TDU Test

We failed at the TDU - didn't even get the first turn. It was frustrating, to say the least. The premium said the test would be held on Portland University, which is a nice dog-free site. Tracks 1 and 2 were at off campus satellite sights and we drew track 2.

I went along to track 1 and when the judges moved to track 2, the lead car lost me at a stop light and just kept going. I was able to get back to the track 1 site and found someone who was able to get me to our track location. When I arrived, the judges were waiting and concerned about getting behind schedule.

I didn't let Gimme pee before crossing the road because it was a residential area and we were parked along the front of houses.  I didn't seem appropriate to potty in someone's front yard or the grass strip next to the sidewalk right after getting out of my car. It would be different if I was walking down the sidewalk. So we crossed a paved road, the judge was right next to a tree about 10' from the curb and she pointed us to the start flag about 25' forward from where she stood. There wasn't really any time to let Gimme pee on the way to the flag - in hindsight I should have asked for a couple of minutes. When we train, our starts are always far enough away for Gimme to take care of business as we walk in.

Within a few steps after we crossed the start, one judge called out, "stop, you can't take your purse on the track". The "purse" was an over the shoulder bag I've been using for years (and used at her TD) to hold articles. My bag is so old and crummy, obviously not a "purse" that anyone would carry in public, so it didn't occur to me.  In the future I will be sure to ask the judges to check my equipment before we approach the start.

This interruption was very frustrating for Gimme and frustration is her Achilles' Heel. The judge said I could restart, but I didn't know what the parameters were for a restart and had already experienced the fun of asking questions of these two grumpy old ladies. So, I just encouraged Gimme to resume tracking.

Per Sil - Provided the dog has not passed the second flag, the handler may request permission from the judges for a restart. If approved by the judges, the handler may restart the dog, either from their present location or after returning to the starting flag. Only one restart is permitted. A restart allows you to point at the ground again, put the article back on the ground and hold your dog there, etc.

In any case, Gimme was very frustrated and annoyed and did very little tracking. She spent most of her time snooping around at the track and poop/pee sites, which she over-marked. There was a ton of dog poop, a pile about every 25 feet.  This is something we've never trained through - certainly not in that quantity.

Gimme missed the first turn. She passed it by 10 yards and then angled left about 45º and continued to snoop and over-mark. When I was sure she wasn't on the track, I organized her search to move back to where I thought the track was. She wasn't really into tracking and the first chance she got, she lined out pulling hard into her harness, going the wrong way. We got the whistle. Later I learned I hadn't gotten her back to where the turn was.

The judges wanted us to "finish the track", but didn't want to wait for Gimme to actually track. Instead their idea of "finish the track" was to tell me walk her this way, turn 45 degrees left, walk her forward toward the fire hydrant... I think they really just wanted me to bend over and pick up the articles.

It was a very discouraging experience, to say the least. It sure didn't help that the judges were so rude. Actually one judge was rude, repeatedly; the other never spoke while we were on site.

To prepare for our next try, I have some ideas for training. I think Gimme is generally a very strong tracker. I also think this was a horrid, grossly contaminated site. I have ideas to train to improve Gimme's ability to resist distraction. Thus, if we get another unfair test, we might have a chance to pass. Otherwise, she'll just be better and stronger than she needs to be. She'll enjoy the rewards in any case.

I am thinking about training the occasional (a few times spread over a year) interruption at the start. I wouldn't do it often since it would be frustrating and I wouldn't want to dampen her enthusiasm. I thought of letting her start, then stopping her after a few feet... dither a minute, then ask her to restart - so she will have experienced it other than at a test, where I can give her whatever support she needs to recover.

It also occurs to me I need to develop a consistent restart-plan, allowed according to the rules, for when we are interrupted mid-track. We get interruptions in our tracking at the park, from people and/or dogs. So if I had a restart-plan in mind, I could use it as/when these opportunities present themselves. Then Gimme would be familiar with what the sequence meant. I am basically thinking of re-scenting and then having her move around me to "search for it, search for your track". I'm sure I'm not consistent.

I think they planned the start location poorly. Think about it, people who walk their dogs, tend to walk a perimeter if there aren't paths (there were none there). So that's where all the tree/post marking and pooping will be. The judges placed our start right along a perimeter area and there was a line of trees 20' to our right and ball field backstop and benches 10' to our left. Thus, Gimme was exposed to overwhelming dog-potty smells before we even got started. I think she might have done better if the track had been reversed, because it ended in the open on one of the two ball fields, where I didn't see poop (though I sure wouldn't suggest children play there).

I realized when we track at Game Farm Park, we tend to start our tracks out in the open or away from the main dog-walking path. There are a lot of people who walk dogs through the park on Flexi-leads; walking the paved paths, with the dogs marking and pooping 15-20' on either side. While people here are much better about picking up after their dogs, there are still a lot of dog-potty smells along the strip. We have ended in the strip (100 yards long) and have crossed it mid-track, but I don't think we've ever started a track in the strip or close to it. So, every time she's passed through the strip, she's already well committed to the track.

I plan to reverse this from time to time. Starting Gimme in the contaminated area and ending in an easier area. The first time or two we could start close and just cross through the area. Later we could do a track starting close and then do a couple 45º turns crossing the path and zigzagging down it. This might simulate what we faced - no poop piles, but plenty of potty smells.

I also want to gear up on-the-ground distractions some of the time. Nadine could drop a filled poop bag next to the track. Gimme normally doesn't pay much attention to poop on the occasions we've found it and I think her reaction may have been exacerbated by the frustration at the start. But I thought it might be worthwhile to simulate it and cue "leave it" if she spends too much time studying the poop.

I also want to introduce other distractions. Such as a small container with something yummy in it. I could have Nadine stationed at an appropriate distance from our track or following us with one of her dogs. I can count on her to not do anything stupid, so this would be an opportunity to encourage Gimme to work through dog distractions.

I'm sure there is an unlimited number of distractions, contamination, environmental conditions and other interruptions to work through. I'll just have to keep plugging away at it. As long as she is well-rewarded for success, Gimme enjoys challenges. So it's my job to present them in a way were she is challenged in a reasonable progression and has fun overcoming them.