Lusi has started tracking lessons towards the CKC TD title! I was surprised, as a new handler, both how easy and how difficult tracking is. I found that we accomplished so much more than I had anticipated in a first lesson and yet even simple things like laying the track in a dead straight line was quite challenging, (add to that the counting of the paces and laying the treats/flags/drop at specific intervals and my mind was definitely being challenged!)

Here are video clips of lesson #1 (shows two straight line tracks)
Lusi's First Tracking Lesson

and lesson #2 ( shows the tracking log book and notes from the second lesson and how to do an open turn. Lusi Tracking: Lesson #2

The video shakes on lesson #1 are due to my husband's frozen hands! I used the fast forward edit in parts of the first video so as to get the whole session into a short time frame.

Cool! How did she handle track #3, the curved one?

She circled a bit at the first open turn trying to figure out where the track had disappeared to!...Then she picked up the track again between the flag and the treats 2m from the flag. So during this time I just stood still waiting for her.

I do have to get Lusi a warmer dog-coat though, with her own coat being so short and fine she gets cold quite quickly when we are working out there on the field!

Lisabet,

Wow, tracking is a lot of work, LOL.

I do recall a trainer telling me that he used to lay his tracks with a PVC pipe (sliding the treat down the tube) so he didn't have a keep bending down. Now I see why

Lusi is so adorable, she certainly looks like she enjoys using her nose. I like the annotations during the videos, great for people who had never done tracking before (like me )

Love the idea of the PVC pole Melissa! LOL I shall definitely try that out!

But I suspect that the older members of the club who are in their seventies and I think there is even a lady in her eighties too, will laugh me off the field if I try it when I am out with them.

The sport is no competitive too...so when you take your test you get a pass or a non-pass...I think we are into positive thinking here so there is no "fail"!

It seems to be a really good way of exercising Lusi; she has to think and there is also enough physical exercise in the job for her too. At the club meets when the dogs are not working they are all chilling out in their crates in the back of their vans, the hatch backs up and open so that the dogs can see out. Unfortunately I have a truck not a van so I haven't quite figured out the best arrangement for Lusi...but she is getting the idea that you have a turn to track and then some of the other dogs have their turn.

The test for TD require a track of 400-450 m with 3 to 5 turns...so we have a long way to go yet!

Good start!
Just a little tracking FYI
Save your back and use a length of pvc pipe to drop food in the tracks.

Edit:
DUH!! I should have read all the posts first before I suggested the pvc.

Thx Bob! We now have the pipe and will be using it to drop the treats! I can save my back for some other activity!