A.W.D.F. - Page 9

LOL, I hear this about tracking all the time.  It is a drag to find places to track for a loandler hates it, dog does great at t of us, and the SchH way of teaching footstep tracking is indeed a bore, but it's the one phase where the dog is most in charge.  So sometimes I think that people find it boring because they're not running around shouting orders to a dog, it's the dog that's calling the shots.

I am with you, Adi! Hate that phase of the sport. If there is a magic bullet, though, I'd love to kno what it is!! :-)

I love tracking. Its how we see how our dogs work independently at the end of a 33' line.
Waytago John!

No Tess,  I learned to TRUST my dog.

I few times, while tracking in dry grass, so no footsteps were visible I was wrong and corrected him wanting to go in my "direction" as I thought he was way off. He was right all along and looked back with a funny look on his face, "No, it's here, dude, trust me".

I don't mind putting the dog in charge, I appreciate the finer point of problem solving, blah, blah blah. What it really boils down to, though, to me, tracking, as practiced in sch - step to step is, to me, useless and has no practical application in real life.

I thoroughly enjoy hiking in the morning with my dog, going through the parks and forests, he loves to retrieve sticks from lakes and rivers, he has become a quite efficient squirrel hunter (he caught one already!) although I had to take it from him and release it, bloody, scared, probably close to heart attack, still alive and recovered after that, just seemed very wrong, but boy, that sucker was fast tagging the squirrel. All that is fun, but tracking,a lot of fucking work and the dog blows through the track in 5 minutes or less.

Although, now that he is better and better, it's becoming a bit less of a chore, I admit.

I am almost 40 years old, so trust me, it's like baseball, I will never like it and I'll always view it like homework, I do it cause I have to.

Peole than genuinely like tracking never understand me, but funny thing is, I understand them fine, their passion and dedication about it etc... it's just my preference. Don't worry about it, I'll be fine, if this currect dog turns out to be okay with it, fine with me, I'll put the time and effort for him.

I am with you, Adi!! Tracking is a chore I do only because I must practice for a three-phase sport. It is NOT an acquired taste, like guacamole or caviar--you either like it, or you don't. I also understand those who love it only because I understand having a passion about an activity; I feel the same way about golf (which I feel is a waste of good tracking area!!!). I take any and every opportunity I can to get out of it. Today is at BEAUTIFUL day at 6 :30 am. I am using a fall early Sat morning and doctor's orders to rest to get out of it today. LOL

I LOVE tracking with my dog, but I also understand those who don't like it.  It's one of those things you either love or hate, no in between.  I do feel sorry for those who don't like it, only because they have to spend a good chunk of time doing something they don't like. 

"Keith I'll be announcing can give you an overview there..."

Thanks, Jeff but it was pretty easy to figure it our once I got there.  Which announcer were you, BTW; I was going to introduce myself...

Who else was there Saturday afternoon?  Saw some interesting stuff...and some things in the judging I couldn't quite wrap my mind around.

I know Klye got selected for the front half of the Sch 3. Didn't hear who got selected as the back half helper.