Not every great track is a "perfect" track.
Training is really ramping up in preparation for the upcoming tracking season. Unfortunately hot conditions make it difficult, both in the laying and tracking of the line. Hot, dry weather is a trackers nemesis. Add to that, wind, and you have the perfect storm of imperfect tracking weather. Still, we must train for the worst conditions. Take a look at the track below.
The line was put down just over 12 hours prior to track. The line was laid in 81 degrees temperature. The entire line was in a fallow field, intersected by a wood line. The ground was like concrete, and did not take any imprint from the hooves. The line was made using boar hooves (3rd use, but adjusted from last track for better contact). 3/4 oz of deer blood was used in the 450 yard line. 2 deer were jumped from their beds when laying the line, and the line was purposely placed over the area where the deer were bedded and exited the field. On the morning of the track, the conditions were slightly cooler at 75 degrees. No dew or moisture had developed on the grass overnight. A 10 mph SE wind predominated. Here's a look at the condition of the ground.
As you can see from the labeled track overlay (original line in red), Layla made her usual exploration of the track area before settling into the line. She is slightly off line at point 1, but definitely found the line without assistance.
As she progresses down the line, she is tracking just downwind of the trail, but with good accuracy. The grass and brush is so dense and high in places that she is having to jump over much of it as she moves down the line. Point 2 is at the wood line intersecting the two fields. This is always a challenging spot, as the wind direction shifts here to some degree and the shade and thicker cover forms a "scent pocket" where scent accumulates along the denser cover. It is important to identify these scent pockets during real tracks in case the dog needs help working out of an area. Layla worked the edge cover on the down wind side, as anticipated. She showed many "negatives", letting me know that she was not on track. Learning to read negatives in your dog is just as important as knowing where your dog is definitely on track. Again, this can allow the handler to help a dog through the tough spots. In this track, I was determined to let Layla sink or swim entirely on her own. She received zero guidance from me, aside from a rare "work it out" when she was showing signs that she was clearly off track. I was careful not to stand on the trail or even use my body language or body direction to help guide her out of this tough spot.
As the track shows, she made a "circle" of sorts, and found her way back to the original track after a short deviation. This probably took her about 2-3 minutes to sort through.
Between points 2 and 3 Layla continued to track on the downwind side of the line. This was also the area where the deer had been bedded down. She did deviate down the deer's exit trail for about 5 yards before redirecting herself to the original line.
At point 3, Layla made a hard right turn back towards the line. The wind virtually coming from due South at that point. She hit the line, and showed recognition, but continue tracking straight South towards the wood line. I was a little frustrated at first, but let her track on without a word. As we got closer to the wood line, I could smell a dead animal, and knew what had gotten her attention. She worked her way along the edge, and circled slightly until she brought me to the culprit, a dead possum.
My frustration quickly dissipated when I gave Layla the "Leave it" command, followed by the "Find it" command. She immediately ignored the stinky carnage, and ran right back to the original line. She made quick and easy work of the remainder of the line, getting of only briefly where a path was mowed through the tall grass. Again, these transitions in cover often allow scent to drift downwind. She trailed briefly down the trail prior to correcting herself, and completing the trail where the boar's foot was located. Here she is at the finish line.
Though this track overlay doesn't look quite as pretty as the last track I posted, I am equally pleased by Layla's work. She is learning valuable independence on track, and is able to work her way through difficult spots with little or no assistance from me. Her drive remained strong throughout the track, and she was determined to complete the task at hand. I couldn't ask for much more than that from any of my tracking dogs. These characteristics will pay dividends during the tracking season.
I will finish with a brief video I took at the completion of the track. Finding out what motivates your dog is important to all levels of training. I am fortunate that Layla is driven by a variety of things, all of which I use to my advantage. She is a glutton for praise and affection, so she gets plenty at the successful completion of each track. She is a hound, and as such, is a food eating machine. She always gets raw deer meat at the end of each track. She also is developing an increasing prey and tug drive as she ages. I try to encourage this with a game of chase or tug of war at the end of the track. Everything that a handler can do to increase their dog's desire to track is a plus in my opinion, and developing a strong prey drive is at the top of my list of motivations. Here's a tiny look at one of many techniques that I use.