Reni's TDX test!

The area where the tracks were laid is a popular place for people to walk their dogs. There are many distractions (lots of pee-mail) alongside the dirt road, especially in the area where the track began, and I think this is why Reni didn't start very well. After we left the start flag, she was also looking over to the area where the cars were parked and spectators were standing.

I was concerned that Reni would miss an article, so I for the past month or so I started showing how interested and excited I was when she found and indicated articles. (She indicates that she's found an article by sitting, and she did this nicely for the first and second articles, not so well for the last article, the glove; but she did stop dead in her tracks for the glove, indicating that she'd found something) She's now started "indicating" some rocks that she thinks are special. I think she thought about doing that on the track a couple of times.

I was pleased at how Reni handled the arroyo (twice). In the past, arroyo crossings have been a problem area for us, especially sandy or gravelly areas. She also crossed a couple of footpaths on the track, and those, too, have given us some problems in the past. Around six minutes into the video, you can see that Reni comes to a point where her way is partially blocked by vegetation—she just bulls her way through.

Several times in the video you can see the camera (my head) searching the distance. In most of those cases, I was looking for the judges. There were a couple of times when I couldn't see them!

When we crossed the dirt road (about 10 minutes into the video), we were badly off the track, probably 50 to 60 yards off at times. We were fortunate that the judges were patient and allowed us to work through the problem. This was the most tenuous part of the track, and Reni did a remarkable job of getting back on the track. The wind was actually blowing the scent from the track away from where we were, so she had to work hard to find her way back.

One interesting thing is that if I had been laying the track for practice, I would almost certainly have gone straight across the road as Reni did.

Around 13:15, I can tell from the way Renis is working that we're probably back on track or getting there, and you can hear me say, "Good girl!"

Shortly after Reni found the second article, the lead got wrapped around her right rear leg. You can hear me say, "Reni, Ho! Ho!" She stopped moving as she is supposed to, I unwrapped the lead, and we were on our way in maybe 15 to 20 seconds. This is a useful command (I use "Freeze!" in other circumstances).

I don't know if Reni even noticed the cross tracks which were on the fifth and sixth legs.

You also may notice a couple of places where the sound drops out. I had to take out a couple of expletives that accidentally slipped out.

[NMKerryBlue]

Congratulations, Rick and Reni! Thanks for sharing the video.

[MyEndeavors]

Very Nice! Thanks for sharing. I was impressed that she found her way back to the track at the road (10min to 13min into the video). And I smiled when I heard you say "this way" - who wouldn't?!? Was the wind in your face approaching the glove? She was pulling hard and looked like she was air-scenting. Very nice team - congrats to both of you!

[RAMStrada]

I thought Reni was air scenting towards the end of the video, and of course that got my heart racing because I figured we were close to the glove!