Tracking again.

We went Tracking again last weekend. It was very foggy, cold and damp but we enjoyed it. I was doing a Track 5 which got me to within one more track for my Tracker Dog Excellent title. I started well, following a track across a paddock until we got to the first corner. There was a lot of fresh chewy grass that I realy like to snack on and so I had a great time running between the patches until Keith got a bit stroppy and told me I was a Gundog not a sheep dog and to stop eating grass. I eventually went back to the track and did the next leg. Found the sock and did the next corner well, but then there was a section where rabbits had been. I could not resist an investigation, and as long as Keith thought I was tracking I could do what I liked. After a while Keith worked out what I was doing and put me back to work. Found the next sock on the track, had a bit of a play on another corner then found the third sock. On the final leg I got some strange scents on the wind and got distracted by them but finally found the T-shirt at the end of the track and got a big reward from Keith. Judge Sandy gave me a Pass, but only just.
Hannah was doing her Track 7 which is the first of 2 tracks she needs to get her Tracking Champion title. She started off very well and made the first corners well. Her undoing was the acute angle where the wind caused a scent trap in amongst the some rocks and Hannah found the return track without going all the way up to the turn. This meant she missed a significant part of the track, and so she failed the test. Kathy was pleased with Hannah's work but with her getting the 2 track ons for her TDX she had not really had enough training on those acute turns to be able to cope with the difficulty of the track.
The pic shows us in the car getting warm and dry after our work in the bush.

Hannah Tracking Dog Excellent

Here it is. Hannah's Tracking Dog Excellent certificate, and she got it from only 4 trials.

"How can that be?" I hear you ask.

Well, Hannah got a Track On which let her do 2 tests at one trial, and that got her Track 2 & 3 which was her TD title. Then at her Track 5 Trial, she got another Track On, so she did Track 6 on the same day.

Getting a Track On is very rare as it means that someone had to pull out of a trial at the last minute, and that usually means some kind of emergency, illness or an accident. Fortunatley this time the dog was withdrawn as a precaution after a vet visit and there was nothing wrong with the dog, just the handler playing safe.

Hannah getting 2 Track Ons in 4 trials is a bit like winning the lottery (but not quite) which would make her one of the quickest Tracking Dog Excellent titles in history.

The pic shows the certificate, and Hannah resting on her laurals, after doing her Track 5 & 6 about a week ago. Click on the pic to get a bigger view that can be read.

Tiffany, Tracker Dog

Tiffany has qualified for her Tracking Dog title. We were at Monarto on Saturday, up before the crack of dawn to get there by 7:00am. Tiffany was the first to go on her track, where she had to find a total stranger. It was cold, wet and windy, but Tiffany got down to business straight away and took off along the first leg of the track. She got the first corner and then found the first sock giving a good indication of the find. ( She pounced on it, shook it and then threw it at Keith). On the second leg she was a little upwind but got back on the track despite Keith trying to keep up. The second corner was near trees and Tiffany went sniffing a little, but got back to work and found the second sock. The last leg was a gentle curve that Tiffany followed and found the tracklayer at the end of it. She was rated Very Good.
I did my Track 4 test. It was later in the day, still cold but the sun was out.  I had 4 turns to track, and I got a bit tired towards the end. The wind blew the scent around and I wanted to wind scent, but I still managed to find a sock and I worked my way round the course and found the track layer at the end. I must have walked 3 times the distance as I was quatering a lot, and that was what got me so tired. I was given a Pass for the test, so I need only 2 more tracks to get my Tracking Dog Excellent title.

Secret Location

Here we are at a secret location. It has to be a secret because we are not supposed to be there. We did not see the 'no dogs' sign until we were leaving. It was on our travels home from Halls Creek to Alice Springs on the Tanami road. A long time ago a meteorite hit the ground and made a big hole, and that is it behind us.
We are home now. The trip down the Tanami was good, we started out, went to sleep, woke up for a bonio at lunch time and a leg stretch, went back to sleep until evening when we had a run and our dinner. Next day was the same and then we were in Alice Springs. Well the humans thought it was a big deal, and as long as they are happy, we are happy.
Home now, able to run about, play with toys and go outside without supervision, so life is pretty good. Minty and Maggie are home too, so it is back to being just the two of us at play time.

Broome via Gibb River Road

We have been traveling down the Gibb River Road. We started with a few days in Kunnunarra with visits to Wyndam and a few days in El Questro where we watched the sun set and barked at a kangaroo from the Saddleback Look Out.

We set off down the Gibb River Road that was all dirt and we thought it was rough, until we turned off towards the Mitchell Falls. That road was so rough Tiffany had to sit on KnK's lap because she could not cope with the noise and the bouncing. We stayed in Drysdale camp 1 night then went to the King Edward River camp where we went for walks and a swim in the King Edward River. Keith's Facebook has some pics of us there. Dogs were not allowed in Mitchell Falls so we were 'dog sat' by Maggie and Minties humans while KnK went to the falls, then they swapped next day so we had 2 days in King Edward River.

After that we went to Manning Gorge where we had a big swim in the river and a walk along the bank. The water was lovely and cool, and it also washed off a lot of the dirt, dust, weeds and prickles that had stuck to our coats.

We moved on to Derby and the end of the Gibb River Road where we went out for dinner. (The humans got the dinner, we just got the odd scraps, but we were allowed to lie under the table).

We went to Broome and did the tourist thing, looking at lots of places like the Port and the dinasaur footprints.
The photos show us swimming in Manning Gorge, sight-seeing at the Broome Port and playing on Cable beach. There were lots more pictures, but there is not enough room to show them all. Click on the picture to get a bigger version.

Lake Argyle

The four of us are at Lake Argyle in Western Australia. A huge lake, but we can not swim in it because of the fresh water crocodiles. The humans took turns at going on a boat on the lake while we were left behind at the camp. We had walks and plays and met some people. Hannah nearly had a heart attack when one of the grounds ladies came up from behind, but it was ok in the end and we all got pats from her. The days are quite warm, but the nights are cool so we get good sleeps.

The Adventure begins.

We have set out on our big trip to Western Australia and the Gibb River Road. The pic shows us at the Ranges View rest stop north of Port Augusta where we stopped for lunch. The photo shows Hannah, then me (Tiffany) then Maggie and Mintie.
Our first night was with Sasha at Bute where we barked at the chooks, chased the cats and had a good sniff around Sasha's yard.
It has been a hectic trip, stopping at Coober Pedy (cold night) and then Alice Springs (Very Cold Night). We are now in Tennant Creek where it is a bit warmer.
Tomorrow we go further north and onto the dirt roads where the adventure will truly begin.