# Blood dogs for finding wounded big game



## jerry russell (Nov 27, 2013)

The year was 1990. I had hunted the buck for two years. Now, deep in the rut of that second season I eased into a block of security cover that I knew he would bed in later that morning. I was in the stand two hours before daylight to beat him home from his night trolling for does. As daylight broke, I was excited to see a massive scrape had been opened just 15 yards from my stand. 30 minutes after daylight the massive buck appeared from the clearcut and slowly moved towards the scrape. When the buck reached the scrape I began to slowly draw but suddenly realized that a tiny branch was in the crease where I wanted the arrow to go. It was nothing more than a finger sized twig that I should have simply shot through as it was too small to impact arrow flight. Looking back I can only assume that my brain adjusted for the twig by pushing my point of aim much to far back. I was sick as I watched that arrow take that monster buck in the paunch. There was little doubt that the wound was lethal but would I be able to find him in the maze of the 5 year old cutover?  We waited only 4 hours before taking up the track which was much to soon. Three drops of blood, a half dozen searchers and me walking grids for 7 days produced nothing, save another dead buck that had been lost by some other hunter. At the time I attempted to justify the loss by telling myself that I had done all I could to locate the buck. Looking back, I know I did not. To this very day I am haunted by loosing that buck.

I realize that this is a topic that has been mentioned on here in the past but I think it important to bring forth every year for folks that may not think of this solution to recovering a wounded game animal. While not necessarily a "trad" topic, it certainly will provide this great group with information that can save you a lot of heart ache when a deer, bear or hog is hit with a less than perfect shot.

The use of a highly trained blood dog can dramatically increase your chances of recovering a wounded big game animal. There are some very serious misconceptions about what is possible (and impossible) with these dogs so to prevent me from reinventing the wheel I will quote a very well respected blood dog tracker from Georgia. Ken Parker sums up the process like this:

"Mistakes hunters make before calling in a tracking dog.
These are things that I have run into over the last few years. This is not an all inclusive list of mistakes as I am sure I will continue to see new things the more I track.

The most common mistake is that hunters walk down the middle of the blood trail. Then when they get to were the blood runs out they start walking all over the place. This transfers blood from their boots to places the deer did not go. When the dog gets there to track and gets to this point on the trail they have to spend a lot of time unraveling this false blood trail that is now laid out. There is not a good solution other than to try to be careful and walk to the side of the trail were possibly.

Mistake number 2 is that the hunter does not visually or physically mark where the deer was standing when they shot. This point can be very important to a tracker in that a lot of information can be gained by looking at the color of hair at the hit site along with any bone that might be there.

Mistake 3 is that they do not know who their neighbors are or how to get in contact with them in case the deer travels across property lines. In many states it is illegal to cross property lines without permission even to track a wounded deer. A solution is to go ahead and make arrangements with your neighbors ahead of time just in case. This will help when late at night you come to a property line and you are trying to find out who owns the property. You will be very disappointed when the tracker and his dog call it quits, so get permission ahead of time.

Mistake 4 is not being prepared for tracking at night. A pen light works fine for walking into the woods but when you need to see the minutest sign you need a very good bright light. Bring several good lights just in case your batteries die or a bulb blows.

Mistake 5, not marking their progress along the track to the point of loss. Marking the trail helps the tracker to see that their dog is following the right blood trail to the point of loss. If the blood trail is very light the handler may not see any blood as they will be watching their dog’s reaction. By marking the last spot of blood the handler will know that at that point there might be a lot of false trails, see mistake #1Mistake 6 pushing the deer. If the deer travels out of site after the shot give it 30 to 45 minutes. As soon as you start tracking and see that the animal may travel a great distance or that it is a poor shot back out and give it at least 4 hrs if the temperature will allow and you are not worried about coyotes. If there are signs of a gut shot wait 6 to 8 hrs before begining to track again. Most mortally wounded deer will try to lie down within 200-300 yards. But if pushed out of the bed can travel great distance before expiring .

Misconceptions about Tracking"

It’s been raining, so a dog won’t be useful." Actually, a light rain helps to hold the scent. Some dogs are even able to track after heavy rains.

“I’ve waited too long.” It is always better to call as soon as possible, but, if you can not get a tracking dog for 12 hours or more, don’t worry. A lot of people think that a dog is only good if the track is under a few hours old. However, a well-trained dog will be able to follow a scent trail 20 to even 40 hours old, even if other deer or wildlife has traveled the same trail. The meat may not be any good, if the weather is hot or the coyotes might have gotten to it, but, if you want to recover your trophy, do not be afraid to call in a quality tracking dog.

Another misconception is that "a tracking dog will always find” the animal. A tracking dog greatly increases your chances of finding a wounded animal, but it is by no means a guarantee. Many deer survive what hunters think to be a kill shot. But, let’s not forget … dogs can have bad days too, just like people do.

The art of working a tracking dog has come a long way from just turning out the best tracking deer dog to the highly specialized tracking dogs of today. Do not be afraid to contact a person from the tracking dog list ahead of time to ask questions. It might save you some time when you are in need of a tracker the most. Happy hunting to all and good luck to all the trackers during the next season."

End quote.


There are some great in-state organizations that have blood dog handlers for your area and you can always go to unitedbloodtrackers.org and click on the "find a tracker" tab. To find Georgia's list, go to the deer hunting section of GON and there is a sticky at the top for tracking dogs listed by county. 

It is very important to remember that many of these dogs can track cold lines of 30-40 hours old. I ran blood dogs for years and "very little sign" after the shot is often used to gauge the lethality of the wound when it often means nothing at all. Countless times I have tracked deer with little more than a drop or two of blood (some times none) over a half mile or more to find them very dead in their beds. Without a dog, recovery would have been impossible and undoubtedly we would have assumed that the deer would recover. We all like to think of ourselves as super trackers but a trained recovery dog does not need blood to recover a wounded animal, we do. If nothing more, the use of a quality blood dog is giving it every possible effort at recovery and will put your mind at ease that the animal has a good chance at recovery. We owe it to the resource.

Spend the time to find out what the blood dog resources are in your state and have their numbers stored for the time when you really need some help.

Inevitably, this type of discussion provokes questions about what dog to use or how do you train them to blood track. I consider the book "Tracking dogs for Finding Wounded Deer" by John Jenneney to be the bible of breed consideration and understanding the complexities of scent as it relates to good blood dog. I can assure you, If you read this book it will change much of what you think you know about blood trailing and scent in general.

The buck that was lost at the beginning of this post inspired me to find a good blood dog and I acquired a great beagle mix by the name of Charlie Rivers. She was a tracking machine that recovered over 100 bow kills in just a short while. Her longest find was well over one mile on a deer that lost next to 0 blood. Finding deer both alive and dead at 1/2 mile was a very common thing for her. She was credited with recovering several Pope and Young class bucks.     
I am very excited to be getting my first blood dog in a few days after not having one for quite some time.  After a 1.5 year old search for a well bred dog from a proven working line, I chose a Bavarian Mountain Scent hound. I have used them in my bear camp with a cold blood trail of 30 hours with great success. I was sold on them. I looked so long for a quality pup that I feel like a kid at Christmas, lol. I just got the word this morning and I am driving to Illinois soon to pick him up.



I hope this information is helpful to some of you. Good luck to everyone. 
Jerry


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## Jake Allen (Nov 27, 2013)

Great post Jerry, thank you.


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## Dennis (Nov 27, 2013)

Good stuff


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## jerry russell (Nov 27, 2013)

Here he is! When I think of the bowhunting adventures we will share, I can't help and smile.


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## Jayin J (Nov 27, 2013)

That's a nice lookin puppy.  I bet your proud.  Thanks for sharing the story.


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## Blueridge (Nov 27, 2013)

Nice looking pup Jerry .


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## dpoole (Nov 27, 2013)

Take a gun with you if legal to finish off a wounded deer with even if shot with a bow. .


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## zanzibar (Nov 27, 2013)

Jerry, Where will he stay while you are hunting? If he's with you, won't he spook the game? If in your truck, won't this cause a different set of problems?


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## robert carter (Nov 27, 2013)

Good post and fine dog. I have found several deer years ago with my cousins black and tan coon dog that loved to run deer. He hated the dog so I ended up with him on the trail a lot. If I did`nt here the deer fall I would get the dog just to work him. He died of old age and i have not got another. Mud Feather uses a wiener dog I believe that does really good. RC


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## whossbows (Nov 27, 2013)

a lot of good times coming,nice pup


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## jerry russell (Nov 27, 2013)

zanzibar said:


> Jerry, Where will he stay while you are hunting? If he's with you, won't he spook the game? If in your truck, won't this cause a different set of problems?



I am building a kennel at my main hunting lease for him. I want him on station with me 100% of the time on our trad bow lease. In a normal year we will track 8ish personal deer and about 6-8 hogs for me and Luke and several more for guys that hunt with me. I will also take about 34 bear in Canada so the opportunity to work the dog a lot in training is sure there.  This particular breed is a slow dog to mature so I will also take calls for assistance in tracking to further his training for the first  two years. Ideally, I want him on at least 50-60 real trails per years and a ton of prepared trails.  Really the prepared tracks are where you get the most benefit because the handler knows exactly where the dog should be going. This is where you form a real team bond because you learn to read the dogs body language when he is struggling.  

RC,
Those Dachshunds are incredible tracking dogs. I wanted a wire hair dachshund but getting  a quality one bred from working lines is harder than adopting a human baby. You will have to be interviewed and if you make the grade you will be put on a one year wait list.


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## longbowdave1 (Nov 27, 2013)

How far will you drive to help track a deer????


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## Slasher (Nov 27, 2013)

Congrats on a great breed...

My lacy dog was cheaper and easier to come by....

But she wants to cheat and just wind deer....


Another problem is a blood trailing dogs nose gets them in trouble...anytime venison is defrosting: mine hovers in the kitchen... Or anytime anything is cooked with venison....

Save livers, save blood.... Save deer legs(great chews that create the smell for other scent signatures of a single deer....)

Your dog probably has twice the nose of my cur dog... So your trouble will be double!!!!

Check out the permatack leads and collars once the dog gets grown....

Congrats on the new hunting buddy!!!!

I am not too far hit me up after the season and we can do some dog training....


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## Munkywrench (Nov 27, 2013)

Great post Jerry and that's one beautiful lil pup.

A few years ago I bought a lab from a great hunting bloodline and intended to train him for this. He did great when I was training a lot, but now I have kids and a real job so he is just a pet now, though an expensive one. Seems such an injustice. Have a great time training him!


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## TNGIRL (Nov 28, 2013)

good looking pup! what's the name gonna be?????


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## jerry russell (Nov 28, 2013)

TNGIRL said:


> good looking pup! what's the name gonna be?????



He is the male runt and when he was tiny the vet had the owner give him a bit of Karo syrup to put on weight. So Karo it is for a name. Seems to fit him.


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## SELFBOW (Nov 28, 2013)

Good looking pup. There is a jack russell we see chasing deer all the time on one of our leases. I thought about getting one of those and training it to catch moles. People around me will pay for it to.


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## charlie 2 arrow (Nov 28, 2013)

How big do those dogs get? a friend of mine had a bloodhound that used to drag him through all sorts of stuff he was just too strong!


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## jerry russell (Nov 28, 2013)

charlie 2 arrow said:


> How big do those dogs get? a friend of mine had a bloodhound that used to drag him through all sorts of stuff he was just too strong!



Females run 35-40 and the males run 40-50. Much, much smaller than a bloodhound with males only averaging about 19" at the shoulder. They are wired much different as well.
As pups they do resemble blood hounds because it takes them a while to grow into the ears. When grown, think coon hound body style but about 6/10 scale. 

As adults, they are really beautiful dogs.


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## jerry russell (Nov 28, 2013)

buckbacks said:


> Good looking pup. There is a jack russell we see chasing deer all the time on one of our leases. I thought about getting one of those and training it to catch moles. People around me will pay for it to.



Martin, We use Jacks in Africa and they are good on hot lines of less than 3 hours old. They are FEARLESS of big game. It is crazy watching a 6 pound dog bay a 2,000 pound eland bull.

Unfortunately this bravery results in a staggering number of them getting killed on the track.


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## Munkywrench (Nov 28, 2013)

Do they bay like hounds?


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## jerry russell (Dec 12, 2013)

Sorry, but I just had to show him off now that he is home with me. I drove to Kentucky and the owner drove the other half from St. Louis to get this pup in my hands.  He is a beautiful pup and I have NEVER seen a dog that has a more powerful nose. He can find anything that is hidden from him and everything is about scent to him.

I see tracking fame in his future...


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## baldfish (Dec 12, 2013)

Good looking pup Jerry


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## Skunkhound (Dec 12, 2013)

What a great looking pup. I hope you have many years of successful tracking with him.


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## rapid fire (Dec 12, 2013)

Very nice looking pup.  Will he bay?


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## Nicodemus (Dec 12, 2013)

That is one of the finest lookin` puppies I can ever remember seein`.


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## jerry russell (Dec 12, 2013)

Thanks guys. These dogs will bay but that is really not there strong suit. They are silent machines on a track. Imagine an animal that can track a deer wounded two days prior. Difficult to believe until you see it done.  I will be training him for on-lead work primarily for wounded bear in Canada but will run him on deer here as well. With the investment of time in training and the incredible difficulty in acquiring this breed, I won't risk him on fighting a live animal.  We will just back out and return.

We have already started his advanced training. In his first lesson, my lab is schooling him on how to fight over and tear up sofa pillows.


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## mudcreek (Dec 12, 2013)

he get to sleep in your bed?


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## longbowdave1 (Dec 12, 2013)

Great looking dog Jerry! Great coloring on that pup.


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## jerry russell (Dec 12, 2013)

mudcreek said:


> he get to sleep in your bed?



Ha! I baby my dogs for sure but no dogs in the bed. Well at least not at night, lol. Coffee time in the morning is filled with dogs.


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## stick-n-string (Dec 16, 2013)

jerry russell said:


> Ha! I baby my dogs for sure but no dogs in the bed. Well at least not at night, lol. Coffee time in the morning is filled with dogs.



I guess my 86# white lab is super spoiled becauae she sleeps in bed with me every night! And if its cold she gets under the covers!


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## Barry Duggan (Dec 16, 2013)

That's one fine looking hound you've got there Jerry.


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## jerry russell (Dec 25, 2013)

Just a little info for you guys with blood dogs or interest in training one.

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?p=8362674#post8362674


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## jerry russell (Dec 29, 2013)

Finally got a chance to give the pup his first training line. A very encouraging result for sure. This dog has a nose unlike anything I have ever seen.
I have trained many a dog in my time and I always enjoy watching a pup get started and develop to their full potential.

Here is a little video of his first tracking job. It was a short liver drag and the little guy made me proud.


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## Slasher (Dec 29, 2013)

Congrats!!!
it is amazing once the switch goes on and they figure out what that wet thing at the top of their mouth is for!!!

He has all the potential in the world!!! That's 50% of the battle... the other 50% is us handlers/owners not screwing them up!!!

Good Luck as a strong nose creates lot's of interesting things for a puppy to get into trouble!!! Be patient.. read Jeanneny's book off and on every month as you progress...


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## Barry Duggan (Dec 29, 2013)

Slasher said:


> Congrats!!!
> it is amazing once the switch goes on and they figure out what that wet thing at the top of their mouth is for!!!



Got a 15 1/2 year old dog, and the first time I dropped a fried pork chop on the kitchen floor, that switch went on and has burned brightly ever since. That dog knows he can find a pork chop.

Jerry, I'm confident with the care and attention you will give him, Karo is going to be a top notch tracking dog and a fine companion.


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## longbowdave1 (Dec 30, 2013)

That dog sure is growing fast Jerry! How long before you think he will be training on a deer track, Fall???


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## jerry russell (Dec 30, 2013)

longbowdave1 said:


> That dog sure is growing fast Jerry! How long before you think he will be training on a deer track, Fall???



I will have him in my bear camp this spring (June) and he should be tearing the woods apart next deer season. I will work him all spring and summer on mock trails.


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## 308-MIKE (Jan 9, 2014)

jerry maybe to speed along his tracking skills, you should teach him to track arrows. that way we'll have more arrows in our quivers at the END of trad shoots, than normal. 
btw, beautiful dog.


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## jerry russell (Jan 26, 2014)

With bear camp just a bit over 4 months away my little blood dog is really progressing well. His cold nose is starting to show and he has 0 difficulties with any trail less than two hours old.  I have started letting him work a bit with the real thing and he really likes his job. This boy is going to be a good one.


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## longbowdave1 (Jan 26, 2014)

Great picture Jerry. Glad to hear your dog is learning so quick.


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## rapid fire (Jan 26, 2014)

Love it Jerry.  Makes me want another puppy.  Selling our house and then I'm gonna get another.  I am going to put a lot of emphasis on trailing with the next shorthair.


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## Barry Duggan (Jan 26, 2014)

...and he is getting finer looking by the day.


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## tradhunter98 (Jan 27, 2014)

Good looking dog mr.jerry! My dog will run a blood track to. If you shoot something you better do all you can to recover it.


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## jerry russell (Feb 3, 2014)

You would think this little dog was a child of mine the way I go on about him but to say he continues to amaze with that nose would be the understatement of the year.

We were working on obedience today and crossed a training track from yesterday.  I would never have believed that a dog this young could do this....


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## rapid fire (Feb 3, 2014)

Pretty amazing.  Awesome what gift God has blessed these creatures with.  Even though I doubt we would have found my doe dead, I hate we weren't able to put him on the track.


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## jerry russell (Feb 22, 2014)

Just another quick update on the progress of my Bavarian Blood dog for those that don't mind me going on about it, lol.

Today we attended the 5th annual Eastern Lacy Dog blood tracking event in Lagrange.  I was nervous as all get out wondering if what I thought was a great dog was really a great dog.  The testing would show for sure. He was evaluated by judges from the Untied Blood Tracker Association. I entered him in UBT-1 and UBT-2 test which is more advanced. To be honest I was just hopeful that he would pass the first test and just get the practice/exposure from the more difficult test.  UBT-1 test on Friday was a 400 yards tracking test that was aged 4-5 hours. He worked out that trail with very little effort. Today he tackled the UBT-2 test that was 900 yards long and aged overnight. Following a 17 hour old blood trail is a challenge for a 5 month old but but 45 minutes later he was standing over the dead deer (skin). It was neat to be a part of it. The test started off with me interviewing the "hunter" for shot details. We then had to follow the old trail and locate two wound beds and negotiate 900 yards with three 90 degree turns.  We tracked through very diverse cover including going down dirt roads with no blood or leaves on the ground. It was so rewarding coming up on that deer at the end. This little pup of mine worked so hard and he sure made me proud.


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## jerry russell (Feb 22, 2014)

A few more pictures


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## longbowdave1 (Feb 22, 2014)

He's going to be a good one Jerry.


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## Dennis (Feb 22, 2014)

That's Awesome


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## Barry Duggan (Feb 22, 2014)

Has Dennis told you about the one he just got Jerry? So far she has found his sandwitch on the kitchen table, and his Strickland's smoked sausage on the kitchen counter. Gonna be a good one.


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## jerry russell (Feb 22, 2014)

Barry Duggan said:


> Has Dennis told you about the one he just got Jerry? So far she has found his sandwitch on the kitchen table, and his Strickland's smoked sausage on the kitchen counter. Gonna be a good one.



Ha! Yes he told me. We are going to get together on a blood dog training day soon.


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## Dennis (Feb 22, 2014)

It has followed ever fresh blood trail I've put down so far. Tomorrow I'm going to put out a long one. It WILL find food!!!
I'm not sure it can follow a older trail yet or ever we will see. Only had it a couple of days. Jerry told me the training book i need to order we will see


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## jerry russell (Mar 25, 2014)

For those with interest, I am planning to do a training day in May for blood dogs of all levels of experience. If you have not notified me that you want to attend, please do so. We will obviously have to limit the numbers of  advanced dogs that can run lines but there will be unlimited space for beginning handlers and pups.

Here is my latest training line with my new pup.


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## longbowdave1 (Mar 25, 2014)

Very nice Jerry, how many hours per wek do spend traing your pup?


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## jerry russell (Mar 25, 2014)

Dave, never more than two training lines per week. I do the same with my retrievers...leave them dying for more. It builds drive. OB training happens every chance I get which is not enough. My new pup eats everything in the house. This includes sofas and window sills.  

I am dying to get him on some real blood tracks. I may have to go and whack a pig or two to get him some work.


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