Another frosty tracking session — this time it was Pozy’s turn.
I have taken a few steps back with Pozy’s training because I want stronger track commitment from her. A drifting dog may get lost, miss an article, or blow by a corner. I want my dog on that track.
To reinforce track commitment, I use food drops and multiple articles, which Pozy trades for treats. This was her track today — the “x” means there was a cookie.
This is what it looks like when she finds a cookie.
There are various levels of tracking and all involve articles (glove, wallet, sock, whatever). The dog must indicate the article to the handler but this can be done in different ways. I train my dogs to pick up articles — this makes article indication very clear.
BUT I train this behavior separately and do not add it to tracks until it is very, very solid. Pozy knows the trade game well — Capella does not. This means Pozy’s tracks have articles and Capella is working on picking up articles at home.
Articles on a track are traded for treats and the dog then continues on her track. I never end training tracks with articles — my training tracks always end with covered meals.
Pozy did a great job on her track — this look backwards shows how well she stayed on her track.
And it shows how very frosty it was today. BRRRRRRRR.
Warm Wishes for a Happy Sunday!