Sorry, Ive been very busy! I have done tracking with Riley, and he has his TDX. It is a wonderful sport that we are addicted to (will most likely not ever be able to compete for his CT with is leg though :()!!! We Love it!! I have a fabulous instructor that has been great with us! We have tracked in all seasons and weather (one time Ry track'd a 30 min old track in the pooring rain on pavement!).
A couple things. For the snow balls, if you are really worried about them then i would get the body suit mentioned. I think in warm weather it would be too hot though. For burrs etc i would brush in some spray. Showsheen is a horse product, but would work great! Pretreat the coat with it, and the burrs will slide out like butter! We have alot of burrs and stickys where we track.
We started out in the grass/field, and then eventually worked in some paths, pavement, trails etc once the dog knew "how to track". I think its easier to train them in a field then on short grass. You can see where your track goes, and it gives the dog a "mini tunnel" to follow. Even ankle high to knee high will work great. We dont use any treats on the path. We tried it the very first time- hotdog on every step. Riley followed the track and did not eat a single hotdog! Now we just jackpot on articles.
You mentioned that its hard to find "virgin" places to track. Dont do it!!! You Want contaminated places!! By starting in places that have alot of smells it will be something your dog will always be used to. It will be that much harder in the future and in tests if she is only used to tracking in places with not much other smell. Where we track there are a Ton of animals, people hiking paths, Tons of crosstracks from other trainers, other dogs out there, mowers, etc! My instructor always says that if they can track in "this" then they can track anywhere! Also, try and get friends to walk with you. Get the dog used to someone besides just you following and talking. I have had about 20 people following us in a test before! Also, always carry your cell phone just in case and be smart!
I wish you the best of luck in your tracking adventure! You can already see how fun and addicting it is! We miss it SOOOO much!!! Perhaps next spring we can return to it. Dont hessitate to ask any other questions!! Good luck!