May 7th, 9:30am

On asphault. Cooler than yesterday, and breezy rather than windy. Laid tracks more or less into the wind but didn't fuss much about it.

Distance	R+	Spray	Notes	Success
75 steps	12-36" variable by surface	2"	Patch of gravel near start (higher treat density). Too easy!	100%
"	24"-36"	4"	A train went by just as I got Riv out of the van. She was spooked - shaking and anxious but still able to eat - so we just hung out until it had gone by. Spray was totally dry by then. She started okay then struggled (video one). I stopped her and then restarted her and she did well after restarting (video two).	60%
25 steps	36-48"	"	Easy easy track to make up for last one - I just wanted her to be completely successful. Visible spray. (video three)	100%

I realized today (while I was juggling a camera with the leash and treats I usually carry) that Rivet doesn't need a starting treat. All I have to do is take her near the start pile and ask her if she's ready and she dives for it. Good to know!

I noticed in looking at my tracks that the treats appear to be more closely spaced that I think they are when I'm laying them. I'm not going to worry about that - the actual spacing is not as important as the systematic increase in spacing.

While we waited for the train to pass I fed Rivet frequently. She made it very clear that hot dogs are fine but poached chicken is better. Just something to remember for later...

Messed up videoing track #1 but the other two are up on YouTube.

Video One shows the start of track two. Rivet does okay at first but gets lost and struggles to refind the track. I stopped her when the video stops.


Video Two shows track two after she restarted.


Video Three shows track three. Although I increased treat spacing here I knew that the short length and visible spray would make it very easy for her.


And finally a test - we will soon be getting to the point where a map of the track may be useful and I wanted to figure out how to include one. This is an approximation - I'm not actually sure how many curves were in each serpentine or exactly how far down the lot the tracks went.

(blue=track one, green=track two, red=track three, purple=van)