Greetings. I am hoping to introduce VST with my dog eventually. At this point we are working on our TDX and have been training in the TTD method. I'm having difficulty articulating my concerns, but there is a cautionary sound in my head about a potential conflict between TTD and VST. We finished our TD track in under 4 minutes, so we are working at good speed and I'm wondering about how to introduce hard surface tracking properly, without confusing my dog or without discouraging him. I found the Leerburg videos on level 1,2 and 3 tracking to be extremely helpful, and they are fabulous at teaching road crossings. I get the feeling that hard surface tracking is an artform on its own and I was hoping someone could fill me in on the "potential pitfalls" before I confuse my dog (or me!). I guess I'm looking for a step-wise approach, for example, do you move from fields to very short grass, to short patches of parking lot? Do you start with gravel or asphalt or sand? Just wondering if there is an "ideal" method out there that I can follow that is compatible with TTD?
Thanks for your help.
Wendy
Ontario, Canada