Starry G is likely to get her first opportunity to run in a TDX test next Sunday.
I say likely because she is the alternate but they are laying an alternate track. That means as long as nothing goes wrong with the other TDX track (yes, track singular — there was only one TDX slot in this test), Starry can run the alternate track and if she passes on it, she earns the title.
There are some special challenges with the TDX test. It is long — 800 - 1000 yards. The track is aged at least three hours. There are multiple articles and the track has both obstacles and cover changes. There are crosstracks: two people walk across the track in two places midway through the three hour aging process. It is not an easy thing to pass a TDX.
I cannot control the outcome of a tracking test but I do control our training, and I like to be thoughtful and strategic about how we prepare. I want to minimize regret and I also want to feel as if I did right by my dog and all the volunteers who put on the tests.
Last Sunday I planned a track focused on length, crosstracks, and age. It is unusual that I combine three elements and I did it only because each element had been worked separately already with good success.
It is a big ask to have people lay crosstracks so what I did was lay the track in a place I know has regular dog walkers, and I laid it in a way that if the dog walkers behaved as usual, they would cross the track in multiple places.
The track was just under regulation length and it was aged 2.5 hours. There were four articles on the track and a covered food bowl at the end. This is how it looked when I laid the track (I love my Apple watch!).
Green is the start
And this is how it looked when we ran the track — can you spot the difference?
Starry drifted on the second leg and if I had to guess, one of the dog walkers went along the fence and it pulled Starry off her track a bit. That was an issue because it meant she missed the article on that leg. Not a big deal — just information.
I found out two days ago about the upcoming test. Nine days to finish training, which includes mental preparation (mine!) — and then to taper.
The test is likely to include alfalfa fields — we have not tracked in alfalfa. I have been on a hunt for alfalfa fields and found one in an industrial park; we tracked there yesterday. Since alfalfa was new, the track was not aged but it was 700+ yards and included three articles (plus the covered food bowl at the end). This is the map when I laid it:
Green is the start
And this is when she ran it.
See the red dots? That is where I stopped. Right before the fifth turn she did a lot of searching around and I was stationary for 2 - 3 minutes — it is cool to see that reflected on this map. You can also see how I briefly stop at most corners as she sorts out where to go next. She did a great job staying true to the track, and she found all the articles.
This morning I laid a track in the same field but in a different spot and the track was short (131 yards) because the challenge for today was alfalfa plus track age.
When I laid it, the map looked like this:
The track was over three hours old by the time we ran it and included an article on each leg (plus the covered food bowl at the end). Here she is approaching the start flag.
Something I did not anticipate was wind — it was quite windy by the time we ran the track. Between the age and the wind, Starry was a little slower than normal but she stayed on track, indicated both articles, and found her treasure at the end of the track
Good Girlie! ⭐️
We will do one more practice session on Tuesday. It will be an aged single straight leg in a field with officially-timed crosstracks — thanks to Cindy and Vic for being willing to help with this 🙏🏼
If that goes well, I will feel ready for Sunday 🍀🧦🐾
❤️