Training to Blood Trail

[dckhntr]

I have a Lab that failed out of his retriever training due to eye sight issues. I found out that he is extremely near sighted. I was really disappointed at first but thought that I would try to make a blood trail dog out of him. He keeps his nose on the ground a pretty good bit and I think he will make a really good one. Can anyone give me some pointers on how to get him started?

[bookum1]

My last dog had a similar issue. She was extremely gun shy and wouldn't make a gun dog. I trained her to blood trail and she was awesome. Sadly, she died about 4 months ago. What I did was take a couple of full deer hides and cut it up into pieces about the size of a square of toilet paper. I also saved the scraps off the deer as we quartered them. I froze all of them and in the off season I would take a piece of hide out and drag small trails and let her find them and when she did I would give her a small peice of meat as a reward. I would always keep her on a lead when I was doing it. She didn't always find it and when she wouldn't I would guide her to it until she found it on her own. When the first season came I asked the guys in the camp to leave the downed deer if they knew where it was. I would let her find it. After the second one she knew exactly what her job was. After that when I put her on a lead her noes wouldn't leave the ground. She loved it and it was a terrible thing to loose her. It still sucks to tell people when they call me to bring her out to find a deer and I have to explain that she is no longer with us.

It is really quite easy and she really enjoyed her job... Good luck.

A bit of advice... buy a pair of good leather gloves. When your dog gets good it will take you where ever the deer went and briars are hell on bare skin...

[dckhntr]

Sorry to hear about your dog. I appreciate the help. I am looking forward to get started with him. I hope he turns out as good as yours!

[JMitch]

Put her on every deer you can. My dog is 8 started at 7 months. Every deer we shot neighbor anybody we could find we put her on. If the deer fell in tracks we drag deer and then go get her. Reward her when she finds one. Save blood and legs for off season. I also put a bell on her when she trails but the dog never sEes bell unless it is business time. Good luck with your dog.

[littlesmacko89]

I had two blood trailing labs and i took every bit of blood when i killed a deer anf took them with me on every deer didnt matter if laying in the food plot or ran a mile take them....then also during ur free time take the blood u got while cleanin ur deer and pour ir in a stedy stream and at the end put a treat and do that til he/she gets good at that then soace them out maybe a foot away after he/she gets the hang of that then get a tennis ball and soak it and roll it as hard and far as u can and he/she should be ready to go every session do it by utself and then get the dog and put he/she on the trail and alot of reward when he/she gets to the end

[lovelylab]

I know a guy that trained his lab in the same manner as these guys that have replied. He puts a bell on the dog's collar when sending her to find a deer. Now, people call him from all over to bring his dog to find a deer. He bred his female to my dog, Black Warrior's Doughboy (Biscuit) and had a litter of pups over the summer. The guys in his hunting club bought the pups to train to trail deer. The pups are now 5 months old and are being trained in the same manner as previously discussed and are doing well.

[dckhntr]

Thanks for the help guys

[randywallace]

http://www.born-to-track.com/book/order-info.htm

Not a bad read at all if you have never trained a blood dog.