Bood Tracking

Yesterday I had a great day at The Bavarian Mountain Hound Society Schweisshund Level 1 Training Day at Hartpury College

Schweisshund work involves the location of large wounded game which may be up to 48 hours old over a variety of terrain.

In order to accomplish this, any breed can be used but they must have a desire to hunt game, basic obedience, biddability, determination and courage as well as the ability to give tongue.

For the obedience section of the Level 1 test a dog is required to walk to heel either on or off lead through all paces including turns; sit stay for ten minutes (in sight); be steady to shot and with livestock.

In the tracking phase, the dog must “mark” shot sites/wound beds; work methodically on a 10m line on different terrain; recover a lost track and maintain concentration.

In addition to work on the line a dog must be able to complete a “free track” or “chase” (on fresh blood); this is because a shot deer may be stunned and then get up and run again after some time.

This means a dog needs to be able to work independently of the handler and hold an animal at bay if required. Giving tongue whilst chasing is preferred as it verifies the dog is actually pursuing the quarry.

If the prey is dead the dog is expected to “report” to the handler by continual baying or by coming back to the hunter and guiding them to it.

We learned how to collect blood for training purposes from a (legally shot) deer by hanging it upside down, inserting a knife into the base of the neck/top of sternum, and catching it in freezer bags.

After lunch we all repaired to a nearby field to observe what was expected in the obedience section and then those who wanted were given the chance to see if their dogs would do a short chase trail and what they would do at the end.

Whilst I stayed at the start pole, my dog had no problem quickly and accurately following a blood track leading to the “prize” a deer head in a cage which she then promptly tried to devour through the holes!

As she has a good speak I then caught up with her to encourage her to do so, before playing with the head. In the test a dog is allowed to bite and rage the carcass but attempts at consumption are penalised!

Currently I have deer head and cleave (hoof) in my freezer...........

Sounds interesting, is this something any dog could do if it had the inclination and control?

Yep, any breed can do it and can attend the training.

That sounds absolutely fascinating. Which dog did you use (your weim)?

....oh does sound interesting....and something that a csv may be very good at........

Yes, she is retired now, so it does not matter what she does.

I find it interesting that the instinct in her is so strong, despite being suppressed for 11 years, that her reaction was immediate.

Just goes to show, genetics is a powerful force!

I agree with Kirsty, sound fascinating.

I've always thought Flynn would be good at something like that because he's got the nose ability and would certainly let me know when he found whatever he was tracking. He's no good for bird work but then again, thats not what they were bred for and i've always believed he'd excel in his original purpose.

How did you find out about it SB? Do you have to be a member of some kind of society or something or can just anybody book a place?

It is something that I have been interested in for some time and which is common on the continent.

Had my bitch been younger I would have her pet passported to compete abroad.

This is still in its infancy in the UK but has been pioneered by the BMHS and was originally brought to my attention via the Breed Notes for GLPs in Dog World.

Brenda Moss has always been very interested in testing dogs and potential breeding stock in order to identify if the animals can fulfil their function.

We passed the Aptitude test last year and have been waiting to take Level 1 since then, hopefully this test will be conducted this August/September

http://www.bavarianmountainhoundsoci..._Tracking.html

I use a Border for blood scent tracking. (Own use only )

I know there are some HPR people who do things like this, Kimmax in particular spring to mind. I think I remember reading there is one for HPR's coming up, must go and find that now.

Would a dog need to already know how to track? I'm talking in relation to working with a handler rather than tracking a running pheasant of their own volition for example.