Originally posted by Bobby Urban:
Yea - well try and find a Bavarian Mountain Hound and the Teckles will seem easy 
But seriously - I think if you get the book by John Jeanneney and work with any puppy that has a nose(hound mix pound puppy) you will have a companion that can do 90% of what most hunters need because you have the dog!! It is when 5 people have looked for a day or two with grid searches after a rain storm that a true specialist is needed. If you have a dog you are on the track within hours at the most and any good dog with a nose and some training from puppyhood should save you a lot of grief and heartache.
That was my plan after a 3yr search for a BMH and giving up - it was then that I hit the lotto and Molly fell in my lap(thank you Jerry Russell)
Bob hit it right with this response. Most hunters that just want a dog for their own use would do fine with most hounds and many terrier breeds if they can be on the trail in 2-6 hours. Complex trails with no blood that have aged are were these dogs bred for this challenge come into play. A cold nosed dog that is trained will do things most hunters think impossible including tracking after heavy rains, ignoring non-target animals and "hot" deer and much more.
If you are wanting a dog bred for tracking, DONT GIVE UP. Get on these list and the time will pass before you know it. These breeders want to know that you are serious about something that is very important to them. It took me two years to get my Bavarian Mountain Hound but I know now it was worth the wait x100. A 20 hour old blood trail is child's play to him.
In defense of the breeders of blood dogs from working lines, I will say that what they are looking for is someone that has a history in blood tracking that will work their dogs on MANY lines per year. They are flooded with request for their dogs each year by folks that really only want the dogs for personal use (4-8 tracks per year). These request hit a fever pitch just before deer season. These folk are passionate about game recovery and having their dogs exposed to a ton of lines per year (60-100 tracks). From their perspective it is a bit like a man that builds a custom race car and is hesitant to sell it to a man who only want to park it in a garage.
Regardless of what type of dog you are looking for or if you want a hot nose or cold nose pup, you need the book "Tracking Dog for Finding Wounded Deer. It is an A-Z plan from puppy search to advanced training. I have 30 years experience with blood dogs and the book was still a good read for me.
Just for the record on those focused on the WHD (which are fantastic dogs BTW... Don't overlook smooth haired versions of the breed. There is absolutely no difference in tracking ability between the smooths and the wire haired. Also remember that most every single quality breeder (all breeds) will only have pups in late spring so get on the list now.
Good luck to those that are looking. If I can ever help anyone with training or other matters, just shoot me a PM or email. I love this stuff.
Topic: Wirehair Dauchound (Read 1158 times)
