Page 29 - Demo

• Air temperature—temperature affects the volatility of scent molecules. It can also promote the forma- tion of convection currents that relocate scent.
• Ground cover—different lengths and densities of ground cover hold scent in varying amounts and move scent in varying ways.
• Moisture—moisture aids the presentation of scent molecules to receptors in the dog’s nose. Is it humid or dry? Is dew on the ground cover when the track is plotted and/or when the dog runs the track? Is it raining or snowing? Is the soil under the ground cover dry or wet?
• Clearorovercast—barometricpressurehasaneffect on scent, so this information will give a rough idea of whether barometric pressure is high or low.
• Date—gives an idea of training frequency and pro- vides general information about the season of year. Some dogs are affected by seasonal variations in the environment. For example, some dogs are sluggish during the summer and gangbusters during the cooler times of year. Heat cycles influence some bitches. Do vaccinations, medications, or seasonal preventatives influence your dog’s work—and can you prove it?
We finish setting the scene by noting the time the dog starts the track. When taken with the time the track was plotted, this information provides track age. The influ- ence of track age only has meaning within the frame- work of environmental circumstances.
We begin to tell the story when we run the dog...
The track was one hour and 15 minutes old when the dog started. The dog approached the start straight on to the first leg. The dog investigated the start, then tracked straight down the first leg and overshot the first turn. It cast back and forth well off the turn, then chose the correct direction, but fringed the actual track until it hooked to the bait drop. The dog found the bait drop, then fringed slightly downwind to the next turn. It made a tight circle in the opposite direction at the turn and took the next leg. It found and indicated the article—then restarted, tracked down the rest of the leg and overshot the next turn before continuing down the rest of the track.
The Epilogue
Our epilogue is a list of observations and/or ques- tions prompted mainly by the dog’s behavior. It’s our chance to reflect and begin to interpret the training ses- sion, even though the interpretation may change after additional work. Here are some representative questions that illustrate how to expand on the information we’ve already collected:
• Did the track accomplish our goal? In our example it did. We wanted the dog to overshoot turns, and it did. We wanted our dog to be rewarded for being successful, and it was—when it found the bait drop and when it found the article. But there are many other questions we could ask about this track to fill in important blanks:
• How did our handling affect our dog’s work, and should we handle the situation differently the next
May/June 2005 The Australian Shepherd Journal 27