Taking on the Nemesis
I really wanted to call this post "Conquering the Nemesis," but we were just a little shy of complete victory. One of the places close to home that I sometimes lay practice tracks is our local city park. It is a beautiful park with plenty of areas to put down lines of varying lengths. The terrain is diverse with rolling hills, closely mowed grass, scattered woods, and even a seasonal creek. The down side of using the park is that there is not a distraction imaginable that doesn't exist.
I have tortured myself for years trying to get a dog to run a clean track in this park. Thee area was once a source of great frustration between a few of my dogs and me. I would leave the track red-faced and angry, wishing that I had never even gone. Finally I learned that the area I now call "the Nemesis" is disastrous for inexperienced dogs, and requires a dog that is exceptionally focused, and dedicated to the track.
What makes the area so difficult one might ask? Let me name a few of the hindrances. First off, critters. The area has an enormous amount of nearly tame groundhogs that will scurry along in front of you or stand and watch you from arm's length. Try to get a dog to ignore that! The grounhogs are bested only by the armies of squirrels that lack any reasonable fear of man or beast. Throngs of walkers, joggers, soccer players, bicyclers and barbequers also dot every nook and cranny of the park. Did I mention that it bordered a golf course? Motorized golf carts and park attendants cruise around the grounds every nice day. Dogs and deer round out the list. A man was training his dog when I put down the track. He and his canine companion ran over my line at least 3 times while I was there. Many other canids were walking their humans while I was there, as well. The terrain is also difficult. Closely cropped grass is always a less than ideal place to hold scent. Throw in a lot of hills and dry creek beds, and you get scent that literally scatters to the wind. This in a nutshell is what you get with the Nemesis.
I purposely had not run Layla on a track in this area for over a year, and the last time was less than desirable. It was just too much for a young pup to endure. Her progression over the past several months gave me hope that she might have a chance at success. Also, the park is close, and time constraints make it appealing.
The track was laid the night prior. It was 13 hours old when we ran it. 1 ounce of blood was used on the 775 yard line. I also used a set of old deer hooves that were not mummified, but should have been retired. The track crossed 2 concrete paths and a dry creek bed. The concrete walkways provided areas where Layla was forced to search for scent across an obstacle. Here is a picture of a concrete area she had to work across.
She had no difficulty making the transition.
When we ran the track, the conditions were very good. A 10-15 mph wind was blowing SSW. There was a nice amount of dew on the ground. Joggers and dog walkers were all over the place. Golf carts were buzzing around, and the army of woodchucks and squirrels were making their daily forays. Here is the track...
Layla picked up the track easily, and progressed to the first concrete path (point 1). She worked across the path, and picked up the scent on the other side (point 2). From the second point she worked along, and then across a dry creek bed. A gentleman was walking in the gravel bed searching for something just a little ways from us. Layla took a quick look at the man, but quickly went back to work. Point 3 was where the second walking path was located. She worked accurately through the area despite a number of squirrels and woodchucks scampering around. Just as we were making our way across the path, a woman with a Australian shepherd came down the lane. Layla stopped tracking, but I was able to sit her until the duo passed. Seconds later, she was back to work, but was excited, and working too quickly. The track progressed up a steep hill where the wind was swirling. She got off track a bit, but corrected herself without requiring any direction from me.
Just as she got back on trail I saw a groundhog run into a hole beneath a tree, just a few yards ahead of us. Layla didn't seem to notice the varmit, but couldn't resist the fresh scent when her nose struck it. The woodchuck was just a few feet away, and kept poking his head out of the burrow. Layla was sucked in. It took several stern corrections here to get her to leave the burrow (point 4). Her solid temperament allowed for the correction without causing her to shut down. After a few strong "leave it" commands and snaps of the lead, and she was back on the deer trail.
Next, the area moved along a wood line, and Layla got sucked into following the tree line for a short ways (point 5). I knew that she was picking up tons of small critter scent here, and asked her "Is that right?" before she got too far off track. I prefer for her to work the trail out without my assistance, but I didn't want the whole thing to come unraveled from all the distractions. When I questioned her, she immediately redirected and advanced the trail.
Between points 5 and 6 we entered the woods along a well used walking trail. Layla easily moved along the packed mud and rock trail. The path has a couple of loops. I took the first loop to the left (point 6). Layla missed the check by about 5 yards before she corrected herself. Good dog! The dotted purple line shows the main path. We merged back onto the main path, and came to a second loop. Here I stayed straight for a few yards before leaving the trail, and heading into the woods. Again, she missed the check for a few steps, but quickly made the correction (point 7). She followed in the woods, and eventually made her way back to the main path, just as I had when laying the line. Shortly after that we exited the woods, and the line made a sharp right turn into a ravine where a small piece of deer hide signaled the track's end. She make the turn without any effort, and completed the track.
Overall, I am pretty pleased with the track. I have had a lot of dogs struggle with this area over the years, and today's distractions were numerous. Layla wasn't perfect, and needed a little bit of handling, but very little. I don't think that we completed conquered the Nemesis, but we definitely gave it a good run for its money.