November 18, 2008

Day was clear and sunny, approximately 11 AM. Track is layed in a surburban location with a combination of sidewalks, no sidewalks, parks, busy streets with heavy foot and vehicle traffic on one side, open parking lots on the edges of parks, empty lots.

I had John walk Dot down a side street with no sidewalks. Regular foot traffic from the main street to a park. I walked on the opposite of the street, directing John where to walk. I had him walk to the end of the street, cross the street and make a right away from the park and along the edge of an empty parking lot. I then had him cross the paved parking lot to the other side. I had him make a left when he reached the edge of the lot and continue along the side of the parking lot. Along the side of the parking lot is open space, green grass and trees. He continued to the end of the lot and then crossed the lot again to a wooden bus stop. He walked past the bus stop and made a right in front of it and continue along side the edge of the parking lot, now a driveway leading out to the street. I had John walk toward a large wooden gate that led into an open space and then walk away from the gate and go back along the same paved street that led out to the main street.

Before we got to the main street, I had John take a left into a parking lot of a retail store. We walked down to the end of the lot and then made a right turn and another right turn back out to the main street. We headed back down the main street, back in the direction of the car.

The main street is heavy vehicle and foot traffic with retail stores on the right side and a sidewalk. I walked as far to the left as I could without walking in traffic. We walked all the way back to the car, crossed the street again and back to the car. John sat in the car while he read his paper and I put Dot back in and got Dino out.

I got out Dino's treat bag, his rawhide toy and put on his harness. Instead of going down the track that John and Dot started on, I took Dino to the park at the end of the street and make a left into the park and walked him around a bit to get him distracted from the track. We walked back out to the street to where the track was. I walked Dino back up the street a bit, crossed over and then we were on top of the track that John and Dot put down. I walked a few more steps and then I showed Dino the scent pad, said "take scent", he reached for it to sniff it, and said "search." He immediately put down his head and started looking.

Instead of following the track down the side of the street where I knew it was, he went off to the right side and headed toward the parking lot. I thought about restarting him, but I decided not to. I wanted to see what he was following. He walked through some short grassy weeds and back out to the parking lot. He followed the parking lot along the right side and eventually came to the the point where John has crossed over from left to right. He was on the right track. I was totally thrilled. I am glad I didn't restart him. He followed the edge of the lot all the way, crossed the lot to the wooden bus stop, check the inside of the bus stop and came back out to continue down the driveway. He found the track leading up to the wooden door/gate and then came back out to the street. He was "checking" spots here and there and I praised him. He followed the driveway out to the street, missing the side parking lot leading to the retail store. Now, I bet he was smelling the scent from the street after John and Dot walked back down the main street, but I wanted to show Dino that the scent was also someplace else. I took him back to the parking lot and said "check" as I pointed to the ground. He picked up the scent in the lot and followed it to the top of the lot, but he had his head raised and was visually checking around, not with his nose to the ground like other times. He followed the scent to the top and out the parking lot, but he made a left instead of a right. I didn't say anything and I let him keep going. He stopped on his own about 50 feet ahead. He head came up and he stopped and looked around. There is where I want to add a new cue for him that I want to teach him. I want to teach him a new indication that he has run out of scent, like a sit or a down. I haven't decided, but it is so common, that I definitely needs a clear signal.

I said "Let's go" and we headed back to the lot where he was correct. I said "check" and pointed to the ground. This time he went up onto the grass in front of the store and then came back toward the lot and the street. He made the right turn in the correct direction this time and was back on Main Street.

All the way down the street, back to the car, I had him "check" areas off to the side like stairs and driveways and any nooks and crannies along the way. I want him to notice the difference of where the trail is and is not. And that is OK to check these areas to be sure it is not there. He seemed to really like this and be very confident. He walked all the way back to the car, crossed the street, but he kept going along the sidewalk past the car. When he was about 20 feet past the car, I brought him back to the corner where the track changed. I said "check" and pointed at the ground. He picked up the track again on a path through some bushes and back to the car. He did something I had not seen him do before. He checked a couple of cars along the way and walked past them and then got to my car. I was really glad he did that. I think I will practice that more often, having him check cars. I have not done a lot of that.