Tracking Dog Training

[careybirdwell]

I have done some research on here and found a lot of info on training a tracking dog. Thanks for all the info.

I have started working my 2 dogs on a little blood trailing training. I have a few questions that I been wondering about. I have 2 dogs. A Lacy/Lab mix & Brittany.

The Lacy doesn't really seem interested in the blood on the ground, and most of the times has his nose in the air. The few mock trails I have created ( just straight about 40 ft.), he has found the piece of deer skin with a few scraps of meat left for the prize. He seems to stay on the trail and when he ventures off, he will generally come back to the last place he was on it.

My Brittany is just opposite. He loves the blood drops and his nose stay to the ground. But he zig zag over the blood trail and works very fast. He didn't have any problems finding the skin & treats.

Questions
1. Should the dog be interested in each blood drop?
2. Should dog nose be to ground or in air?
3. Should a dog work more in straight line or zig zagging crossing the trail.?

Thanks for any help

[careybirdwell]

Also the Lacy seems ready to please me more, but the Brittany has a everlasting prey drive. He goes 90 to nothing all day. I let them stay inside at night and he comes in and generally crashes within 20 minutes

[flashof1979]

I have found that it is common for a lacy to wind the trail more than shovel nose the trail as a young dog. Slow the dog down on a lead and make the pup pull just a little to continue the trail. I found that that helped my lacy work a little closer to the ground.
Your lacy sounds normal.

[careybirdwell]

Ttt

[quackerback]

my dog will smell ground and go quite a few paces with nose in the air. might try and make them track for their food at night.

[tex4k]

Don't try to force the dog to conform to your idea of what a tracking dog should be doing. Our Lacy ran his first few trails with his nose to the ground like a hound on trail, now he winds like your talking about. The dog knows what he's doing, you have to learn to read and trust your dog, as long as he produces the end result that you want. If you want a dog that will put his nose to the ground and lead you to the animal then you need to get that type of dog.

[PSD Ryan]

If he's finding it, he's learning. He will find the quickest way that works for him

[Troup]

I have done some research on here and found a lot of info on training a tracking dog. Thanks for all the info.

I have started working my 2 dogs on a little blood trailing training. I have a few questions that I been wondering about. I have 2 dogs. A Lacy/Lab mix & Brittany.

The Lacy doesn't really seem interested in the blood on the ground, and most of the times has his nose in the air. The few mock trails I have created ( just straight about 40 ft.), he has found the piece of deer skin with a few scraps of meat left for the prize. He seems to stay on the trail and when he ventures off, he will generally come back to the last place he was on it.

My Brittany is just opposite. He loves the blood drops and his nose stay to the ground. But he zig zag over the blood trail and works very fast. He didn't have any problems finding the skin & treats.

Questions
1. Should the dog be interested in each blood drop?
2. Should dog nose be to ground or in air?
3. Should a dog work more in straight line or zig zagging crossing the trail.?

Thanks for any help

All of the above to answer your question. You don't know what the dog is thinking or smelling. Let the dog be a dog. Just present oppurtunities and set the dog up for success. I say run off lead. But make them longer with turns to create problem solving skills. Better yet it's deer season go shoot some deer and put your dogs on them.

[careybirdwell]

I was really just comparing my 2 dogs and there different styles of tracking. I didn't know if there was a right or wrong way. I'm wanting to know if I should keep working both dogs or concentrate on the one doing the right way. Neither one has had a problem following the mock trails

[flashof1979]

keep'em both. No real right way, just preferences (opinions) It is all in the end result.

[tex4k]

"Neither one has had a problem following the mock trails"
"concentrate on one doing it the right way"
They're both doing it the right way if they're finding the prize at the end of the trail. Keep working the dogs, keep paying attention to how each dog works the trail,learn what the dog is telling you by his body language. There's just to much to go into here, but as long as the dog gets to the end of the trail reward that and don't worry to much about how he gets there.