Later, I sent The Kid out in the bushes to lay a track for Monster. This was very exciting, because it was the first time I've set Monster on the trail of someone other than myself (usually, I drive off a distance, get out of the car and lay a trail, go back home, wait an hour or two, and take Monster for a walk over to the tracking area). Monster grasped the task immediately (I'd let the trail cool for just an hour, making it a little easier), and set off. He did the track work very well, however he still went off track a couple of times. I hadn't considered that not only was the scent different (since it wasn't mine), but also the distractions. If The Kid made a single sound, Monster would get distracted, looking back and wanting to be a part of whatever was going on. Still, he also really loves tracking, and returned to the task very quickly without encouragement.
We'd laid a trail of about 400 feet, through forest and bush, so not very advanced. But still fun! And as usual, Monster overshot the trail ending (where The Kid had kicked up a big fuss and left a favorite toy and some treats), sticking to the trail as it left the woods and returned to the road. I still haven't figured out a strong enough reward to mark the end; toys, treats, praise, play and distraction does not work. He'll accept it, quite happily, if I don't allow him to continue on without it, but he'll stick his nose right back down again as soon as he gets a chance. I'm going to have to find some advice on this...
And then we walked back home, and Monster conked out on the floor in front of the wood-burning stove and started snoring. There's nothing that can beat that sound of contentment.
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| What!? The floor gets hard after a while! |
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