Practice Session, 3.12.2026 - "Fool in the Rain"

Thursday was our best chance for tracking based on our schedule, so despite the weather, we went to Dorey Park to practice. 

Weather conditions at beginning of session:

• Temperature: 48° F 
• Wind: N 12 MPH, gusts to 36 MPH
• Humidity: 86%
• Overall: Rapidly getting colder, rainy, VERY windy

 Track 1: Laid 11:34 AM, Run 11:42 AM 

In light of the bizarre weather and our first attempt on a longer line, I made a pretty simple track to start with: flag with article (sock) with food inside; scuff 10, W20FD10, repeat to R turn. Scuff 10 from the turn and repeat W20FD10 to the final article (glove) with food. Quinn had no trouble with this and we had a little celebration then walked back. There was trash blowing around before/during/after, so I picked up what I could. I was impressed with his focus on the track even though there were some empty food containers amidst the trash items near the track. He checked a few but did not really pause or indicate them so I let him keep going and we cleaned up on our way back!

 

We took a little break in the car to warm up before I set Track 2. It started raining harder with sleet mixed in. 

Track 2: Laid: 12:01 PM, Run 12:13 PM 

Since he handled Track 1 so well, I made things slightly more interesting for him on Track 2. It started at a flag with an article/food, scuff 10, W20FD10 to a L turn. Repeated the scuff 10, W20FD10 pattern several times to a R turn. Scuffed ten out of the turn, then picked up W20FD10 pattern again. There were plenty of handy visual landmarks so I did not mark the turns; I was a little concerned by how much the wind was picking up so I did leave a flag several paces after the final article in case it blew off track.

The sleet was getting more serious by the time we started this track. I knew where the turns were but couldn't easily see my lineup for the second turn (the one to the right) due to having put on a second coat with a hood + the wind. I glanced up, thought we were at the turn, and was a very bad tracker for a moment (about 4:25 in the video) 

Quinn checked to the right and I thought he had found the turn, but he didn't really go back to tracking so we got a little stalled out. When he told me the track really did NOT turn right there after all, I took a better look at my lineup and realized we were a little short of where the turn was. Quinn got us back where we belonged (about 5:04) and found the right turn very neatly when I stopped messing him up. 

Lesson learned... tracking in the rain is fun but you still need to see where you are going! 

Three things Quinn did well:

1. The weather really unraveled quickly and it did not seem to bother him in the slightest. The wind was howling toward the end of the session and although he stopped a bit more than usual to face into the wind, he got back to work quickly. 

2. He worked really well even with the slightly longer distance on the longer line (15', I tried not to get TOO far away since it was our first attempt). Especially with the combination of weather and distance, I would have understood if he was a little less confident than usual but he handled it beautifully.

3. He is usually very discriminating about scent - and he was today, even with empty food trash blowing on/around the track. He checked a few things out briefly but mostly ignored them for the track. 

4. He's just a really good dog in every possible way!

 Three things to improve:

1. Obviously be SURE I'm on the track/see the lineup and try not to confuse my dog when I'm the one that laid the track in the first place.

2. Be ready for him to make a decision and move quickly. He's not generally a super speedy guy, but he makes decisions fast when we go tracking. Sometimes I was a little behind where I'd like to be on line handling/supporting him. (And at the same time, stay patient when he takes a moment to figure something out.)

3.  I realized I almost always set 90 degree turns! I should probably get acquainted with angles larger than 90 so we can practice a better variety. 

Goal for next track: Keep the training rotation in mind and just keep putting in the work. S10W20FD10 seems solid so if conditions are good, add some distance next time out.

Unofficial goal for next track: Track in all weather, but maybe not all weather all at once. We saw dry, rain, sleet, snow, wind... the whole gamut. Happily, we didn't get any lightning until we were in the car on the way home.