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 After a break from ice and snow, we are back at it!  Goal is smooth start and keeping up without running. Tuesday March 3 George did a short one banana curve turn adjacent to Brett's paddock. Age 30 minutes, weather is wet, cold.  No start article, SPw/f at 3 and 10 and then food drop every 15, shuffle feet. 60 yrds, two articles - baby shoe and glove. https://youtu.be/KfLZ-ZtNUew Friday March 6 George did a four banana curves track in the pasture.  No start article, SPw/f at 3 and 10 and then food every 15. Shuffle feet with heavier feet on curves.  Four articles - bandana, pink rubber disc (new to him, no acknowledgement of it being an article), metal can (third time with metal, no acknowledgement of it being an article this time), leather bag.  Will use pink rubber and metal in games this weekend.  After the pink disc, he is air scenting my neighbor working on his fence.  I know if I release him he is not going to the track, so I wait him out ...
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 Jan 23 @home. long first leg climbing UP the hill, then an open turn under the tree and just to the right of a few manure piles.  He is super interested in manure piles behind the barn but he did awesome tracking by them.  First leg yardage 100, second maybe 60. He galloped this just about the entire time but I was power walking/swinging that arm for balance and was able to stay up with him. https://youtu.be/0DYqZ9DWwPw Snow and ice arrived Jan 24.  No tracking for a week+.
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 Jan 10 @Cool Water and Jan 11 @home and Jan 20 at home (after three day weekend away) Jan 10:  I put in a start for George in the winter wheat at Cool Water Jan 10 (Saturday class fill in for Jen). I thought he started well. The turn was a little tough as he was eating both the track food drops and the turn scent pad food at just about the same time - my fault, they were too close together.  Age was 30 minutes.  Scuff to start, SPw/food at start, then three feet out then five feet out.  Shuffle forward and food every 10 paces. https://youtu.be/V_qEf230aWg Jan 11: I put an open angle start in for George at home and Charlie video-ed from the side, a change of view! Age 30 minutes. I thought he started well.  SPw/food at start, 3 and 5 and 30, shuffle feet and food every 5 this time.  Then SPw/food after turn.  He does stop to smile at Charlie on the second leg - guess he was surprised to see him!  So I just tap my leg and say his name to resta...
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 multiple days with 'starts' with open angle turns (one start on Monday Dec 29 at a local elementary school, one start on Friday Jan 2 at home, two starts on Tuesday Jan 6 at Oatlands, one start on Thursday Jan 8 at home that I ran once and then re-ran it after walking it a second time, one start on Friday Jan 9 at home) Working on the walkup.  All starts had scent pads with food at the start flag, then 3 strides out and then I started varying it from 5 strides beyond that to 8 and even skipped it one day.  I think the SPw/food at the start, 3 yds out and 5 after that works best for him.  Still not using a start article. Jan 9 was his best start ever! Working hard to run with him as suggested, not forcing the 'trot'. Run Mary Run.  Why do I keep putting these starts on a hill!!! Plan ahead Mary!!! The open angle turn is better than the 90.  Thank you for reining me in.  The running is helping and today, Fri Jan 9, was very nice.  Dec 29 Nuckols Fa...
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 Sat Dec 20 Goat track, no video Mon Dec 21 @home with video Wed Dec 24 @home with video Sat Dec 20 no video. 20 yard straight line parallel to the Bailey's goat pen.  What a great experience. Mon Dec 21 in pasture at home. (My paper doc says 12/22)  He was a true five month old puppy today.  Interested in weeds that have fuzz on them and digging for 'whatever'.  And he returned to work many times.  Great experience for him. RUN MARY! https://youtu.be/0-rezaFM3CE Wed Dec 24 in pasture at home.  Quite warm, 60 degrees+. Some pretty parts. RUN MARY! A little confusion on restarting after articles so that will be something I need to make more fun than a barrel of monkeys! https://youtu.be/x2zpY5mkJhU
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 Thurs Dec 18, 2025 start in pasture Scuff and food to start flag, SPw/Food at start flag, SPw/food 3 feet out and 5 feet out.  Then shuffle and jackpot food every 10. I was hoping the jackpot piles would get his attention and slow him down and it was successful in spots.  So I plan to repeat shuffle 10 jackpot again.  This track had a 50 yd first leg and a 100 yd second leg with an article at the end.  I thought he did great. https://youtu.be/3ZkmAXoWFX8
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 December 17, 2025 start in pasture Continue to work starts and implement Judi's suggestion of scuffing walking to the flag so we get a more consistent start, without turning back around.  Just get to the flag and move forward.  This is definitely helping.  He had two starts this week with the same set up.  Scuff walking to flag and food drops, SP with food at flag, three scuffs to next SPw/food, shuffle five to next SP w/o food.  Then proceed with shuffle 2 food drop.  Nice loss of scent at corner. Second leg had one SP w/o food two steps and another SP w/food - he hooked back into the track at the second SP.  Continued shuffle 2 food drop to article.  I thought the 'serpentine not serpentine' or the wiggle from L to R was less and therefore improved.  And I am not trying to slow him down, I am trying to keep up without running.  He seems happier with this. Goal to continue with starts walk up/set up like this and increase food dro...
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