Tracking

Ash goes from grass to the sidewalk , crossing it to stay on track

Ash goes up the stairs and down the corridor

Down the ramp to find the glove!

I don't post a lot about my Collie Ash. Mostly because we don't do any performance things together. I bought him to show and nothing else. Now I have decided it's time for him to have something to do so I chose tracking.  What a great sport it is and probably one of my favourite to train and compete in. I haven't had a tracking dog since my last Collie Tate who earned a TD in 2007 just before moving Lethbridge.
When I moved I lost my tracking community and my desire to train.  I don't like training alone and my mentor was back in Thunder Bay.  Long story short, I just gave up trying.

Last weekend I took Ash to a tracking workshop put on by my mentor and friend Donna of Spiritdance Tracking.  She now lives in Medicine Hat which is just 2 hours from me.  We spent the morning introducing Ash to tracking.  The first track he followed was one that was already run by another dog so as to leave a pretty good scent trail.  He was fantastic!  At one point there was a right turn to a set of stairs, followed by a long corridor then down a ramp to the glove.  Ash aced it. I couldn't believe he did the stairs even!
His second track was also one that another dog had run first but was blind to me.  I had to trust Ash.  We had to go through a gazebo , follow down a stone pathway to a grassy section to complete the track.  "I" thought the track went one way but Ash knew it didn't and went the correct way!  What a trip that was to find the glove.  So I've been bitten by the bug once again.

Next weekend Donna is driving here to train with me on Saturday.  We will go to the University or the College to train.  I should mention this is called Urban Tracking, not the field tracking that I am used to.  Ash and I do need to get our TD in the field first before we can compete for our UTD in the Urban setting however.
I will worry about finding fields later but for now we are enjoying training this way. I cant wait for the weekend and to be able to go out with Ash again :)

Crossing the gazebo, Ash is going the right way

Through the gazebo on to the stone pathway

Right turn to grass and the glove !