There’s No Rolling in Tracking
- Kelly Gannon
- Dec 13, 2023
- 2 min read
12/13/2023 - 4:35 pm
Location: Holly Ridge
Weather: 50 degrees, sunny, 5 mph WNW winds, 37% humidity
Cover: Grass and woods
Length: about 350 yds
Age: 3 hrs 35 minutes
Tracklayer: Matt
I asked Matt to put in a stair step. 50 yard legs with food or an article each leg. 7 legs, 6 turns not necessarily in the shape drawn but with scuff patterns.
Saber's start was good and the best in a while. She was slightly to the right based on her coming back to the track for her food drop.
The first turn was good. The second was ok. Then Saber decided to add her own fun to the track. She left the track to mark, returned, found an article, then left again to roll in wild animal poo. There is no rolling in tracking is one of many life rules Saber does not adhere to. She is lucky I love her.
Saber got back to work. She entered the woods fine but meandered in them and we got a little tangled. Tracked fine in the field. Entered the scruff/woods again. I thought she was doing fine in there. Matt said she overshot the turn. So I backed up and sent her out of the woods where he said. She stopped. Left the woods because I made her. Out of the woods she picked the track back up and finished. Matt said she missed an article. At the edge of the woods. We went back to look for it. Couldn't find it. Saber found it she was on the right track to exit the woods. Matt was lost. So when she looked at me like the track isn't here...she was right.
Things I liked: A+ for track recovery and resilience in the face of dumb humans.
Things I did not like: none track related exploration.
I think I need to do more blind tracks because I did not trust my dog today and I used to. However, I would prefer she stay truer to the track which makes me want to know where it is to limit meandering.
Comments