# Teachin a Dog to blood trail



## The AmBASSaDEER

How do you go about training a dog to trail blood? Can any dog learn?


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## Smokey

The AmBASSaDEER said:


> How do you go about training a dog to trail blood? Can any dog learn?



This want answer your question but I had a Golden Retriever that I gave tracking a try with.  No training.  I took her to the last place blood and or deer was seen.  She put her knows right on the blood.  I said get it "Dixie"; she just about pulled my arm off.  She went on to help track a few more.  I sure miss that old girl.


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## The AmBASSaDEER

Dixie sounds like a good'un


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## Twenty five ought six

Tracking is an AKC competition, and yes, you can train any trainable dog to track.

Like thoroughly training a dog to do anything it takes time and a consistent method.


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## The AmBASSaDEER

Twenty five ought six said:


> Tracking is an AKC competition, and yes, you can train any trainable dog to track.
> 
> Like thoroughly training a dog to do anything it takes time and a consistent method.[/QUOTE]
> 
> What is a good method?


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## Jesse James

I save up as much deer blood as I can get for training pups, everyone that tracks have their own techniques but I can tell you how I do it. I use Lacys for tracking, they seem to be a natural at it & are very smart to pick up quickly. 

I start pups at 3-4 months & lay out mock tracks with the deer blood. I use a turkey baster for spraying blood on the ground & on brush. I start with about a 50-100 yard track with no turns and give them some liver at the end. Once they are working this with no problem I`ll put some turns in there. I spray the blood about 4-5 feet apart also. When they are doing this well , its into the swamps & woods with longer tracks with more turns & lots of other scent around . When ever possible I get them on a live track , I may shoot a deer that goes 40 yards or more & know where it is but still let a pup out to track it. This is a big help when it comes to making contact with a down deer. 

I`m sure you will get some good advice in this post from several people here.


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## dunmoving again

*blood track*

J.J. has it down,,,you can also put a sliver of hot dog every 10 ft. ,,,,,,then hang on


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## ga logger

the way i done it was i had a ol rabbit dog one time got him when he was a pup . he would go behind the house and run deer in the summer when he was about 6mo old.when deer season came in if i shot a deer and it was a good blood trail i would get him and put him on the trail where i shot the deer and let him go to it .i wouldnt just let him run free just in case he hit a hot trail .then when i cleaned the deer i'll let him be right there. he loved deer blood


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## Smokey

The AmBASSaDEER said:


> Dixie sounds like a good'un



*Was* a good'un.  She passed away several years ago
I'm kind of working with Sam the 110 pound Labradork now


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## Twenty five ought six

> What is a good method?



I was afraid you would ask that.

There are several good books and a lot of information on the internet.

I didn't want to try and type out the whole methodology.

Basically, it's using the hot dog method described above.  Then you graduate to a piece of liver in a baggie in salt water, with a hole in it, then a baggie with a smaller hole, then a baggie with a hole and the baggie in on the end of a long stick, then a baggie with a hole on the end of long stick carried by a friend.  you make the time periods at each stage between laying the trail and tracking longer and longer.


What you are trying to do is train them to track the scent, and not you.

Once your dog figures out what to do, you will be amazed at how little scent a dog requires to follow a trail.


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## Luke0927

do a search there was a good thread a few weeks back....bobman and a few others had a lot of good info in it.


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## dawg2

I use a 25' drag with whatever I want him to follow.  I always start out and tell him what we are tracking.  If I'm dragging a squirrel, I say, "Find the squirrel" if it's deer blood I say "find the deer," etc. 

I drag the rope with the "scent" and often set it down and I walk away at angles from the rope and in circles to make he follows the scent and not me, and then pick the rope up again.  I also lift it occasionally to make an intermittent trail.


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## Ranger

*tracking dog post from bobman*

Basically when you gut or hang a deer try to recover blood from it and freeze it, if you have some buddies that will help get them to recover as much blood as possible everytime you or they kill a deer. 

Now freeze it, film canisters or small tupperware type containers work well. 

Next the training, 

Put a harness on the dog this will teach the dog to associate the harness with the tracking job at hand. Use this harness for tracking and nothing else. 
Now the rest is simple take the frozen containers of blood and mix them with a gallon of well water ( dont use chlorinated water) then lay a trail with a gallon milk jug with holes punched in it so the water/blood mixture drips steadily on the trail. one film canister or small cantainer of this size per gallon will work well. wear rubber boots to conceal your scent you want the dog to track the deer blood not you. 

First trails should be straight and maybe 25 feet get the dog to track them, and have a reward on the end, hot dogs or any dog treat the dog likes will work. do this once each day for a few days so the dog learns that there is something real good for him at the end of the short track. 

Next gradually make them a little harder first longer in a straight line the start to make right angle turns so the dog learns to backtrack and pick the trail back up. 

Dogs pick this up real quick, little dogs like dachounds and small mutts work well because they are close to the ground and naturally ground trail, but labs and shorthairs learn it quick also. The nice thing about little dogs is they wont jerk your arm out of the socket trailing, a big dog like your lab in a harness can pull like you cannot believe. 

DO NOT DRAG A DEER HIDE!! 

The reason you are going to the trouble of collecting the blood is to teach the dog to track blood trails not deer, anywhere you kill a deer there will be lots more of them, you want the dog to track blood trails only. 

When you actaully do this in the field wear orange and have some assistants that hang back if possible wearing orange also. have one of them bring a 22 pistol if legal, in case you need to dispatch one( check regs). 

You can place deer road kills at the end of trails when you get to the advanced part of the training, then really praise the dog when he finds it and give him his treat. 

thats about it. 

Key points 
1)no deer hide drags, just blood 
2)dog always on lead while wearing tracking harness , otherwise the dog will leave you behind and is in danger of being shot during gun season, never use this harness for anything else but tracking. 

3) you take the week or two it takes to train this and you will never lose another deer 
4) let other deer hunters in your area know you can do this to give the dog ample practice each season 
5) love your dog


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## The AmBASSaDEER

Ranger said:


> Basically when you gut or hang a deer try to recover blood from it and freeze it, if you have some buddies that will help get them to recover as much blood as possible everytime you or they kill a deer.
> 
> Now freeze it, film canisters or small tupperware type containers work well.
> 
> Next the training,
> 
> Put a harness on the dog this will teach the dog to associate the harness with the tracking job at hand. Use this harness for tracking and nothing else.
> Now the rest is simple take the frozen containers of blood and mix them with a gallon of well water ( dont use chlorinated water) then lay a trail with a gallon milk jug with holes punched in it so the water/blood mixture drips steadily on the trail. one film canister or small cantainer of this size per gallon will work well. wear rubber boots to conceal your scent you want the dog to track the deer blood not you.
> 
> First trails should be straight and maybe 25 feet get the dog to track them, and have a reward on the end, hot dogs or any dog treat the dog likes will work. do this once each day for a few days so the dog learns that there is something real good for him at the end of the short track.
> 
> Next gradually make them a little harder first longer in a straight line the start to make right angle turns so the dog learns to backtrack and pick the trail back up.
> 
> Dogs pick this up real quick, little dogs like dachounds and small mutts work well because they are close to the ground and naturally ground trail, but labs and shorthairs learn it quick also. The nice thing about little dogs is they wont jerk your arm out of the socket trailing, a big dog like your lab in a harness can pull like you cannot believe.
> 
> DO NOT DRAG A DEER HIDE!!
> 
> The reason you are going to the trouble of collecting the blood is to teach the dog to track blood trails not deer, anywhere you kill a deer there will be lots more of them, you want the dog to track blood trails only.
> 
> When you actaully do this in the field wear orange and have some assistants that hang back if possible wearing orange also. have one of them bring a 22 pistol if legal, in case you need to dispatch one( check regs).
> 
> You can place deer road kills at the end of trails when you get to the advanced part of the training, then really praise the dog when he finds it and give him his treat.
> 
> thats about it.
> 
> Key points
> 1)no deer hide drags, just blood
> 2)dog always on lead while wearing tracking harness , otherwise the dog will leave you behind and is in danger of being shot during gun season, never use this harness for anything else but tracking.
> 
> 3) you take the week or two it takes to train this and you will never lose another deer
> 4) let other deer hunters in your area know you can do this to give the dog ample practice each season
> 5) love your dog



Great post Ranger. Thanks


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## Robert Warnock

Great training advice, Ranger.  Do you find that certain breeds work better for blood trailing, or does the breed really matter?  Thanks


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## tree daddy 7

I've heard of folks taking a Deer liver and using that as a drag.


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## GTBHUNTIN

i would first recommend go online and purchase john jeaney book on tracking. 
1st step with a liver and blood do straight tracks 25yds to 100yds constant blood.  once your dog can do this with ease add a turn or two and age the trail.   once your dog can figure out how to work out a turn move to step 2

step 2 spray blood every other step with turns and aging the trail.   i do this until i have aged the trail At least 20 hours a 1000 yds with 8oz of blood.

step three using one particular deers blood and either hide/leg i spray blood then drag the leg/hide for a few yds then spray blood.  eventually adding turns and aging.

this is a basic outline of how i train mine to track.   

for any questions feel free to pm

gtbhuntin

last


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## Big Doe Down

I have an 8 month old english pointer/jack russel that tracks deer. All I did with her is take her out a couple weeks ago after I shot a deer with my bow, (deer ran 50yds) and I showed her the first drop of blood and let her go. She hit every drop of blood and barked when she got to the deer. Not sure there is a whole lot of training you can do. Mainly just instincts. At least thats how it was with Jill. She came from a good bloodline though too.


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