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  1. #1
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    Default Training your blood spoor - tracking dog.

    Tell me about your training methods, what you did, what you wish you had done.

    I am using a piece of skin dragged on ground and a Energade bottle with drip hole in it as the wounded animal.
    I have tracking video's from 11 weeks old, incredible the first attempts, 30/40 m tracks starting straight line tracks to 3 right angle turns in a track.

    So what did you do, how did you do it and perhaps why, the reasoning behind the doing so.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Training your blood spoor - tracking dog.

    Don't only use blood. You will need to get some gut content from a bokkie that you have shot. And drop a little gut content every now and then in a trail, or else possibly soak a rag in the gut and drag it. Cause unfortunately, some shots end up in the gut and not boiler room
    A roaring Lion kills no game

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Training your blood spoor - tracking dog.

    I have found that some dogs have no issue with following a scent trail, even taking short cuts on the first attempt. All I had to teach them was to do so on command. I usually start them on a dead vervet. Drag it by it's tail and hide it. Easy route at first, then more complicated. Short training sessions when they are still full of energy. When the Limpopo sun gets hot they loose interest very fast.

    Then there were others who could track any trail they WANT to, but that's it...

  4. #4

    Default Re: Training your blood spoor - tracking dog.

    I used to collect blood in plastic bags when skinning and cutting up shot animals and freeze them. Also pieces of bloodshot meat. You drip the blood first short distances then longer distances with a piece of meat at the end of the trail as a reward. As My Lani said, add some gut contents or pieces of intestines. However, you must be able to guide the dog sometimes. I once loaded an Impala a hunter shot and proceeded to another area where another hunter wounded an Impala. The dog went up the road and followed the blood spoor of blood that was dripping from the back of the vehicle. I had to take the dog back on the leash to follow the tracks from where the animal stood when shot. Fortunately it ended in a retrieval of the wounded animal.
    Dogs are smarter than we think and with experience just do what is expected of them. They get to know which animal to look for as Impala smells differently than Kudu, etc If you spend enough time hunting and tracking with the dog you get to know his reaction and manner of behaving when tracking.( Sometimes dogs are more intelligent than the owners)

  5. #5

    Default Re: Training your blood spoor - tracking dog.

    The way to get the best out of a working dog, I have found is the following:
    1. Get the basics in early (stop - recall - direction guidance)
    2. Expose the dog to game as early as possible.
    3. After that build the dog up reinforcing and building on discipline - game exposure buolds confidence and trains dogs faster that you can.
    4.Concentrate on developing a mutual partnership that is understood clearly by you and the dog. The partnership is the key.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Training your blood spoor - tracking dog.

    Finally got the new puppy into the bush.
    Got a Impala for here to track, things are happening.
    tracking by David Frank Allen, on Flickr

    She did find it

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