2011-01-28

TDX Preparations

My dog and I are capable of a TDX, she's got a brilliant nose, a good foundation, and we both adore the sport of tracking.  Therefore, I am going to prepare her for the TDX test on Sunday, May 8.  It is a local test, we will probably be wait-listed, but we are going to be ready to run.

This means I need to be out working her as often as I can be.  There's a lot of snow right now, but the temperatures are rising, so we can be getting out to track in the very near future.

I am committing.  We will be ready to run!

5 comments:

Kristen said...

GREAT JOB! I'm so proud! Let me know how I can help you stay on track (ha ha ha....).

Find one I can commit to!

Jennifer H. said...

Woo-Hoo!!!! You go!!!

Kristine said...

Fantastic!! I hope you have a blast!

Lynnda L in Mpls said...

I found The Audible Nose book had the most helpful info on training for a TDX. I found working on one or two elements per track was helpful for Java. She didn't have any problem with Aging and Cross tracks. I did need to help her with mental stamina & motivation including for negotiating physical obstacles [& waiting for me then re-starting] and tougher scent puzzles like the effect of tall trees and going from shade to sunshine [& vice versa] and short to tall cover. It took a failed test to realize that my dog has *several* corner indications. Turns/corners had been the bane of our tracking training! And I had to work to keep her article indication up -- she would be tracking and just do a head check at an article -- as if to say "there it is, blind one". I didn't want to be nagging for a stronger indication at articles. In the 3 TDX tests we ran, she stopped at all the articles -- not always a Down like we practiced [& she was reinforced for] but always a Stop/Stand over the articles [all 3]. I am very glad I went for Java's TDX!
I would comment that seeing I also ran a TD track that same day that Java did a track 4 times harder than a TD track [distance, article finds, scent challenges, change of cover, turns, hills & hollows].
Happy training! [And on to Varible Surface/Urban tracking for me & JAva (and my gimpy legs).]

Robin Sallie said...

I will reinforce you by JOINING you as often as I can.

AND I can loan you the book that Lynnda recommended.