Not Just a Pretty Face
Blue passed his TDX test today at Rock Cut Park in Rockford, Illinois.
A TDX test is 800 to 1000 yards long, 3 to 5 hours old, has 4 artlcles (1 at the beginning, 1 at the end, 2 somewhere on the track), two crosstracks, and at least two changes of cover or obstacles.
Blue's track was 832 yards long. We had the second track. The day was cool and sunny. We were to go to the end of the parking lot and wait in the shade with our tracklayer until the judges called us, then walk back to meet them. The first dog passed, which was lovely, though it meant we were waiting a bit longer than we might otherwise. We got the signal and walked back to meet the judges, then walked another good bit to get to the start of the track. The judges pointed out the start (really they pointed out the marker to the entrance to where the start would be once we got in there). The cover was knee-high grass with brambles, bushes and vines. I put Blue's harness on and took him up to the start. He took off while I was picking up the start article then stopped, said what the heck am I doing, sniffed around a bit and finally settled in to track. I could see the track pretty clearly, though this is often tricky as there are also deer trails and other things that look like tracks out there, but it is nice when you're on the track to get the feel that you're right.
The first leg was quite short and he made his first turn nicely. He had a crosstrack on the second leg, someone later said that he gave an indication, but I didn't notice it and he went on. Made his second turn beautifully. His third turn was up near the woods and between some tallish brambly bushes. He checked out both sides of a bush, started up one way, came back, then he started down the track, but his line was hung up on a tree and it pulled him back while I untangled it. Some dogs would see this as a correction and take a long time to work back to the track, he found the leg again and took it very nicely. This was a long leg (abt 220 yards, I think--I don't have the map in front of me) with a cross track and his second article (counting the start article as his first). We were almost half way through the track by now and I was getting v. worried about missing an article--if you do miss they blow the whistle immediately so I knew we hadn't missed one, it's that I didn't want to blow it when he was doing so well. But when we got to the article his indication was great. I picked it up, waved it so the judges could see it and went on.
The end of this long leg went into the woods. He entered beautifully, wound around some scrub trees and started down what was clearly a deer trail. I said, whoa are you sure and he said yeah, come on, jeez. And I did see shoeprints on the track so I went on down the trail with him and he was right. The map says that there was a turn in the woods, but in my head we came out of the woods a bit, made the turn and then went back in. This turn came almost to a trail of mown grass but turned just before. We came out of the woods again, went across a mown track--he was starting to get hot and had a little trouble with this. I think he wanted the track to be on the short grass and so he spent some time going up and down the mown grass before finally digging in and going across. Finally, found the third article (just 150 yards from the end), made the last turn and then it was just 50 yards to the glove.
He gave a tiny tiny indication for the glove at the end and I thought, the judges will never believe that was the indication and I tried to get him to come back and nose it again. He came back and stood on it. I decided that was a good enough indication. And it was.
It looks like he did the whole track in about fifteen minutes. A very respectable time. For once, partly because he took his corners so quicly and smoothly I had no idea where we were in the field or what the track looked like. Usually on a passing track I could go back out and rewalk the track a year later. I don't even think I could find this track again.
Five out of six dogs passed, which is unusual for TDX, but it was a great day, a really great club (they probably have more Champion Trackers than any other club) and very nice tracks.