Training a tracking dog

[Pheroze]

Oh cool. Thanks

 

[BRICKBURN]

He looks like a nice, soft tempered dog.
Lots of positive reinforcement and you just might make him into a hunting partner.
Good luck.

 

[Shawn.54]

My cousin has a rat terrier that he trained to blood trail when he shot a deer he would go home and get the dog even if he saw the deer go down. He would find blood and let the dog sniff then lead him to the deer. Did that two or three times and he cought on quick now if we think we missed but want to be sure we can let him have a sniff of the area if he doesn’t smell blood he won’t track. Only problem is we have to put him back on track if he smells a squirrel or chipmunk guess it’s in his blood. He has found more than a couple deer which may have been wasted otherwise.
If you can train him it is a very valuable thing to have around.
Shawn

 

[Pheroze]

I am very excited to be bringing him home tomorrow. It's amazing how not having a pooch in the house felt like someone was missing.

I guess I am also going to have to get him accustomed to the sound of gun shots. When he is settled in maybe I should bring him to the range?

 

[Shootist43]

Why not try firecrackers in your backyard after he considers it "home?" When the noise from the firecrackers no longer bother him, then going on a trip to the range with "dad" wont be a strange or painful thing.

If you are going to use a "dog training facility or person" you might ask their opinion of how best to acclimate your new buddy to loud noises.

 

[Pheroze]

What a very pleasant dog. He seems to have some separation anxiety, but he is a very loving dog. He doesn't show much interest in the cat at all.

I am not confident of his mix though. The vet papers actually say English bulldog and boxer. But, when I walk him his nose is glued to the ground. The other interesting trait is the way he lifts his front left paw when it finds a scent on the ground he really likes. I did not think any bull dog/Amstaff/boxer would act like that. Is that normal for them?

 

[Pheroze]

With my daughter, heading home

 

[008]

The smaller terriers do that it seems. You can do a dna sample to find his makeup, pretty simple process. I’m still betting on Amstaff! We have staffordshire bull terrier now, they’re fantastic dogs.

 

[Pheroze]

The Amstaff and realted breeds were made illegal in my part of the world in 2005. I have read that they have destroyed thousands of dogs since then. If this is their disposition then the law is even more disgusting than I realized. I always felt a breed ban was bad law then this is immoral.

 

[008]

BSL is one of the more reprehensible civil right thefts foisted on a population by the ignorant under the guise of protecting it from itself.

 

[Abeln]

I have an English bulldog, an English bulldog mixed with a basset/beagle, and a lab.
The bulldog is always face on the ground sniffing. He can spot an object on the ground better than any of them.
The mix actually is the best one at sniffing out and is tenacious. He is always chasing squirrels by following them through the trees and he is the one who can sniff out the ground rats. He has dug up more nests.
The lab is just too old to care much. He just wants some attention and a soft spot to lay. He let's ol Clyde do the findin and diggin then he comes in for the kill.
Point is each individual dog is a bit different and may go against breed norms. Once he bonds with you he will probably do anything you want him to, albeit with patient guidance and training.

 

[Abeln]

Also, that is a nice lookin dog you have there. Have fun with the training.

 

[Pheroze]

View attachment 210355

An excellent book that has a section on getting a non retrieving dog retrieving.
The step by step process is useful for understanding dog training.

It will help you understand Scent.

This one should help get the basics down.


View attachment 210363

I just bought these off of Amazon. The book Scent only has one review and it is a very negative review but my unabated trust in your knowledge lead to my purchase

Thanks for the advice and hopefully this goes well. He seems very trainable and is a very friendly animal.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Use it as a basis for informing yourself, not the be all and end all. One in a list....
Happy reading.

 

[Dragan N.]

The Amstaff and realted breeds were made illegal in my part of the world in 2005. I have read that they have destroyed thousands of dogs since then. If this is their disposition then the law is even more disgusting than I realized. I always felt a breed ban was bad law then this is immoral.

While individual dogs may not adhere to breed traits- I would say that on average dogs of certain breeds do possess certain shared traits that are common to their breed. That's the whole point of creating breeds you want to have dogs that for the most part look and act (or have a similar temperament) like one another. "Pit bulls" as a breed are characterized by aggression and also a strong "fighting spirit". Think about it the breed was originally created for bull baiting and then used for dog fighting and to a lesser extent hunting/ranching. There is a reason why this breed, even into the present day, is so commonly used in dog fighting. I remember also reading somewhere that drug dealers were the first to cross-breed them en masse with shepherd dogs to try and create the "ultimate" guard dog for their stash house for instance. You get the human diected aggression and guarding qualities of a guard/shepherd dog with the general aggression and fighting nature/strong don't back down spirit of a pitbull. This is why you see or hear stories of huge 100 plus pound pitbulls (they are often mixed with other breeds) who maim their owners or another person.

Now I think one of the problems is that there only seem to be two extremes BSL or basically a free for all ownership. Banning felons from owning this dog which has been done in some cases is only part of the problem. While having people who abuse dogs of this breed and deliberately make them as aggressive as possible certainly hasn't helped this breed you also have well meaning owners who want this breed or other large dog breeds but they don't bother or have no idea how to properly train them. I think it is problematic and I am definitely not in favor that anyone off the street can buy a large, powerful and potentially aggressive dog breed and yet have zero knowledge of properly training it, but a BSL may not be the answer either. IMO but I don't think these breeds are for everyone...

 

[Pheroze]

While individual dogs may not adhere to breed traits- I would say that on average dogs of certain breeds do possess certain shared traits that are common to their breed. That's the whole point of creating breeds you want to have dogs that for the most part look and act (or have a similar temperament) like one another. "Pit bulls" as a breed are characterized by aggression and also a strong "fighting spirit". Think about it the breed was originally created for bull baiting and then used for dog fighting and to a lesser extent hunting/ranching. There is a reason why this breed, even into the present day, is so commonly used in dog fighting. I remember also reading somewhere that drug dealers were the first to cross-breed them en masse with shepherd dogs to try and create the "ultimate" guard dog for their stash house for instance. You get the human diected aggression and guarding qualities of a guard/shepherd dog with the general aggression and fighting nature/strong don't back down spirit of a pitbull. This is why you see or hear stories of huge 100 plus pound pitbulls (they are often mixed with other breeds) who maim their owners or another person.

Now I think one of the problems is that there only seem to be two extremes BSL or basically a free for all ownership. Banning felons from owning this dog which has been done in some cases is only part of the problem. While having people who abuse dogs of this breed and deliberately make them as aggressive as possible certainly hasn't helped this breed you also have well meaning owners who want this breed or other large dog breeds but they don't bother or have no idea how to properly train them. I think it is problematic and I am definitely not in favor that anyone off the street can buy a large, powerful and potentially aggressive dog breed and yet have zero knowledge of properly training it, but a BSL may not be the answer either. IMO but I don't think these breeds are for everyone...

I take your point. But, I think any dog of 50 lbs + is a responsibility. The number of dog bites incidents increased after the laws here were enacted. Turns out golden retrievers raised by the ignorant also cause injury!

 

[Dr Ray]

A family friend needed to find a home for a rescue dog she has. He is a one year old American bulldog/boxer cross. He has a great temperament, and I am missing my dog who died recently. So, I am going to pick him up.

I am wondering if I could train him to be a blood tracker. In Ontario a licensed hunting dog can be used to track wounded big game. I have had dogs my whole life, but this would be the first time I tried to train one for active duty.

Would this mix work for my intended plan? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I have two tracking dogs.

Everywhere where they walk on my tiled floors they leave tracks

 

[Dr Ray]

Yes, mine!

Yes you would be Pheroze and your widow would have a nice pelt!

 

[Pheroze]

View attachment 210355

An excellent book that has a section on getting a non retrieving dog retrieving.
The step by step process is useful for understanding dog training.

It will help you understand Scent.

This one should help get the basics down.


View attachment 210363

The book Scent is a great read for anyone interested in understanding how scent travels in the environment. It's really interesting how our scent not only travels but clings to stuff. The authors are giving me better insight into scent control! Thanks for the recommendation.

Meanwhile, Smudge is progressing in his basic training. Although he tried to eat my Woodleigh loading manual

 

[BRICKBURN]

Now you will be able to "read" what the dog might be smelling and how to help him out.

Focus that nervous energy or your book may end up digested completely!

Good luck.