1.6 Parking Lot | Puddle Navigation
Date: Aug 09, 2024
Track Layer: Lorie
Location: Rothesay High/Rothesay Arena
Weather: Light Rain
Wind: Slight Wind
Track Lengths: 20 yds., 40 yds. and 75 yds.
I decided to start today’s session at Rothesay High School, thinking the back parking lot would give us some privacy. As I laid the track in the rain, with pools of water forming along the curb, a provincial worker pulled up and parked his truck right on our track. When I asked him to move, he seemed baffled, giving me a look that said, “Why on earth do you need me to move? You’re all the way over there!” After an awkward back-and-forth, he finally moved his truck, but I could tell he thought I was a bit off my rocker.
With the track finally laid, I brought Rumor to the start line. Unfortunately, Rumor seemed as impressed with the situation as the worker had been. She stood there looking around, completely uninterested in the treat (a tuna brownie, no less—I mean, who can resist tuna brownies?). Even after eating the treat, she still seemed confused, as if wondering why we were standing in the rain, staring at puddles. There was a lot more pulling on my part than I’d like to admit just to keep her on that first track.
After realizing the curbs at the school weren’t long enough, I decided to move over to the arena for the second and third tracks. The arena turned out to be perfect. Despite some distractions from nearby construction, which I thought might throw Rumor off, she stayed focused. The area had plenty of space to lay longer tracks, and the newer pavement meant fewer weeds growing next to the curb. I think this spot will be ideal for laying the longer tracks in future sessions, so I’m glad I found it.
On the second track, Rumor showed some improvement. She caught a whiff of the treat right away and eagerly pulled toward the start line. She moved down the track with much more focus, though I did have to steer her back a couple of times. But there was good nose-to-the-ground action, which was encouraging.
There was a slight breeze between tracks two and three and I was able to lay the track into the wind which has been a challenge throughout the phase I training so far. Our performance on the third track was similar to the second. Rumor was more consistent, though we did encounter a few heavily contaminated areas along the way, requiring me to physically guide her back on track. Despite these distractions, there was more solid nose-to-the-ground work.
Evaluation: The jury’s still out on these parking lot tracks. Unlike field tracking, where we saw great improvement between the first and second sessions, this one felt more like a repeat of our first parking lot session. I have a feeling this type of urban tracking is going to take a bit longer to click for Rumor, but I’m optimistic. At least we’ve got a promising new location at the arena to work with.
