Awesome, wish I had these skilz

Just did a track - it was laid over 4 hrs ago, it has been raining ever since, it is nearly 34 degrees or colder, and nothing but standing water and slush with a few twigs poking out. My things for Brick to find? Two quarters, laid in different parts of the track. there was also a diverging crosstrack, and goat tracks, and deer tracks. He's not tracked to the quarters before, so it was a sea of new variables - age of track, completely wet environment complete with tracking through standing water, and itty bitty little metal things to find in 300 ft of slush. Marq had dropped an onion somewherre on the track, but given that I had never touched it, this was going to be another variable that was new - something that is out of place, but doesn't belong with the scent he's supposed to follow.

Oh yeah, and ran it in the dark, so other than me being able to kinda sorta see some of my footprints, he was on his own.

No problem. Love this dog. He downed and dug at the first quarter, which was under slush, under a layer of water. He kept tracking, picked up the right track on when they diverged, did his turns and went through the 6 x 4ft standing water puddles like they weren't there. Eventually hit the last quarter, downed and was very very sure of it, even though I couldn't see it in the dark. And I have no idea where the onion is - if he indicated it at all, it was a little sniff and not enough to cue me in, and I'll go find it tomorrow. Good boy - if he had indicated it on the track he would have been wrong.

Sigh. I'm in love.