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.