feeling good and I am learning from those videos.  On that last run, he had briefly lost focus but got it back when I said his name and clapped.  I can hear someone near Alan on the video saying how I saved it.  Yeah!!  

Tracking and Distractions

Even though it has been cold in Ohio the last few months, I have continued to track with my English springer spaniel, Magnum.  For those that don’t know – tracking is when I ask Magnum to follow a human scent laid by myself or someone else.  The track will have some articles on it that he has to identify (down next to them), cross tracks made by a human, and the track will cross several obstacles such as a road, sidewalk, and/or woods.  These tracks are aged from three to five hours.

In February, we were tracking at Twin Towers, a Greene County park.  Twin Towers is an equestrian park and has a section used to train hunt dogs.  It is one of the few parks that have wide-open areas of unmowed grasses and mowed grass that can be used for tracking.  Unfortunately, lots of folks use it as a dog park and just let their dogs run all over.  Greene County and Ohio have leash laws that require dogs to be leashed except on private property.  Greene County does have a dog park outside of Xenia. 

So, I am tracking with Magnum using a 50-foot lead with him about 30 feet out.  I hear behind me Alan saying no and hear a dog barking.  Then I hear him telling someone we are training our dog.  I decide that I won’t even think about anything except tracking with Magnum.  Next thing I know, I hear a woman yelling for her dog and of course it seems the dog is paying no attention to her.  Then a hound like dog with his lip curled up is standing near Magnum, but Magnum completely ignores the dog.  I hear the woman saying, “I am sorry.”  Although I want to say, “Lady this is a county park, not a dog park.” I continue to just focus on Magnum, tell him to track and he does great.  He just continues tracking and leaves the hound in the dust.  It was a great experience for tracking with a distraction.  

We had a similar distraction a few weeks later.  This time there were several dogs barking like crazy and I heard Alan yelling, “NO!”  Magnum did not even break stride or look up.  He just continued to track like he had to save a baby.  Alan later told me it was two dogs that were heading for Magnum.  He said if he hadn’t yelled they would have gone for Magnum.  What is wrong with the owners of these dogs?

An interesting aspect is that Magnum is doing great with the live distractions, but he is fascinated with animal scents.  He has sometimes tried to convince me that the animal track was the track he’s supposed to be working.  I still have trouble reading this.  He can be so convincing.  A couple of times when he has tried to drag me on an animal track, I have said, “Are you sure this is the track?”  Sometimes he looks at me like he’s saying, “Okay, Okay.”  Then he takes off on the correct track.  Even though these distractions can be frustrating, they are great for training.

Tracking in the Snow

Today was the first time tracking this winter in snow with the Springers – Magnum and Shadow.  I won’t be tracking again until February due to travel plans.  We tracked with our friend M and her beagle – Ernie.  I’m going to start calling Ernie, Ernie the Extraordinary!  It was Ernie’s first time on snow and he was great.  Ernie is like Shadow in that you can’t praise him much or he will stop tracking and just wait for a reward.  With Shadow, when she finds an obstacle, I just say a soft, “Good girl.”  Ernie had a starter track and then a track with a left turn and then a right turn. 

Shadow had a track with three turns.  She did fairly well with her struggling a little with the wind.

Magnum had a starter track with two cross tracks and a 600 yard or so track with two cross tracks.  M laid the tracks and I did the cross tracks.  I experimented with something I had read in Glen Johnson’s tracking book.  He comments that when laying a cross track, if you step over the track, the dog will hardly notice the cross track.  But, if you step on the track when laying the cross track, it is more compelling to the dog and he will notice it.  So I stepped over the track for the first cross track and stepped right on the track for the second cross track. 

Magnum ran the starter track without his handler and did great.  I had on bulky gloves and took one glove off after putting him in a down at the start article.  I put the glove on and picked up the article and told Magnum to track.  In the process, I dropped the lead and tried several times to grab it, but couldn’t.  Magnum took off delighted that I was not impeding him.  Since it was a straight track, I figured I catch up at the last article.  I yelled down and he waited until I got there. I assume M had a good laugh.  

Magnum also did great on the regular track and did have his handler (me) with him the whole track.  Just as Glen Johnson said, Magnum ignored the first cross track and wanted to follow the second cross track (the cross track I had stepped on the track).  He tried to follow it in both directions.  I called him back to the track and he took off on the track, but he would have followed the cross track without my intervention.  While tracking, he had several places that he check out what must have been animal tracks, but got right back on the track without my intervention other than me standing still and waiting.  His cornering was superb.  Maybe it was due to the snow, but he would really smell the area at the corner, and then take off in the correct direction.

So it was a great tracking morning for all of us.  My grandson Ajax (14 months) stayed with us for the weekend.  It was the first time with him visiting that Alan hadn’t brought him along for tracking.  Alan hasn’t been comfortable staying by himself with Ajax.  Ajax was under the weather and had a hard time sleeping last night.  Alan ended up from 1:00 AM on holding Ajax and keeping him entertained between Ajax sleeping.  This is Alan’s first experience with a baby, so I think he is due kudos for grand parenting. 

Cross Country Skiing, Snow Shoeing and Tracking

Northern Michigan had about 20 inches of snow that they gotten before Christmas.  It tends to snow a little most days there, so even though there is evaporation the amount of snow stays the same or is increased slightly.  I cross-country skied at Aspen City Park in Gaylord three days in a row.  Aspen Park is a lovely treasure with plantations of pine and areas of deciduous trees.  The park includes an area enclosed by high fencing with a small elk herd.  The city grooms the ski trails for Nordic skiing and they stay in fairly good condition.  This is probably in part because the younger folks tend to skate ski, which requires a groomed trail, but a differently groomed trail.  Most of the other skiers I saw were mature adults.  Snowmobiles aren’t permitted in the park, so it is quietly peaceful.  I love skiing there!

Skiing through the pines got me to thinking about problems with pine plantations.  Last summer we were in the Scottish Highlands where there are a number of pine plantations.  I learned that pines planted too closely so that other species don’t grow would eventually die.  They become susceptible to insects, disease, and forest fire.  The dying out of a forest is happening at the pine forest in Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs.  So, I wondered if this might eventually be a problem for Aspen Park. Northern Michigan has a number of pine plantations where trees are harvested thus thinning the forest, which makes it healthier. 

I also snow shoed from our house in Michaywe to a trail that runs behind it.  When there is so much snow, the only way to take a walk in it is to snow shoe.  After going over the same path several times, the snow gets packed down so that animals and humans can walk without too much difficulty.  I do love the snow and winter activities.

I’m finished with the intensive training with Magnum to recognize and ignore cross tracks.  Now when I track with him, I first lay a starter track of about 100 yards with 3 cross tracks on it.  Then a regular Tracking Dog Excellent track is laid (850- 1500 yards) with 2 sets of cross tracks on it.  Last time we tracked, Magnum wanted to follow a cross track on the starter track.  I excitedly called him back to the track and he continued on.  We then did the regulation track and he completely ignored the cross tracks.  It was almost like he was communicating, “Okay, you fooled me once, but not again.”