"Webbed Harness"

[TrishB]

Originally Posted by BostonRott

Trish,

If you got what I think you did (the lounge line).........it's VERY heavy when it gets wet (heavy dew, rain, snow/slush). I went to a local outdoors store that sells climbing ropes and got something called "flat tubular". It's thin, light and does NOT burn one's hands. It's also not heavy when soaked. Had mom sew a brass snap on the end of it and it's worked out great.

I've shown the line to several tracking judges and they think it's great. Banja pulls hard enough to make anyone into a kite and this line has held up well.

Kim had this type as well and showed it to us all. The minute I touched I was saying "Ooooo" LOL She just laughed and said that's what everyone says. She said if you just go to a mountain climbing store ask them for 15ft or 20ft they'd just cut it for ya. Although I'll ask for 16tf or 21ft - so I can have a loop and some space to play with for attaching the snap.

She also said that I should work with a line for a while and find out where I'm comfortable handling. Simply, if you've got a 30ft line and are always finding yourself at the 20ft mark, then you really don't need those other 10 feet to manage now do you? I'm looking at this more from a SAR training stand point and not CKC/AKC tracking (but if he can do it, I might as well get them too ).

I hadn't thought about the line I have getting wet and heavy. I guess I should have. It's tiring enough dragging my sorry butt through those fields! LMAO I'd rather have an all purpose line than get started, find out it's the wrong one for XXX situation or weather and have to go back.

Thanks for the great advice! It's amazing how 'those in the know' recommend the same things without knowing it. If I can learn from you without the discomfort of the lesson of "Ooooh, THAT's why they do it that waaaay....." Then I will!

And yes, to walk in a straight line, you pick two objects in the distance and line them up. Therefore, only that place and that line will provide you with a straight line and only in that place. Note: you should never reach the first object because you would then lose your objects and your reference points. The example used was if you use a tree in the distance. You could use point A to start, I could use point B. No one walks straight (even if you try, we silly people just can't do it). And although both of us would be walking towards the same tree, our tracks would be crooked and in completely different locations. There will only be one place in a field where that 'rock' is lined up with that 'crooked tree'.

The importance of knowing where the track is, is so important. If you are off the track, but *think* you know where it is and are wrong, you'll pull your dog off the correct one and actually train him not to track!

Sorry if I'm rambling here, but I've got all of this information from a wonderful source and I want to say it all before I forget it! LOL

[Judi W]

If you have a sewing machine you can do a nice clean job at the handle of hook yourself. Melt the ends with a cigarette lighter. Fold over enough that you have room to stich a rectangle - go around it about 3 times. Then stitch an X in the middle of the rectangle and go over that a couple of times. It will hold, trust me.

Get more than a foot extra just to be sure you have adequate length for your handle and snap hook fastening.

[TrishB]

Originally Posted by Judi W

If you have a sewing machine you can do a nice clean job at the handle of hook yourself.

You forgot the part about knowing how to use it or the ability to do a 'nice job'. LMAO I'm USELESS at sewing. Failed it in Home Econonmics twice.

[BostonRott]

Trish,

As was pointed out to me once, in every dog sport you need training tools. In tracking, the track IS your tool. If you lose it, you're wandering aimlessly with your dog accomplishing nothing.

[laurlitt]

If you go to a climbing store to buy the webbing, you can also ask if their sewer will stitch it for you. I have done this in the past until I had my own leashes custom made. Just provide them with the snap (a swivel snap is best) and tell them how much to stitch for the snap and handle. In the states the material is about $.35 per foot.