blood trailing dog

[Frenchy]

I owe a big debt to these dogs    

[wingnut]

Thanks for the tip on the book, I just ordered one.  Should be here in a week.

We have a very smart little crossbred terrier that I think will do great with a bit of training.  Going to give her a go.

Mike

[LoweBow]

I've been working my German Shorthaired Pointer on birds this summer and after reading more about his heritage and breeding decided to work him on 2 does my son shot w/ his ML last weekend.  He's almost 1 yo and eager to learn and please.
He followed us from the house on the atv. While I was getting the lantern out he was 40 yards in front of us nosing the blood trail. He didn't point, but found it and was curious.
We let him follow it and encouraged him along until he walked right up on the doe.....He started back pedaling and growling...it was funny as he'd growl and look at me to see if it was ok....We praised him and he was proud.

We drug that doe out and went for #2. He did the same, but with a little more vigor... I'm going to try to take another dozen does off the farm this year, so hopefully by season end he'll figure this thing out.
I just hope he doesn't point a deer while quail hunting, but Lord knows there a heck of alot more deer than quail in my parts of KY.

GSP's are an awesome breed and prob the most "clingy" and child oriented dog I've ever been around.  They were bread in Germany as an all hunting dog.  Upland birds, ducks, furred animals, and trailing.  I believe them to be underutilized as just upland bird dogs.

   

[Jack Shanks]

There is a fellow in my home town in Michigan that offers a deer tracking service. I spoke with him a couple weeks ago about his services after a friend lost a buck he had shot and I was unable to help him look for it that day. I'm not sure what type of dog he has but I'm thinking he said it was some sort of dashound. Here is a link to his web site if it will help you in some way.

 http://scouttracker.blogspot.com/

[Ben Woodring]

Zilla, there is a line of wire hairs from Europe that have been bread for tacking ability..not the same as wire hairs that have been bred for show quality...the tracking blood line is expensive, not many around (that's my understanding anyway)

[Ben Woodring]

Thanks for the responses folks, great feedback and you've given me plenty to contemplate.  

Wingnut - you're doing exactly what I want to do, find a good scrute (crossbred) that's smart and has a nose and train it to track...I know they're out there and don't cost $1000!  I wouldn't mind spending a couple 3 hundred on a dog but more than that seems like a lot when I know there's dogs out there with the predisposition to track that need a good home.

[David in Hickory]

Ben, The gentelman that I got my youngest plott from was planning a breeding between his leopard cur and one of his plotts. I would think he would have them in the next few months. Also there is a free 5 month old plott male in Reading, MI on the UKC's coonhound classifieds, I beleive this is the brother to my young male(timing seems to be right) and he comes from a line of good cold nosed hounds. My intentions when he gets a little older and less rambunktious is to train him to track as well. Hope I helped

David Darling
Augusta, MI

[Ben Woodring]

Ckruse - May I ask where you acquired your dog....really nice looking dog and kid friendly, my kind of pup.

[Ben Woodring]

David, heck yes that helps.  But you have to tell what the heck a cold nosed hound and a leopard cur is.  All I've ever owned is labs, they were all well trained and great companions, when it comes to other breeds I have some learning to do.

[justin ammons]

on a thread just like this 2yrs ago a guy recomended a drathaar which is a german wirehair from Germany.  I've bought 2 since then.  Best dogs ever...point, retrieve, and blood trail.  Here's a web site   www.vomkervinshof.com

[ckruse]

Ben, I actually imported him from Germany. I took a small vacation beginning the day after Thanksgiving two years ago. Fred was 9 weeks old at the time, and I actually got to go hunting with some of his kin. I also got to do some hands on tracking training with the breeder who is a quite accomplished trainer all over Europe. Fred is set to sire some puppies here in the states soon. The gene pool for hunting Dachshunds in the USA is quite limited. That's not to say other dogs can't be trained, it's just that after researching this for a couple of years I wanted to put my efforts into a high-probability prospect. John and Jolanta Jeanneaney were an invaluable help in getting me prepared for my trip and an asset to anyone wanting to train a blood tracker. Their website is  www.born-to-track.com  Another small but steadily growing organization is  www.unitedbloodtrackers.org  CKruse

[David in Hickory]

Ben, a cold nosed hound is a dog that can find a track that is older with a little less scent in it(would help on finding a deer that you had to wait a while to find) and a leopard cur is a cur that is spotted like a leopard for lack of a better term. I have 2 plotts now and they are wonderful dogs extremely smart and very affectonate(sp?). Here is a link to the ad for that free pup  http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=231505  and if you go to the UKC home page you can find out a lot about the different breeds and their standard temperment.

David

[Hattrick]

LoweBow
Thats great!! i have had my eye on a German short  hair for tracking deer,when my Rotti passes  away shes getting old.Please keep us up dated, my only concern  would how hyper they get, being breed for field trails

[pdk25]

Here is a picture of our german shepherd with a deer he tracked that my wife shot 2 seasons ago. He has only had to track a few times, but he has been on the money each time.  Our dogs can track either on leash or off.  I'm not real convinced that you need one particular breed over another to track deer.

Not to make anyone jealous, but my wife shot this deer in the evening while I was in NY.  She went back to the house for the dog.  Dog tracked the deer easy as can be.  She went back and got a horse to drag the deer back to the house.  By the time I got home 5 hours later, she had already gutted it , skinned it, cut up the meat and was in the process of packaging it up.

     

[Soilarch]

Ben he's a rundown of stuff you might come across in Hound ads:

Cold-nosed: very sensitive nose that can track an old or "cold" trail.

Hot-nosed: Will pass up or not pick up old trails in preference for a newer/fresher trail.

Bawl: The mouth or bark of the dog, "Great bawl" or "big bawling" would be a loud clear voice

Open on track:  Barks/bawls as soon as they pick up a track, not just when they tree

Closed on track:  Opposite of open on track.  Silent during the run and only "opens" when the game is treed.

Far runner, Wide hunter, Far ranging....these all refer to how far away from the hunter a dog will go to find a track before they "check in" with the hunter.  For example, if you're on horseback hunting cougars you'd want a far or "wide" ranging dog.  If you're hunting rabbits on foot you'd want a close hunter.

If a dog is "broke", that's generally good.  Means they won't run "trash".  In your case this may be bad since deer are usually on the list of what dogs need "broke" from.

Trash: any game other than what the hunter wants the dog to run.

That's not everything but it's the best I can remember.

Good luck, a good dog is worth a lot of trouble to find.

[fredbear1969]

jack russels are the way to go. i have 2 of them and they were born to track. i think they have the best nose i've ever seen on a dog. i jsut sold my last pup though.

[tippit]

Tilly was supposed to be bred to one of the Jeanneaney stud dogs this past August but she fooled me by not coming into heat.  Now she needs to work for her room & board    Hopefully she'll be bred in the winter or spring...Doc

 

[DBerrard]

pdk25, I'd have to agree with you. If you only require a dog to track a deer once a year, if that, I doubt breed matters a whole lot.

Two years ago my dad's Boxer tracked a deer for us..he went through a small patch of woods and went to the deer which was in a huge field with high prairie grass.


With that said, I'd look into a dog that makes a good family member..been desiring a Coonhound for quite some time..perhaps one of these days  

Plus, you've proven even a horse can track..

[LoweBow]

Hattrick,
Here's one of many great reads to research what a GSP has to offer.  Their history, breeding, training, etc.
 http://www.terrificpets.com/dog_breeds/german_shorthaired_pointer.asp

I received this pup by accident and really didn't know much about GSP's, but always wanted a bird dog as my best friend was a field trialer.  He helped me work w/ him and and I also read all I could.  He's come along well, but I've been horrible since deer season came in, but really I don't think there anything I couldn't teach this dog..he's just that eager to please.  

He sleeps in my 10 yo's bed everynight.  He is my son's best freind and companion.  He's been a blessing to my family.  I have other dogs, but will always be a GSP owner from this point forward.  They are a very active dog "hyper", but an atv and some land will keep them in shape and help burn up some of that energy.  30 mph for a few miles is easy for him.  They are not for all families because of this energy.
The article does a pretty good job of hitting all the high points and low points of GSP ownership.  I've had English Springer Spaniels and Labs all my life and they are awesome family dogs, but I've come to the conclusion that there are dogs and there are GSP's.

[LoweBow]

Here's a quote from another article about their history.

The German Shorthaired Pointer combined in field-dog requirements those qualities which have long popularized the various breeds of hunting dogs. Through judicious crossing of the descendants of the old Spanish Pointer, English Foxhound, and local German tracking hounds, the breed has acquired a keen scenting power linked with high intelligence, leading to its reputation as an ideal all-purpose dog. The breed is proficient with many different types of game and sport, including trailing, retrieving, and pointing pheasant, quail, grouse, waterfowl, coons, possum, and even deer.

The origin of the German Shorthaired Pointer, as with most breeds, is not clear, but the source of basic foundation stock seems to have been the German Bird Dog, related to the old Spanish Pointer, and various crossings with local German scent hounds and track and trail dogs (Schweisshunde). When the Germans finally introduced the fine English Pointers to lend elegance to the German Shorthaired Pointer prototype, the result was a magnificent utility dog that combined sporting virtue with clean lines, good looks, sound temperament and longevity. The German Shorthaired Pointer was first admitted to the AKC Stud Book in 1930, with the first specialty and field trial sponsored by the parent club held in the same year, 1941.