Crystal & Fanny's Path to TD & Beyond

We went tracking at the Community Center near 360 and practiced a left turn.  It was around 61°F at 3 pm.  I laid a track right beside the Community Center building that was two 60-step legs (scuffing all steps) with a left turn and food every three steps.  Fanny was trying to pull me to the left quite a bit, but she kept her nose down and working.  Here is my map of Fanny's track.

Fanny went to class with Cheeky and after Cheeky's track I walked her around and threw cookies on the ground for her.  She spent some time trying to pull me back to the van, but she was eating most of the hot dogs I threw down.  I walked her through the class while everyone ignored her and she did well so I put her back in the van and took Sizzle for a walk.  When she got to see me with Sizzle, interacting and giving her hot dogs she started whining to get back out.   We took Fanny tracking with Andrea and Otter.  She was playing with me and wagging her tail while Otter tracked.  Then Fanny got to do a short track that Judi laid for her.  She did a great job and ate the hot dogs on her track. Judi said she had really improved and could start tracking this week.

I let Fanny help me clean up Cheeky and Sizzle tracks again and pick up the clothes pins we left on their tracks.  When I got her out of the van there were a lot of cars in the parking lot, but not a lot of people. She was very enthusiastic about getting out and "going tracking."  While cleaning up Cheeky's tracks someone walked by with a dog and while we were walking from the first track to the second track a jogger went by.  She didn't seem too concerned about them and was more concerned about finding more hot dogs.

I started fanny but letting her cleanup Cheeky and Sizzle’s tracks. She then did her own 80 scuff step track with food every two steps. Fanny did great. She was very happy and ate a lot of the treats. She was working and using her nose.

Today Cheeky, Sizzle and Fanny well tracking near the Community Center and 360.  I walked Fanny down Cheeky and Sizzle's tracks before I let her do her own track.  She happily ate any hot dogs she found. She saw a boy on the woods walking a dog and wagged her tail at him.  Then she did her own track eating all the food she could find on the track and taking me straight to her glove. Fanny was happy the whole time.

Fanny has been working on getting more comfortable in different environments. I have just been tossing food on the ground for her to sniff and eat in different places almost everyday.  On December 10, she went with Cheeky and Sizzle to the small battlefield near Gaines Mill Battlefield. Fanny happily cleaned up all the hot dogs left behind on Cheeky and Sizzle's tracks.  While we were going down Sizzle's tracka park ranger drove up and approached to speak to me and Fanny barked at him. After he left she went right back to picking up treats and seemed fine.  

It was 52°F and wind gusts 17 mph at our backs toward the end of the track. The wind was very chilly. Fanny ate the hot dogs on the track, but went over some of them. She started going backwards on the track to get the left behind hot dogs. She laid down on each article. She takes off after eating all the hot dogs in the article, eager to keep tracking.

It was 50°F, not windy but chilly and sunny at 3 pm. We went tracking at the field outside my subdivision on near 360. Fanny picked up hot dogs on the first track but went over them on the next two tracks. This may have been because the grass was shin high and she had to dig around for them in the high grass. Fanny voluntarily laid down at each article. At the second article, she looked around before laying down like she had to make sure the coast was clear. Fanny still wants to continue tracking when we're done even though I move the lead to her collar. She tracked all the way back to the van.  

 We went to the same field in Pole Green Park today but were further away from the playground and skate park. It was sunny, but the sun was going down and it was breezy and a bit cooler out at only 58°F.  The 9 mph breeze was moving right to left over the track.  The opposite of yesterday's track.  Fanny ate almost all of the food as she went down the track and stayed right on the track, which was great.  When she got to the articles today she wanted to just keep going so I stopped and held her in place until she decided to come back to the articles.  She laid down voluntarily when she decided to come back to the articles.   Fanny was burping a lot today and is gaining weight.  I might have to find a less fattening treat for Fanny to track daily or put her on the treadmill.