The purpose of Camp X is to provide campers with a multitude of TDX experiences and help you learn to maximize your training time by learning to read your dog as well as the difficulties of the weather and terrain. Tracking dogs instinctively know how to work scenting puzzles, but they only improve their skills by gradually increasing the challenges.
Coolwater Farms offers a multitude of cover changes, hills, road crossings, crosstracks, woods, and other scenting challenges that all TDX dogs encounter. Your camp coaches will provide experience and success to help you learn to anticipate the scenting pitfalls of the terrain you are moving through and help you provide the timely reward that your dog needs to increase its skill and confidence.
All dogs and handlers must have completed a TD or TDU.
This will be a working camp. Handlers as well as auditors must be fit for lots of walking over rough (TDX) terrain. When you are not tracking your dog, you will be following, watching, critiquing and learning from other teams tracking. The camp is designed to provide maximum exposure to TDX terrain and factors, so most of our time will be spent in the fields.
Mississippi weather in February is unpredictable. Bring clothing and footwear for days of rain and wind and temps in the 30s, as well as sunny days in the 60s. Temps in the 20s are possible. Dress in layers!
Working teams including onsite housing $1000
Working teams staying offsite $ 750
Auditors (no dogs) in onsite housing $ 650
Auditors staying offsite $ 400
Applications must be received no later than December 1st, 2025. Shortly after that, the final 8 working teams will be drawn for each session after which all handlers will be notified of the results of the draw. Handlers not drawn will be given an alternate number (as in a tracking test) and contacted if a space becomes available after closing.
Selected working teams and auditors are to send reimbursement to Sandy McMillan via check (mailed to PO Box 78, Rochester, IL 62563) or Zelle (217-741-3166) by January 8th, 2025.
Cancellations for working spots will receive a full refund if there is an alternate to fill that spot. Otherwise, no refunds will be given after January 31st, 2026.
There is a 5-bedroom 2 bath dog friendly house on the property. The house has a fully furnished kitchen, two porches, plenty of space to air dogs, and a gorgeous view of the property. Indicate on your application if you wish to stay on the property. Preference for accommodations in the house will be given to working teams.
For more detail and pics, see the Coolwater Farms website.
Sawmill Motel, 314 S Pontotoc Rd, Bruce, 662-983-9500. A basic motel 15 min. from property. We're told they allow dogs.
Cart Barn Inn Yoda Creek, 74 County Rd 259, Bruce, 662-983-7829. A nice B & B, also in Bruce. Don’t know about their dog policy.
Oxford, MS, the home of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), is the nearest small city to the property, about 30 minutes away. They have the usual assortment of chain hotels.
There are no RV hookups on the property.
Howard Stafford City Park, 289 Lake Drive, Pontotoc, 662-489-1882. Lovely small RV park on a lake, 30 min away.
Judy Martin, Shade Tree Farm, 662-473-6660. Judy has 7 RV sites on her property. All grass, full hookups, 5 minutes from Coolwater, very modest rates.
As stated above, there is a fully equipped kitchen in the house on the property. The nearest grocery store is in Bruce, a small Piggly Wiggly. A much larger Kroger in Oxford has almost anything you could possibly need.
There are a couple of restaurants in Bruce. Pop’s, which is a gas station deli in nearby Banner, is a popular place for deli sandwiches and pizza.
The first evening of each camp we will have a group meal on the property after tracking, provided by the coaching team.
Plan to bring your lunch to camp every day.
This is your camp, so the structure of each day will really depend on what we learn about you, your dog, what problems you are having, and your experience, from your applications and what we see day to day. For example, the needs of a person who just finished her first TD may be different from the needs of the experienced handler working on her 4th TDX. Please understand that every time out, a novice dog as well as a seasoned dog with be given the same challenges but the difficulty, distraction, and distance can be modified. The description below will give you the flavor of what a typical day might be like:
Start by 8am, laying tracks appropriate to the team, according to the specific factor being worked or the scenting difficulties provided by terrain and weather. Some days the handler will lay their own track with a coach at their side to discuss how best to accomplish the training goal for that dog that day as well as take advantage of the location's tracking challenges. Other days your coaches will lay your tracks and you will run them blind. While tracks are aging, we will have discussion or drill time. We’ll run tracks before lunch.
Bring your lunch. Because winter days are so short, we’ll probably talk about the morning tracks while eating.
Repeat in the afternoon – lay tracks, discussion and/or drills, run tracks, review tracks.
Collapse in bed!