Training my dog to track

[mod700]

Hey yall, ive been trying to train my 4 month old pup to sniff out blood trails so he'll hopefully be ready this upcoming deer season. we have been using meat from one of last year's hind quarters, but if i want real blood ill have to wait for the first kill of the season. any suggestions as to what i should do with him till then or of any deer blood or parts i could get in the mean time?

 

[trueblue1776]

Blood trails are easy, just give plenty of rewards every couple yards. The hardest part is not letting the dog get distracted by the gunshot.

The easiest way is to borrow a more experienced dog from another hunter and let the pup shadow him in the woods. The pup will learn a lot from the older dog, probably more than you (or I) can teach it.

Get blood from the neighborhood butcher for training, also use varmint carcasses (to drag a trail), fresh so the dog doesn't think it's supposed to hunt carrion.

 

[mod700]

So blood is blood it doesnt matter if it is particularly deer?

 

[trueblue1776]

Dogs can tell the difference, but they will chase it anyways. As soon as they know good things are at the end of a blood trail....

 

[mod700]

k thanks

 

[dfaugh]

Lay a blood trail with bits of hot dogs as as reward. Start out with the hotdogs just a couple feet apart. Slowly make longer, more difficult (more turns, etc) and place hot dogs farther apart. Dog will get the hang of it.

 

[Skoghund]

Here's the swedish way of doing it. Get a deer hoof. Let the dog play with hoof to get the scent. Get some blood. I use cattle blood can buy it in the super market here. Put the blood in a clean washing up liquid bottle. I water the blood down 50/50 blood water. To start do a strait trail of 50 mtrs.
sprinkle a bit of blood at the start and tie the hoof to a couple of mtrs of string. Wipe the hoof on the ground at the start and the walk the 50 mtrs dragging the hoof and dripping the blood behind you. At the End of the trail tie the hoof to a bush. Wait about 2 hours before starting the tracking. Better to use a harness not a collar. Also about 10 mtrs of plastic type washing line As the lead. Plenty of encouragement and most dogs will track.
when the dog finds the hoof let it play with it for a bit and then take it away while saying Dead.
Don't use to much blood. Make the trail longer as the dog gets better at it add 90% turns and also stretches of 10 mtrs with out blood just the hoof.
I also place out plastic ribbon on clothes pegs to mark the trail. It has been known for me to lay a trail go to do the track 8 hours later and have forgotten where i started said trail.
To do compettion tracking here in Sweden the trail can be up to 12 hours old, 600 mtrs long and they use a max of 1/3rd Ltr blood .

Well Good Luck