1.7 Natural Field | Field of Dreams

Date: Aug 11, 2024
Track Layer: Lorie
Location: Hammond River to Browns Flat
Weather: Sunny. ~20. Morning was very hot. Evening track was lovely
Wind: Slight Wind in the morning. Cool Breeze in the Evening.
Track Lengths: 40 yds., 80 yds., 20 yds. and 160 yds.

Today, I was excited for our tracking session. A friend had gotten me permission to use a nearby field, and I was thrilled about the possibilities. This field is huge, offering plenty of space for longer tracks, which is exactly what Rumor and I need as we progress in our training.

My friend met me and drove us to the field. After a bit of chatting, she headed out, leaving me to lay the first track. I had planned for a straightforward path, but somewhere along the way, I made the mistake of not paying close enough attention to the landmarks and ended up with a curved track. Let’s just say that video will not be shown to my husband—I gave him a hard time for doing the same thing once! On the bright side, I did get the wind direction right, so at least that part of the plan worked out.

After laying the track, I returned to the jeep to get Rumor. She was panting hard—it was warming up fast, even with a slight breeze. But Rumor was eager to get to work, so we headed out.

The track itself? Well, it was more like a buffet for Rumor. Animal poop was everywhere! This wasn’t tracking; it was more like Rumor’s version of a treasure hunt, and the treasure was not something I wanted her to find. At just 40 yards, this track was short, but if it was this bad now, I couldn’t help but wonder what a longer track might look like.

Still determined, I gave Rumor a drink and laid the next track—this time 80 yards and perfectly straight. But once again, the same issue with animal droppings popped up. At this point, frustration was creeping in, and I knew I couldn’t let that travel down the leash to Rumor, so I decided to abort the session.

I’m not sure what our next steps are from here. I have a feeling we’ll run into this issue wherever we go; after all, you can’t exactly keep geese and deer out of the fields. I’ll need to ask around for advice on this one and revisit the field on a cooler day when we’re both feeling fresher.

– – –

Later that day, I was chatting with a friend about the condition of the field. She mentioned some fields near her house that were much cleaner and offered to take me there. We went from a field of frustrations to a field of dreams.

This new field was nothing short of pristine—a lush meadow with grass about 6 inches high. Although we spotted some deer when we arrived, the field was remarkably clean. To top it off, there was a stunning view of the water, with sailboats gently gliding by. The temperature was much cooler now, with a nice breeze making it the perfect setting for another try.

I started with a very short track, just 20 yards, as a warm-up. Rumor rocked it!

Feeling encouraged, I set up the final track of the day—a 160-yard stretch. I didn’t follow the treat placement described in Sil Sanders’ book—sorry, Sil, but the variations were a bit much for my brain this time! Next time, I might just write the plan on my hand. I also chose to use short, hard steps for the entire length of the track, instead of just the first 80 yards as recommended. Since the morning session didn’t go well, I wanted to make sure Rumor had the best chance for success.

We ran that track, and Rumor did great. The wind was circling a bit, creating a crosswind at times, which caused her to come off the track in the direction of the wind—what I believe is called casting—but she quickly found her way back.

Evaluation: We captured a great video tonight of me handling the leash, and it turns out I’m not doing what I thought I was. Clearly, that’s something I need to work on. Rumor’s last two tracks were very good—she was eager to start, and her nose stayed on the track most of the time.

I need to reconsider the treats I’m using. Tonight, I used cheese, but the chunks were a bit too large and chewy, causing her to stop and take time to eat each drop. Ideally, we want her grabbing the treats and driving forward without breaking her momentum.

It was a great end to the day, and I couldn’t be more proud of how Rumor handled it.

Below is a video of the warmup track we did during the evening session.