# Hunting/Tracking with Weimaraners



## enathan@gmail.com (Jan 24, 2009)

Does anyone have any experience hunting or tracking with Weimaraners? I breed them and I am thinking of training one or two to track deer.  I want any feedback.

Thanks!


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## hoyt84 (Jan 25, 2009)

I have a male. Never used him to track a deer but I really believe he would. I just want to keep him on birds. Every time I kill a deer he runs up and jumps over the tailgate. He has a great nose So I think you could get one to trail. I have read that Weimaraners were originally bred for trail dogs. Good luck. Let me know how it goes.


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## Twenty five ought six (Jan 26, 2009)

They were originally bred to trail big game.  They were bred to run silently, which they still do, which is an asset for a trailing dog.


Because they rely on ground scent much more than bird dogs, they are very easy to train to trail.  I've done it with two.  I had one that I wanted to enter into tracking competitions, but I never could get close enough to them to make it worthwhile.

Of course you've got to make sure they have time to recharge their batteries.


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## enathan@gmail.com (Jan 26, 2009)

All I have ever trained my dogs to track is a scent (dove/quail) covered dummy.  My stud, bleu, took to tracking like wildfire...chasing even the circles I walked in the trail! Is there a specific way to train them to track deer that I need to try? 

Also, how do you think they would do as hog dogs? I know they were bred for hunting big game.

Thanks guys!


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## zzweims (Jan 27, 2009)

We deer track with all of our weims.  We've run them on hogs a couple of times and they took to it naturally, but I don't like to run them on hogs for fear of their getting hurt.   We also hunt upland and duck with them and rarely had a problem with them running deer when we don't want them too.  There is a ton of info on the web on training a tracking dog.  And a ton of different methods.  Personally, I just take a pup and put it on a short, fresh, easy track and praise him when he shows interest, then reward him at the kill.  I haven't had one yet that didn't take to it naturally.  But we import most of our weims from Germany, so the instinct is still strong.  I've known many American weims that made good trackers too, especially if they come from field lines.


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## enathan@gmail.com (Jan 28, 2009)

*thanks!*

Yeah, I see what you mean about them getting hurt, I am too attached to them for a hog to get a hold of one!  I will probably start one of my pups tracking here soon.  My dogs, especially my stud, come from a field line.  I have had a lot of interest in having a couple of my pups send to Germany over the years, just no one has wanted to pay the German taxes!
Anyway, thanks for all the info!


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## Twenty five ought six (Jan 28, 2009)

The first one I had was a natural catch dog.  He had no trouble running a hog down.  Actually the first time I knew this was when he "caught" one of the landowner's hogs that were feeding in a peanut field where we were having a dove shoot.  I don't know who was the most surprised, me or the hog.  The dog, who as far as I know had never seen a hog, circled the pig a couple of times, went right for the ear and took him down.  I have no doubt that they can be trained to run and catch hogs, but like the others said, I didn't want to take the risk of getting the dog hurt.

I start training them to track with hot dog pieces.  Mine have always been such chow hounds that the training curve was short.  I then transition to deer liver soaked in salt water to leave a "blood" trail.  It really comes naturally to them and a whole lot of training isn't required.  

One cautionary note.  Because of the color, I never let my dog run in the woods during deer season, even on a lead, without a reflective vest.


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