October 9, 2008

I walked over to Al and Jean’s house across the highway and picked up their dog, Abby, again from Rebecca. I walked Abby down the main dirt road from their house to the middle of the property, across the middle and toward the north end of the property along a fire road. I had not been on this road before, so I was unaware if the road looped somewhere, dead ended or where it went. I was taking the chance that I may have to turn around and head back in the same direction down this fire road back to the main part of the property where the houses were. I thought this could potentially be good training for what happens when an animal double backs on a trail.

I walked Abby up the fire road, and then went on the left fork after about 100 feet. From there the road forked again, and we stayed on the right fork. The road continued up a semi steep slope for probably about another couple of hundred feet. Here the road forked again, and the road was still going steadily up. Since it was hot and getting hotter, and I didn’t know the road, and the bugs were getting more annoying, I decided to turn around and walk back toward the main part of the property.

When I got back to the main part of the property, an older house still stands with a renter. Surrounding the house is a wire fence. The tenant has a couple of old outside cats. I walked Abby on the south side of this house and behind it where an old shed still stands. I walked her in front of the shed, make a right turn onto another fire road and headed back to the main newer house. That led me past a newer two story warehouse surrounded by close to 30 old vehicles and work equipment in various stages of repair and disrepair. I walked through the vehicles, through a small ditch and headed back toward the house going through more dirt, old electrical equipment, tree branches and other miscellaneous tree parts. I walked back to the house where Rebecca waited to hold Abby. I would say this took me about one half hour to lay the track. I got Abby’s scent on a scent pad before I left her.

I walked across the highway to my place, put on Dino’s harness, got a bag full of treats and clicker and his rawhide toy. I walked back across the highway, and as I crossed the track of Abby where we walked first toward the fire roads, I showed Dino the scent pad, said “take scent” and “search.” He immediately put his head down and was on the track on the fire road. We walked up the fire road to the first fork. Without hesitation he went on the left fork. Following that he ignored the additional left fork and continued straight on the main fire road. I clicked and treated when he got these correct directions. He continued along the road, checking different things along the way, seemingly to make sure he was along the right way (my guess).

When we got to the point where the trailed ended and I had turned around with Abby, Dino stopped and checked first the right side, then up the right fork and came back down. I made sure I said absolutely nothing to him at this point. I didn’t hold the leash any different or turn my body any different. He briefly check the left fork and came back. At this point, to be sure, I had him “check” a couple of spots around in different locations where the forks were. He headed back down the road on his own without me saying anything. I clicked and treated.

We continued down the road and he made the correct turns back to the main part of the property, ignoring the other two forks. I clicked and treated at these points.

As we were coming up to the left turn on the south side of the older house, Dino cut across the field on the north side and went straight toward the old shed and followed the track around the other side back to the south side. I figured he picked up the scent in the strong winds that were blowing from the old house toward us. On the south side, he was very interested in a part of the wire fencing and wouldn’t leave it alone. He popped his head up and look inside the yard, and then a cat ran across the yard. I looked closer at the place in the fencing and found a well worn cat path under the fencing. I did verbally praise him and acknowledged his good at “Finding Felix”, but did not click since we were on a track of a dog. I pulled him away from the fencing, showed him the scent pad, and said “search.” He continued back along the track, past the shed and onto the fire road that led up to the newer house.

He followed the track exactly in front of the warehouse, through the old vehicles and machines, across the ditch, through the old tree stuff and up to the house where Rebecca was holding Abby. I had Rebecca bring Abby down to the parking lot, and Dino and Abby briefly greeted each other. I then pulled Dino off to the side, gave him his bag of treats and played with his rawhide toy. By the time I finished, the beginning of the original trail was about an hour and 15 minutes old.