Egg Tracking

Hey Becs,

Thanks for that suggestion about using raw egg for laying a track! Yesterday I gave it a go with Tam and it worked really well. Thats almost the best he's ever tracked, as he usually has too much speed and even with baited footsteps it's like trying to slow down wild horses, and with this he slowed down and concentrated. Ok, it was only a smallish track, only 250 meters with 3 90° turns, 1 bow, and 1 obtuse turn, but he stuck on it and never broke off once. And it really helped with his corner work and his curves, normally his head pops up abit on 90° corners and he can sometimes break out of the track, even if I bait it heavily. But he stuck like glue to this one

Only bad thing was it took about 4 eggs to lay the whole track

Thanks again

I'm so pleased it worked for you! Don't ask me why, but egg always seems so much more successful than other tracks - it does tend to slow them down, but obviously it can make a slow tracker almost glacial

Becs

I wouldn't complain if I had a slow tracker, glacial though......pass. Over here in trials some judges knock points off for speed, and anyway when the dog speeds up the chances of missing an article get bigger. But I never like to tell him off or really pull him back on tracking as I don't want to dampen his enthusiasm for the work.

And when you think of FH97 trials where the dog is allowed to track free. Obviously those dogs are better trained then mine. I can just see myself sprinting after a swiftly disappearing Tam Doubt the judge would be amused.

See, this is why you need a nice, solid drover, not a heeler :smt043 :smt043

How do you use the egg??

You put drops of the whipped egg, or?

Personally, I just crack a raw egg and trail it to make the track

But in drops??? or "splashes"??

rofl Becs, you know that in the herding world Drovers aren't regarded as having all the lights on Course you and me know better But give me a good ACD/Koolie/Vallhund any day, I like a bit of pep and pushyness in my dogs. Not to mention the fantastic problem-solving ablity. Makes things more fun. (have you ever seen an Australian Cattle Dog working in SchH!)

J, I just cracked them in a bowl and put my fingers in and let it drip/trail from my fingers while walking. Maybe Becs does it a bit different..?

Ah okay Kate

Ta

Will try this once her tummy is all back and settled