Tracking dogs

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Oct 14, 2017
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Has anyone trained their dogs for deer tracking? I just lost my 13 year old bloodhound a few months ago and he found a few for us over the years but no formal training at all and he kinda did whatever he wanted, he’d get bored and start messing around. He was about 8 before I first tried tracking with him. I’m picking up another bloodhound pup the end of this month and would like to start training right away. I saved a few sections of hide from a couple different deer and a some hooves from 2 different bucks. I have this book on the way it should be delivered this week. Any information is appreciated
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gjs4

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Jul 24, 2017
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Hey man. I went through getting (the required) licensing in NY, have read John’s books and most other references. Sadly my dogs did not pan out; one with health another with a lack of effort.

Breeds matter as to the kind of training. Shouldn’t train a bloodhound like a retriever nor that of a pointer. You need to learn your dogs personality too.

Being hound- food is likely a lovely reward. Find that treat of choice and add a few along blood trails. If season is open where you’re at- get all the blood, a couple livers and choice paunch pieces and a few different legs. Buy a long lead if required in your state and like any kind of hunting- get on every exposure/trail you can.

Shoot me a PM- could go on forever.
 

Fatcamp

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We have not with ours but should.

I will buy the book and turn the Mrs loose with him.
 

Gotitbad

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Feb 14, 2022
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I have used my DD (Deutech Drahthaar) to track deer and hogs. I have participated in 20 hr & 40 blood tracks. Check VDD GNA the club and testing organizatio. Amazing breed if you put in the work
 

Stevek

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In Texas most use dogs that multipurpose...so they work cattle and trail deer. Not many if any use blood hounds. Blue Lacy/mix do very well as blood trailers in Texas. Catahoula curs and Blackmouth curs also. Black labs are used a lot. Even Jack Russell's are used by some but they do not do well in hog country or cactus country due to size. I have a JRT and her bloodlines came from Africa...they were used at tracking/blood trailing dogs and also in Leopard hunting with dogs....they could get into tight spots were larger breeds in the hunt pack could not. Just about any breed can be trained to blood trail. Just have to start them young and work them as much as you can. You can tell at a young age if the dog is going to work by the way they act around blood or on a known trail. Google "Tracking Down Roy Hindes" from a Texas Monthly video it will give a little history about him and his tracking dogs. He is well known in South Texas and known to have the best tracking dogs. I have used him several times on ranches I hunted on or managed in South Texas. He is a wealth of knowledge about tracking dogs and how they work a blood trail. His best dog was Jethro and was amazing to watch work. He worked a trail alone.
 

Team4LongGun

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What book are you guys referencing?

Disregard-I see it above now. Thought it was an ad and ignored it
 

Pilarczyk85

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Sep 8, 2021
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I trained my blue tick to do it. Took the blood from when i bled out my kills. put it into a spray bottle and began making trails. I also kept a deer tail and put that at the end of the trail to simulate the deer obviously. Wasn't too hard being that she's a hound. But now I have to keep her leashed or on electric because if she picks up a scent man she's gone.
 

trailblazer75

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I have a husky/german shepherd mix that is a natural. She has a super high prey drive and just a few drops of blood send her after the deer.

I've trained her by putting some blood on the ground and then putting a hoof on a trekking pole, stepping it in the blood and then stamping the hoof every few feet before stashing it somewhere for her to find. She isn't certified but I have laid a track and waited 8 hours before letting her work it and she has never failed. I am amazed at what dogs can do!

Does anyone have a link to where I can find John's book in stock? I've been looking for it for a while and have never been able to come by it.
 

12wander

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Dec 5, 2021
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Wisconsin
I thought tracking dogs actually tracked the scent of the gland in between the hooves of the deer and not blood itself. If you have blood, why the need for a dog?
 

roymunson

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I thought tracking dogs actually tracked the scent of the gland in between the hooves of the deer and not blood itself. If you have blood, why the need for a dog?
blood is often microscopic and not visible to the eye. Dogs can pick that up.

I too have heard they track on the gland, but blood is definitely a part of how they're doing it.

I have had 1 experience with it in Ohio. My son gut shot a deer, rain was coming, and I had no help. Dog guy walked us right up to the deer. Ended up getting down wind and smelling the dead deer. Was pretty amazing and I had a pretty excited 8 year old.
 

Stevek

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Good tracking dogs trail blood and scent of the wounded deer. A dog does not follow a winding blood/scent trail but rather a direct line or direction so to speak. I've watched great blood trailing dogs work trails out. Amazing what a good dog can do and recover.
 
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MJB

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Jun 18, 2020
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San Diego
My Jagds are naturals, they can run bucks training with tarsals, or blood track.

I use only blood no hides or legs for blood tracking.

Trasals for running deer or busting canyons with bedded deer. I want them to skip the does and run the bucks only.

My favorite track was in MX Sonora tracking desert bighorn sheep. We couldn't believe any dog could track in that dry climate but they did....
 

gjs4

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Jul 24, 2017
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Breeds matter and dictate how to train. Join a local club, gets John Js books and come to realize it will hunting or a tracking dog… cause you can’t have both.
 

jktex

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Mar 17, 2022
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My Blue Lacy does quite well on a variety of animals.
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Clovis

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You picked a great book--lots of information in there. I have an NY state blood tracking license and trained my small munsterlander to track. It is an interesting project. If you look at the sites for the various german versatile breeds you can find good training articles and information because it is a part of the testing system. Key for me was to get my dog motivated (food) to follow the track and not be distracted by more interesting smells. Now that he has done a few real ones he is keyed up to find the deer for its own excitement. Lots of small steps worked better for me and my dog than trying to jump ahead and just see how he would do.
 

boonez40

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We just bought a Bloodhound puppy to train. The owner has already been working with her.
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