TD/TDX seminar, Sunday p.m.

In the afternoon Sil discussed the difference between "helps" and "hints". Helps are the conscious things you do when your dog is having difficulty, so they can learn from the experience. Hints are often unconscious, though they can be intentional as part of teaching the dog a new skill. Looking at this list, I see I do all of them at one time or another. Hints need to be extinguished gradually so the dog becomes a self-reliant tracker. They include:

• facing in the direction of a new leg before the dog searches in that area
• anchoring or staying on the good track when the dog wanders to the side
• quickly following the dog when he investigates the correct direction prior to her committing to it herself
• taking some suggestive steps in the direction of the new leg
• encouraging talk when the dog is searching in the right direction
• increasing tension or checking the dog when he investigates an incorrect direction
• negative sounding talk when the dog searches in the incorrect direction
• the tracklayer or spectators moving quickly before the dog and handler fully commit to the new direction

After the afternoon lectures we all moved to a large field, then laid and ran a contamination track exercise. The participants were divided into two groups. Sil and Maureen each laid a track. Then each group laid contamination on one of the tracks and afterward ran the other track with their dog.

Black solid is the dog's track, black dashed is the path off the field. Red (and red variations) are the contamination tracks. The two tracks were set up well apart. Then the two groups of contamination layers walked up the middle between them, turned toward the track and laid three lines of contamination crossing the track. The first two lines we walked as a group (multiple lines), in a gaggle, so there were multiple sets of footprints close together and crossing the track. The third line we walked single file (heavy line) like baby ducks.

We were instructed to allow our dog to use as much of the line up to the full length, to investigate the contamination.  Then if they were unable to figure it out, we were supposed to reel them in and give them progressive helps until they committed to the right track. There were three articles placed strategically to reward them after they successfully moved beyond each line of contamination. 

Gimme and the other more experienced dogs were able to work through the gaggle contamination. Every dog, Gimme included, got sucked in on the very strong scent of the third contamination line.

It was a fun track to do, though challenging for me since I was wearing thongs and Gimme was impatient with how slow I was. I didn't have any dry socks and did not want to get my only pair of shoes wet in the long wet grass. The muck boots were still too wet to use from the morning's adventure.  I think I need to stash a couple pair of dry socks in the van, for days just like this one.