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As a result of the course in Greece it has been proven totally
that the charts that I have in the Instructors course regarding bacterial growth and temperature are correct. As the optimum
temperature for maximum growth of bacteria is at +48c and the Greek climate reaches the 40s for long periods in the year then
the dogs in Greece have a marvellous opportunity to follow a trail as every time the temperature reaches the 40s then bacterial
activity is at its greatest thus spreading lots of bacteria all around so providing the dog with lots of trail to follow.
This point was brought home to us on a cold day when there was obviously very little growth and the dogs really struggled
after only 15 minutes to follow a given trail yet they consistently trailed 20 and over hours in
moderately warm temperatures
It is therefore vitally important when laying trails to allow the bacteria time to multiply dependant on the weather and this
is very hard for the human mind to accept with the temptation to
start the trail as soon as possible foremost in peoples
minds and a lot of instruction on this important factor will need to be given to new students.
Talking of which
It
is very interesting that man has no idea of time scales when using his eyes. I was watching a group of students who were following
the examples of an Instructor on the giving of the Scent article to the dog before starting a trail. The Instructor took approximately
5 seconds to allow the dog to scent but when the students came to do the same each one individually gave the Scent article
for no more than two seconds. The instructor was
upset at this scenario but it is quite common in training when an instructor
tries to give a practical demo it does not seem to register any form of time scale with the students so it must always be
accompanied by a thorough explanation of the time scale involved
There are a disturbing number of dogs turning up at
the rescue centre at Arthurshiel with severe agressive behavioural problems,especially when meeting other dogs or humans.
This is due to the lack of understanding of pack heirarchy by the humans and is not a fault of the poor dog . In any pack
out on its walk or daily hunt
for food the approach of any other animal or human is seen as a threat to the pack which
should be challenged by (sound familiar? interested in how to solve - contact Tom)
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