Ohmygosh!!! I'm late to this thread but I could not help but laugh hysterically and nod in utter commiserating frustration with Sarah's plight.. It is SO FRUSTRATING!!!
I've been trying to 'train' my tracklayer for 2blinkin years and they still royally screw up.. Just today: I had an aged track laid.. The instructions went like this and were repeated back to me, twice.. Lay the trail on the opposite side of the river. Don't use the road. Once you have gone a mile or so, find a way to cross the river; this is your end for this trail. Cross back over the river the way you came as this is the start of the next trail.. Lay another trail about a mile long. Don't cross the road. Stay on opposite side of river until the end... Simple..
So, my tracklayer crosses the river and lays an OK trail for about a half mile, then crosses the river and continues the trail, including using the road, until ending the first trail. Then she stays on the wrong side of the river and begins the 2nd trail, including using the road for almost half the trail, finally crossing the river for like 50 yards at the end of the trail and crossing back to the ending side of the trail..
Now, I don't know she did this until I run the freaking screwed up trail.. The first dog is golden and does great. The second dog who now has a PLS that has a fresh trail back to the car, and an aged trail before her has to be told "sorry baby, this time you ignore the fresh freaking trail because you have a hamster brained tracklayer and you need to follow the aged trail.. This time".. She did and ran a beautiful aged track, however, because I knew (now) how screwed the trail was (it wasn't a mile long either but we'll under) I told the tracklayer to lay a hot track from the end spot and keep walking until we find you.. DON'T USE THE FREAKING ROAD!
So when we get to the end, my girl casts herself and (this is double blind, no radio either and no cell service) starts to take the fresh track but stops herself and works backwards on the fringe of the aged track.. I'm thinking this wrong, but she is exhibiting all the signs of working odor.. When we get close to the car I am more then livid.. Remember, I have a hamster brained tracklayer still walking... Somewhere...
So I drive back to the hot track (end of aged) recast my girl who this time realizes she should take the hot track, and we run another mile and find our person... Well, sort of.. She is walking (with my other dog) and my boy smells/hewrs/sees us and pulls away from her (she is about a quarter mile away on the opposite side of the river and I am on a mountain side) and races to me.. Of course now 8 have two trailing dogs both demanding attention.. I'm pissed beyond pissed and yell to my tracklayer to stop and I would let my girl find her via air scent... She can't do that right either.. She walks and hides back on the track she was laying (slaps forehead)... My girl begins to search and run to her, but... OK, let's just say at this point it is FUBAR all the way..
I ended up having my tracklayer do a hot track just so my girl could get a decent find and reward.. Which was another whole story... So I can relate as this is just one of many MANY MANY trails where my dogs have been pulled off scent because of instructions not followed, etc...
OK rant over... I feel for you Sarah!