If you ask a tracker to name the perfect weather, it would be the day of Lenape's TD test. The sky was overcast, cool with damp ground, minimal breeze!! I was first to pick in the draw and pulled track 6.
Finally, it was our turn to run. I won't brag about how well Magic did but would rather share the lessons I learned that day.
Prior to the test he was not tracking in a stellar fashion - sometimes doing well and other times looking befuddled out there. But we entered anyway.
Which Magic was going to show up on test day? We approached our start flag, and he knew what to do - we were off to a great start, melted into his first right turn, continued with enthusiasm melting into his left turn. I was beginning to think the right dog showed up. He pulled me up an incline and when we got to the top the difficulty began. The ground cover became sparse. He seemed to lose the track and kept circling around the area. He searched and searched, never giving up, he kept working. But I worried he would get frustrated and give up. I talked to him and he came back for a drink of water.
I knelt down and hugged him and spoke softly, rescenting with the start article. He went back to work, went further up, and I saw his lightbulb come on!! He found the track looking back at me as if to say I GOT IT MOM, made his left turn, flew down that leg melting into the next left turn. He picked up speed with confidence and went straight to the glove!!!
Celebration time!! So many lessons learned - read your dog, know your dog, take the time to settle your dog if they are struggling, remember you are the other half of the team and most of all enjoy the ride!!
Since that day Magic's tracking has been spot on with a new found confidence. We are looking forward to the TDX and VST next year.
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