November 11th, 2025- Class has started!

The season has officially started for us!

Class kicked off on a very windy day. Laying tracks in that was a challenge, and I think it made things a bit tougher for the dogs too, it was really blowing out there!

Judi had us lay two 2-turn tracks for another team. Each one had to include at least one blind turn with no marker. Aside from being cold, I actually felt pretty good about my tracks. This is something I’ve struggled with in the past because I’m usually a very slow track layer.

Finwë’s tracks were laid by Heather. Our pattern was a scent pad at the start with food, then drops every 10–15 steps on the straights. On the turns, five drops going into the turn and five drops coming out, one per step. The ending article was tied to the string so it could be pulled when he approached.

Overall, I was happy with his tracking! It had been a while since we practiced, and over the summer we were only tracking once a month. I actually think the break did him good. He got really excited when he saw the start flag. We did struggle with the turns a bit, but I was noticing more of a behavior change when he was in a “loss of scent,” which was exciting since he’s usually very hard to read.

Judi’s feedback was to keep working on turns. She suggested keeping the same pattern (five drops in and five drops out), and then 15 steps after the last drop, place an article on the string like we’ve been doing. This is supposed to reinforce something “fun” and positive after a turn. She recommended practicing this on single 2-turn tracks. Overall it was a great first day back and we are excited for the season!

Track 1

Track 2