Crystal & Fanny's Path to TD & Beyond

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.

The weather was warm, 80°F, sunny and breezy.  Wind gusts 10-16 mph blowing from left to right across the track and the grass was cut to the ground making it easy to find hot dogs. Fanny ate a lot of the hot dog pieces on the track.  Wind blew her off to the right about 6 inches for just a few steps and she quickly returned to the track for the hot dogs.  Fanny nudged each of the articles but did not lay down at the article until I got down on my knees. Thinking I should consider her nudging the article to be her article indication rather than waiting for her to lay down?

Today we tracking in the same field as yesterday.  It was 70°F and not windy at 6:05 pm. It was a little different because Jason was with us and video taped us tracking. Fanny seemed a little distracted but happy.  I tried to slow her down and at one point she stopped completely, maybe to see what Jason was doing. She stopped a few times to pick up treats. I will post the video.  She paused for a long minute at the first article, sat on it and then turned around and laid down at the article for her treats.  I think she was distracted. Video of Fanny tracking November 4

We went tracking in a field outside my subdivision almost right next to 360 and a Valero gas station.  Fanny has tracked here before, but the traffic is still kind of loud.  6 pm, 65°F and 5 mph winds The Line-up for today's track was the tall multi-colored tree and a fur tree behind it.  There is another field between this one and 360 with a small road going to some quiet little shops and a restaurant between the fields.  We are approximately 350 yards from 360.. Fanny was a little more nervous with the traffic going by and the sounds of motorcycles revving their engines, but she was wagging her tail when we got out of the van. She moved quickly down the first leg and only started picking up hot dogs on the second track.  She stopped at each article, looked around as if checking to make sure it was safe and then nudged them with her nose and laid down. She ate all the treats and started tracking again.  Fanny didn't start eating food on the track until the second track.  She w

  5:15 pm Overcast/not windy/66°F at the large field at Cold Harbor Battlefield Fa nny ran down the track and pretty much ignored the food but did stop for it a couple times but not because she was nervous.    She was very excited to track.    Tail wagging and indicated each article without me saying or doing anything.    I just stayed quiet and gave her a minute and she nudged the articles with her nose and then laid down.    I think she was excited to track and excited to get to the jackpot in each article. Edit: I forgot to add that Fanny did drink from her water bottle at the end of the track.  I made her lay back down at the last article and offered her water.  In that position, she decided to drink a little bit.

 Today we went to a field in my subdivision next to the tennis court and playground.  It had been dizzling earlier so it was very quiet except for the occasional car driving by.  It was 64°F with 6 mph winds and overcast. We did another 15, 20 and 25 steps track. My line-up is the corner fence post and the corner of the house behind it. Here is the track with 6 flags and three articles. Fanny ate a lot of the food but ran over some of it. She would have back tracked to get it if I let her. I kept her moving forward.  She went off to the right about a foot one time to sniff something, but quickly moved back to the track and kept tracking. She seemed very interested in the second article nudging it with her nose I said, "what did you find?" and she laid down.  At the last article, she wanted to keep going until I kneeled down.at the article and then she laid down for the cookies. She seems to continue tracking even after I put her leash on h

  Fanny's First Track     The instructions were to: pre-count food for 15 steps.  Food every two steps. When you run out of food you know you've gone 15 steps. Check line-up after every two steps. put down a flag to the left of my left food and scuff 15 steps, but when you have about three pieces of food left, put down your second flag. Finish the track and lay down an article with food inside. walk five large steps. Pre-count food for 20 steps. Put down your third flag and scuff 20 steps.  Put down flag and article the same way you did after the first track.   Walk five large steps.  Pre-count food for 25 steps. Put down your fifth flag and scuff 25 steps. Put down last flag and article the same way you did after the first two tracks. Walk straight another five steps and walk around the track.  Do not back track.   October 29: Fanny's Tracking in Class In her first class and first-time tracking with other people following, she was nervous and pulled me straight down the tr

 We had our first class on Saturday without dogs.  It was nice to get back to basics.  We went over laying tracks including using double line-ups, scuffing tracks, with food between our feet every two steps and line handling.  For homework, we need to: Practice your skills actually putting the track in.for the starter teams, it’s scuff 2, food between your feet, scuff 2, food between your feet—all while checking to make sure you are on your line up. I have been practicing putting in tracks in my backyard.  I have a lot of tall trees spaced well apart so they are good for practicing line ups.  I tried using pine straw as “food” but Cheeky, 4 month old puppy jumped up and grabbed it from me.  She decided to let me have a twig to break into small pieces and use as “food”.  This is one line-up using Cheeky's playhouse and one of the trees in my yards. Put something (article like) on the ground and practice walking past it and picking it up, putting it in your pocket. I’m practicing whe

This was a little too easy.  This is my first blog post.  Fanny and I can’t wait to get started!  Here are a few photos of Fanny.  Fanny is also known as  CH Cryslen's Fat Bottomed Girl TKN .