1.9 Parking Lot | What’s With All The Peanuts?
Date: Aug 16, 2024
Track Layer: Lorie
Location: Rothesay Arena
Weather: Sunny, ~17C
Wind: No wind.
Track Lengths: 30 yds., 50 yds. and 90 yds.
Finding a suitable location for Phase I of our tracking training has been a bit tricky. The parking lot needs to be large, curbed, and free of traffic, which is a rare combination in our area. With limited options, I decided to head back to the Rothesay Arena today. Though construction in front of the arena is still ongoing, creating some distractions, it seemed like the best choice. There were also a few people walking through the parking lot, adding to the challenges of the day.
Track 1: A Close Call with Pedestrians
I laid our first track on the road leading into Harry Miller. Just as I finished, a couple started walking up the road. They were about to walk straight down the length of our track! Thankfully, they noticed me with my camera and stayed on the other side of the road—crisis averted! Rumor and I ran the track, and she did a great job. She stayed on track the whole time, except for a moment a little over halfway down when she wandered to the right and then up onto the curb on the left. But even then, she kept sniffing, and after waiting her out, she found her way back to the track.
Track 2: The Peanut Dilemma
As I was moving the car closer to lay the second track, I noticed a man walking with an off-leash dog. I waited to see where they were headed, and after they picked up some garbage and deposited it in a can right next to my track, I decided to go ahead with laying the track anyway. I figured the minor contamination wouldn’t be too much of an issue. However, at around 15 yards in, I noticed something scattered on the pavement ahead—peanuts! Not wanting Rumor to eat them, I painstakingly picked them up one by one, trying to keep my feet planted in the track. Just when I thought I was in the clear, I encountered two more batches of peanuts along the way. It took quite a while to lay that track, but it was worth it.
This was Rumor’s best parking lot track to date. Despite the distractions of the man, dog, and peanuts, she stayed right on track, even though she did manage to find one crushed peanut that I missed. Good girlie! Unfortunately, there’s no video proof of this gorgeous track. My camera, set up on a tripod, fell forward shortly after we started, recording nothing but the ground for the rest of the session.
Track 3: Expecting the Unexpected
I needed to move the Jeep again to lay the third track, and once more, a new man and dog appeared, walking right down the track—man on the pavement, dog on the curb. With limited options in our area, we had to work with what we had. I laid the third track expecting a lot of sniffing and off-track moments, but Rumor surprised me. It turned out to be a pretty good track in the end. She was probably following that dog’s scent but it was scent none the less.
After all the tracking was done, Rumor got a bit of free time where she once again used her nose but this time it was to follow all those missing smells from the day’s traffic.
Evaluation: Rumor is starting to understand this parking lot tracking thing a bit more each time. Today, she pulled up to the start of each track and headed straight down. This alone is a significant change. There were only a couple of spots along each track where she came off, but she found her way back without much trouble. I’m also proud of myself—woo hoo! I’ve been reading the tracking book and tried holding the leash with a bent elbow today. As Rumor moved forward, I consciously let my hand extend forward, which helped when she stopped, allowing me to bring my hand back and keep tension on the leash. I think I’m catching on—let’s see if it lasts!
