Working through the record snow

It’s been awhile since I have posted on my webpage. Internet issues have made downloading videos a challenge, but recent changes have hopefully resolved many of those issues. This past year has been super busy for us with a lot of really talented dogs coming through our program. This big boy is Chief. He is a bloodhound out of Arkansas. Chief has been a bit of a late bloomer, but has come on strong over the past few weeks. In the beginning, his track drive was a bit lacking, but he has really done a nice turn around after some adjustments to his training.

We have been experiencing record cold and snowfall over the past 10 days, so tracking has been on hold. The conditions were just not conducive to training, and were unsafe for the dogs. Yesterday, the temps improved a bit, and I was able to get a track down in the icy snow. With nearly 10” of ice crusted snow on the ground, I was unsure how Chief would do. As you can see from the video, he had zero problems managing the track. This track was about 9 hours old, laid with hoof shoes and a teaspoon of blood. The track was shorter than normal, at 200 yards, as I was unsure how he would handle it. He exceeded all expectations on this one!

Another nice recovery for Boone

Late season tracks are usually tough to come by, so I was pretty excited when I got a text from a hunter looking for a tracker late last night. The hunter felt like the shot was a bit far back, but angling forward into the buck. The hunter tracked the deer for about 80 yards, but wasn't able to advance the track any further. He did a short range search, then backed out and began looking for a tracker. 
He was concerned that the deer was running straight up a very steep and rocky hill immediately after the shot, and also that it had rained on the track overnight. I felt confident that Boone could do this track justice, and made the 90 minute drive out to meet him the next morning. 
We took up the track about 19 hours after the hit. There was no blood left at the hitsite, and very little up to the point of loss. In fact, what was present was so washed away that I wasn't able to determine much more about the shot than what the hunter had already told me. No gut material was initially present, so I was thinking that this was most likely a liver hit. However, this deer was running up a very steep rocky embankment with plenty of rocky bluff outcroppings. 
We continued another 200 yards past the point of loss before I heard the hunter call out "Blood!" This was the first speck we had seen since the hunter's last mark. After another 200 yards without any evidence, I downed Boone in the woods, and did a careful search along a gravel logging road that crossed through the area. Still no blood was noted. Now both the hunter, his companion, and I were starting to wonder if we were on the right trail. I had taken notice just before “downing” Boone that Boone that he was wind scenting an area of timber tops nearby, which is unusual for him unless a deer is close. After a little searching, I called Boone over, and had him work into the area that he was interested in. It wasn't long before he started dragging me down a trail in the same direction. After about 50 yards, I noticed blood, and felt a little bit of relief. I suspected the deer was near. However, it wasn't the deer that we discovered in one of the timber tops, but rather 3 separate beds where the buck had bedded down for a period of time. I also found scattered fragments of digested food in the blood. Now I knew we were closing in on a dead deer. Boone got really sucked into all the scent in the area, and worked his way around looking for an exit path. His first path didn't reveal any further blood, and I restarted him again. The second time he took a path that headed straight downhill. 50 yards later, I saw some more blood. As we worked our way down the path, more blood became evident, and eventually the wound opened up, leaving more blood and food particles. I knew we weren't far....
That's when we came to the fence line along the property line. The property was owned by a company, and after a couple of calls we were told that we would have to wait a while before we would get an answer about crossing to recover the deer. Nearly an hour passed without a word. Eventually, we all decided that I would have to take Boone back, and leave the hunter to wait for access. Thankfully, it wasn't long after I had left, that the hunter called me to tell me that he had been given access to search the area. Just a few minutes after that, he called me again to tell me that he had recovered the deer, just across the fence. Both the hunter and his companion confided that they had doubted the dog and I during several parts of the track, and both told me how blown away they were that he was able to sort through all the deer scent to recover this buck. The hunter assured me that he would never have recovered this deer without a dog, as it had gone in a much different direction than he had imagined, and left so little blood during the first 400-500 yards of the track. The autopsy revealed a mid-gut shot exiting through the liver, and still the deer travelled about 600 yards, largely uphill without being pressured by the hunter. They are remarkably resilient animals, no doubt. Thankfully, despite a less than perfect shot, the hunter did several things right. He didn’t push the animal, and he backed out when the sign became difficult to follow. Then best of all, he called us.

The only bad part was that Boone didn’t get to chew on the deer for a bit, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Good hunting! Brady

Welcome Cam vom Mountain Creek, AKA "Diesel" to High Caliber kennels

Just over a week ago, we got the pleasure of adding another new talent to our training pack. Cam vom Mountain Creek, AKA “Diesel” was bred by Mike Schlapa out of Georgia, and is owned by a gentleman out of Louisiana. Diesel is 7 months old, and pretty much a blank slate. He has never really had any training, and very little tracking exposure.

We have been working with Diesel, both in tracking and obedience, and he has progressed as quickly as any dog that I have ever worked. Part of that is because he is a bit older than our average pup, and has a great deal more concentration and drive than a young puppy. The other part is that he is just a talented, and well bred dog.

Within a week we have already graduated from hoof drags to hoof shoes, which is really a remarkable task. He has taken on every tracking challenge I have given him, and excelled. I am really looking forward to seeing what this little guy is capable of.

Good hunting, Brady

Bullet, week 6

Week 6 of Bullet’s training is coming to an end. He has really shown remarkable improvement in his drive to track. Also, he is transitioning well to hoof shoe tracks. This is an important transition in the development of a tracking dog, in my opinion. Here is a short hoof track laid over 200 yards. About 1/2 oz of blood was used in addition to the shoes. The track was made more difficult by a freezing drizzle that fell from the time the track was laid, until we ran it 4 hours later.

We are looking forward to watching his progress continue!

Good hunting! Brady

Bullet, one week later...

Well, Bullet has been with us for a week now. Boy, what a difference that week can make! When Bullet came to us, he had never run a track or mock track. He also demonstrated very little prey drive when the reward was encountered. After just a single week of training, he has learned what is expected, and is running newer tracks with precision and enthusiasm. During his first week, he has completed about 15 tracks of various difficulty, including one overnight track (10 hours old), and one 8 hour old track. Both required some encouragement as they don’t hold the same interest as a very fresh track. Still, he managed to complete them. Part of training is testing the limits of the dog, and learning how hard to push. Most of our tracks have been under 4 hours old, and limited to about 100 yards. All tracks up to this point have been made using a drag of fresh hoof with blood sprinkled over the fur. This leaves a solid scent line, but still puts down very little scent. We will mix things up with some lines using just blood in the future, and then progress to hooves over the next few weeks.

The following video is of a track that Bullet completed last night. There is nothing exceptionally difficult about this track aside from the very dry ground upon which is was laid. There is almost no vegetation to hold the scent. My goal was to make him really have to get his nose on the ground in order to follow the scant trail. The trail was only about an hour old due to fading light. You can clearly see that in the beginning, Bullet was having a little trouble locking onto the scent, but once he got it locked in, he was off to the races. If you can excuse my poor camera work and lead handling, you will likely enjoy watching this talented little guy work. { In the video I note in the video that “the flags are not where the line is.” Actually, much of the track was laid adjacent to the line, I just wasn’t using the flags to mark the trail. They were a boundary marker for an underground fence. }

In addition to running mock tracks, Bullet is also learning all sorts of other useful tools. He is getting increasingly reliable at “sit/stay”, which is always a challenge for a strong willed Bavarian. His recall is improving daily, and he has advanced very well on an e-collar after just a few sessions. He is learning good manners in the dog box. He is also really fitting in well with my current pack of dogs. Full yard play time with all the dogs is his favorite activity. Every day is a learning experience, and we are doing our best to take advantage of each situation. Stay tuned to future tracking updates.

Good hunting! Brady

High Caliber Blood Tracking welcomes "Bullet"

Bullet is a 4 1/2 month old Bavarian mountain hound who comes to us from Texas. He will be used to track on and off lead for wounded deer and hogs. Like every BMH that I have met, Bullet is full of character and personality. He had never run a real or artificial track, so we had the pleasure of being a part of his first ever training line.

We picked Bullet up in Tulsa, OK, and didn’t waste a minute. He was put on the training lead from the moment we met, and got plenty of exposure to people and noises that he wasn’t used to as a country ranch dog. Aside from a tantrum or two, he did great on the pinch collar, healing and sitting like a pro. He’s a quick learner.

Because Bullet is several months old, we skipped the liver drags and went right on to a hoof/blood drag. On these lines I place a few drops of blood on a small piece of fresh hoof, and drag it the entire course of the track. This leaves a lot less scent than a hide drag, and incorporates deer smell and blood. His first track was exactly as you might expect…SLOW! I will spare you the video of me coaxing him down the first 2/3 of the 50 yard line. This is exactly what I anticipate from most dogs. He has no reason to know what is expected. Not to mention he is in a brand new environment with all sorts of new distractions. The important thing is that he made it to the end. He got his meat reward, and learned that deer and blood scent leads to good things.

Here is Bullet’s second track ever. Believe me that the first track was an exercise in patience. On this track you will see that Bullet already has purpose in his search. He wants to follow the line to see what is at the end.

What you don’t see is Bullet’s response to the hoof at the end of the line…or lack of response. Aside from licking the blood, he really wasn’t interested in the hoof. In fact, even the fresh elk meat reward didn’t seem to amp him up too much. I needed to find something to stimulate his interest a bit more.

Today was day two, and we worked on prey drive. I introduced a green hide at the end of the trail. It took about 10 minutes of coaxing, but then he really turned on. I expect to see a much more focused and driven dog over the next few days, so stay tuned.

Meet "Moose", a quick success story of our puppy finding service.

Over the years, I have gotten a lot of calls from potential trackers looking for a tracking dog. Many of these callers are looking for a "finished" dog, and I try to explain why such an animal doesn't exist, at least not for the "on lead" tracker.  Increasingly, though, I get calls asking my opinion on what type of dog I would recommend.

I never mind giving my advice to potential trackers at no charge. I'm always ready to talk about tracking dogs, after all. However, to better facilitate those with more specific requests,  I have added a puppy finding service to the list of services that I provide to trackers. This service includes a detailed interview about what qualities the tracker wants in a dog; what size of dog best suits them; what other pets and family members are present; what other tasks, if any, the dog may be asked to do; and a long list of other questions.

  After a detailed history is taken from the tracker, we start going down the lists of dogs that I recommend for their specific situation.  Then I facilitate them in acquiring a dog from a trusted breeder. All this is done for a very nominal fee with the main interest being to connect good breeders and trackers, and get the right "fit" for each individual. I can tell you from experience that choosing a dog that you can live with 365 days a year is at least as important as how well the dog tracks.

A few weeks back, a gentleman named Clark called me from Texas to ask about tracking dogs.  After a long discussion, it was clear that he was serious about getting a dog. With 3 young daughters at home, he was sure that he wanted a small sized dog, but hadn't decided exactly what breed would suit his family best. Clark had recently purchased a 10 month old dog from a well known kennel in his part of the country.  The kennel is known for raising tracking dogs. Unfortunately, after spending a lot of money, he ended up with a dog that at 10 months, had never been socialized or even worn a collar.  The dog was a mess, and it was quickly returned for a full refund.

When someone calls, wanting a small tracking dog, it is rare that I don't recommend a dachshund from tracking lines. Clark had already spoken to some prominent dachshund breeders and owners, and was confident that he wanted to go a different route. We discussed beagles, bassetts, and even dachsbrackes, but at the end of the day Clark was pretty sure that he wanted a mixed breed.  It's rare that anyone ever asks for a mixed breed, and for good reason. Mixed breeds can be unpredictable in the traits that they get from their parents, making it a bit of a crap shoot when it comes to reliability. In this case, Clark not only wanted a mixed breed, but a specific mixed breed.  He had read about the success of my healer/beagle mix, Echo, and felt sure that such a dog would fit his family perfectly. I explained that I could have 100 more of the same cross and never get another dog that tracks as good as Echo does, but he still wanted to start searching...so we searched. 

Finding a specific type of mixed breed that isn't one of the common "designer dogs" is no easy task. People don't typically breed these dogs together on purpose, and knowing the exact make up of such a mutt is nearly impossible. I knew that Clark was serious though, when just a couple of hours after our conversation he was calling me about a dog in Ohio.  Ohio???  That's a bit of a drive for a mixed breed, so our search continued.  After several false starts over a few days time, I finally found a single pup within a 2 hour drive from me. After a few calls between the owner, and my client, we decided to proceed.  There were a lot of possible pitfalls in the details of this pup, but we decided to give it a try.

I took a trip out to see the dog, and meet the owner. It turns out that this little dog had been the runt of the litter, and had remained hidden in the barn until all the other puppies had been re-homed. It was only after the other puppies had left to their new homes, that the owners discovered that there was another pup.  Consequently, the little pup had only had one week of human interaction before I showed up.  Despite a little bit of shyness, the dog was friendly and happy.  I ran a couple of drags with a deer heart, and was very pleased to see that the pup made short work of both lines, and was a ravenous monster when it found the heart.  I had something that I could work with, for sure. After a call back to Clark, we decided to move ahead with the purchase.

Over the next week, the little pup, who would comically be named "Moose", stayed with me.  I made good use of our time together, and put her (yes her) to work on tracks right away. Her ravenous appetite for fresh meat and a beagle nose made training her quite easy.  We ran drags with deer heart and raw deer meat as well as drags using a very small piece of hide dribbled in blood.  My goal was simply to build up some interest, and start working on running lines.  She was a quick study, and moved through each leg of training without a hitch. She loved to tug on the hide, and showed plenty of prey drive. She also showed no fear of loud noises, which is always a plus.  Additionally, she was quick to socialize, and became a bit of a snuggle bug.

Initially, the plan was for Moose to train with me this fall, but after a bit more discussion with Clark, we decided it was better for him to work with her this season.  Clark has access to a lot of hunting property and a lot of game animals. Between management deer tags and feral hogs, Clark was sure that he could get Moose on plenty of tracks this fall.  I also felt confident that Clark would continue to put in the time necessary to help Moose advance. I wrote up a detailed tracking plan specific to Moose, based on my week of observations, and sent her south to Texas.

Clark wasted no time getting Moose started. He followed each step of the plan, and continued to communicate with me through the process.  Within a week, I was very impressed by how well she was advancing.  Here is some tracking work from the little 10 1/2 week old  "pocket tracker" shortly after she arrived at her new home.  This track is 2.5 hours old and 150 yards long, using a hand sized piece of hide dribbled in blood.  Notice here that she is not the least bit distracted by the overhead jet engines.

"Moose" is an 11 week old healer/beagle mix. This is her second week of hands on training. Track is 150 yards long, 2.5 hours old using a hand sized piece of deer hide with blood dribbled on the hide.

Over the next couple of days, Clark and I continued to work through various tracking questions and strategies. There was no doubt that he wanted his dog to be successful. Just a couple of days after the above video was taken, I got a text, followed by this video. Watch your fingers!

11 week old healer/beagle mix with her first recovery, an archery hog.

That hog was shot with a well place arrow.  The shot was good, but there was very little blood present.  Moose was placed on the track not long after the shot, and made quick work of the 80 yard track.  Unlike most new trackers, she didn't show any fear when she came up on her first dead animal, but rather went right to work claiming the beast as her own.

2 hours later, I received another text about another hog that Clark had arrowed.  This hog left a lot of blood, but they jumped it up not long into the track. I advised that they back out, and try Moose on the track the following morning.  Granted, she had never run a track over 3 hours old, even in practice, let alone had to follow hoof scent and scattered blood that had aged overnight. I was anxious to hear the results.  I didn't have to wait long, as bright and early the next morning I got a text with an accompanying photo of Moose and her 200 pound boar!  The little dog worked the track slowly, and methodically until she found her prize.

It's nice when a plan comes together.  I have no doubt that we will be posting a lot more recoveries involving this little wonder dog in the upcoming season, so stay tuned.

Good hunting! Brady

Our fall training spots are filled once again!

Since our little friend, "Moose", went home to Texas to spend the season with her owner, we had a training spot open up.  However, that spot was quickly filled by our new client, Dustin, and his redbone hound. Dustin and his dog hale from Arkansas.  This means that our kennel will be filled with two nice Arkansas hounds this fall, a redbone and a bloodhound. Both will be young dogs coming to us with no training. Quite frankly, I love working with a clean slate. I look for these two hounds to progress quickly this fall, and to get a few recoveries under their belts.

Training will start in late September after the completion of our new kennel facility. There is plenty to be excited about here, as we will kick off the 2018 season with 2 new hounds, a new kennel, and my rockstar trackers, Boone and Layla.  There should be plenty of stories to share with our followers.

Good hunting!  Brady

Finding the right tracking dog

Finding the right tracking dog to live with you and your family may be the single most important step in getting started as a tracker.  Your may share a dozen years or more of your life with your tracking dog, so choosing wisely is of great benefit. You will also invest a great deal of time, money, and emotions into your dog over its lifetime.  Also, it is important to keep in mind that even the most prolific trackers are pets and companions the majority of the time, and trackers only a small percentage of the time that they are with you. 

Incidentally, choosing the right fit for you and your family is exceptionally important. Many people have preconceptions as to what they want in a tracking companion. Breed, size, sex, and any number of other traits may already be predetermined in the owner's mind.  Others have no idea what they want, only that they want a dog that tracks well, and gets along with their family.

In either case it helps to have some guidance into what type of dog is most likely to fit your needs.  There is a lot of good information available in books, and on the internet regarding various breeds.  Tracking friends may also have good suggestions.  In most cases, a pure bred dog will be selected, but occasionally a mixed breed will better fit the tracker's needs.

After a breed is determined, finding a reputable breeder is an important step.  With tracking dogs becoming more popular across the country, proven tracking lines are becoming easier to find.  However, poorly bred dogs and unscrupulous breeders also increase as the demand goes up. Even when a good breeder is chosen, picking the puppy that has the personality and ability that best matches each tracker's needs is important. 

With thorough research, breeder interviews, and puppy testing, each tracker can find a dog that suits his individual needs. I recognize that not every potential tracker knows exactly what they need, or if they do, where to find it.  One of the services that I now offer to prospective trackers is help with that puppy search.  After a careful interview, I try to add some of my personal experiences and insight into the selection process.  If the person chooses, I can assist them in finding a puppy from a reputable breeder.  This takes some of the anxiety and uncertainty out of this important process.  I am always happy to talk with any tracker, and share my opinions at no cost. For a very small cost, I can also help facilitate the purchase of a puppy from a reputable breeder.  This is money well spent for most people who may not have the time or desire to do the "leg work" of puppy selection, and serves as cheap insurance that they are getting a quality dog.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Exciting times for our kennel

After a long hot Summer, the dogs and I are ready for Fall weather.  With Autumn comes hunting season, and that means one thing for us...tracking!  This year is especially exciting for a number of reasons. First off, I always like to watch young dogs get a chance to use all of the skills that they have been developing in the off season. Boone had a great rookie season last year as a young puppy.  This year he should be a rockstar.  He is easily the most impressive young dog that I have trained.  I expect really great things from him this year, and look forward to recovering a lot of deer for hunters in our region.

Another exciting change happening here is the addition of our new kennel facility. By mid-September, our 30'X40' building will be completed. This will include 5 indoor/outdoor kennels, an indoor training area, and a large outdoor dog yard. This facility will comfortably house my three dogs, and allow space for housing and training 2 additional dogs at any one time. 

I am excited to announce that both of my training spots for early fall are now filled with 2 great prospects. One of the trainees will be a 3/4 beagle, 1/4 healer mix that was the result of a puppy search that I did for a client.  Finding the "right" tracking dog to fit each family's needs is an important starting point of owning a tracking dog.  Usually, the client wants a full blooded dog, as it is much easier to anticipate what type of characteristics your dog will have.  However, this client had fairly specific characteristics in mind that were more easily met in a mix breed.  Additionally, after reading about my healer/beagle mix, Echo, he was pretty set on finding something similar.  Truthfully, finding a specific mixed breed can prove to be more difficult than finding a pure bred dog. Thankfully, my search was rewarded with a good tracking prospect.  The young puppy will start its training journey later this week, and I will share its progress with our readers. 

The second trainee is the polar opposite. He is a big, full blooded bloodhound from Arkansas. This client has successfully trained and worked a tracking lab in the past, but preferred to get some help with his bloodhound. After a long discussion on the phone, it was clear that we would be a good fit for him and his dog. We will start work with this big guy immediately after the kennels are completed.  He will learn both on lead and off lead work.

Training these dogs during our hunting season will provide us a lot of opportunity to get the young dogs on real tracks which is always a benefit in training.  I am excited to get to work with the new prospective trackers, and see how they develop.

Training for success

My number one goal for every tracking dog that I train is to develop a tracking partner that will put game on the tailgate, and in the freezer. This is an easy goal to set, but harder to achieve with consistency.  Running marked training tracks is an important part  of working on specific tracking tasks.  However, it is difficult to know exactly how well your dog is doing without running "blind tracks" where the line is laid by another person.  This adds another degree of uncertainty to the track, and forces the handler to read the dog.  It also requires the handler to trust the dog in a way that a known track does not.

The Europeans have long been proponents of tracking testing in their dogs.  These tracks are typically blind, and have various levels of difficulty.  United Blood Trackers developed similar tracking tests for tracking teams shortly after their inception.  Unlike the European tests which are typically graded based up levels or "prizes," the UBT tests are pass or fail based upon whether or not the team would likely have recovered the wounded animal.  The tests vary by distance, age of the track, and overall difficulty of the track. 

Though I am not a huge fan of tests, just for the sake of tests, these tracking exercises are as close to real life tracks as a handler can get.  Not only are the tracking lines meant to be challenging, but the added pressure of having a brace of judges and a group of fellow trackers following behind is not dissimilar to the pressure experienced on some more difficult game tracks.

Earlier this month, I traveled to the annual United Blood Trackers meeting dubbed "Trackfest," which was held in Edmond, OK.  This is typically the largest gathering of blood trackers in the country.  The first day of this year's Trackfest was dedicated to testing.  

When I arrived in Oklahoma, I knew that we were in for a tough test. The weather conditions were every tracker's nightmare...hot, windy, and dry.  On the afternoon that the tracks were laid, the wind was howling at a steady 35 mph, and gusting well over 40 mph!  Additionally, the area was bone dry, with forest fires raging nearby.  Though temps were in the 30's and 40's the morning we left Missouri, the Oklahoma weather had jumped into the 80's by the time we arrived.  

As I met with other tracking teams who had arrived from across the country,  it was clear that we were all less than excited about the conditions.  As the judges rolled into the hotel lot after laying the tracks for the following day's tests, they too voiced some concerns about what we might lay ahead.

I was hopeful that the wind would lay down overnight, and present a calmer environment for our tracking test.  This was not to be, though.  The wind howled throughout the evening, and was just as strong when I awoke the following day.  I have to say that I was less than excited about our chances of a successful test.  Despite all of our hard work training, every dog has its limitations. The conditions we were facing for our UBT II test were certainly pushing any dog's abilities.  

To add to the difficulty of the weather conditions, I had opted to run Boone's UBT II test using scent shoes.  Typically a UBT II test track is laid using 8 ounces of blood over a roughly 800 yard course.  Multiple turns are added to increase the difficulty, and tracks are aged overnight.  Alternately, a tracker can choose to use hoof shoes and only 3 ounces of blood over the same course.  Much of that blood is used in simulated wound beds, leaving very little for the track itself.  Most agree that this method of track laying and testing is significantly more difficult as hoof scent tends to be more volatile than blood.  Under the current weather conditions, I was concerned that we might not even be able to get started on the track.

On the morning of the test, all of the tracking teams met at a staging site, and drew numbers which coincided with tracking lines.  I was somewhat surprised to find out that I would not be drawing a number as Boone and I were the only team dumb enough to have opted for a UBT II using scent shoes.  After all the numbers were drawn, we loaded up with the judges and a caravan of spectators, and headed off to the test site.

For me, some amount of anxiety accompanies every tracking test.  Much of this has to do with my type A personality and competitive nature. I hate to fail at anything.  Also, I have witnessed some of the most accomplished tracking dogs in the country fail this particular test when conditions were tricky. You never know what sort of obstacles or distractions lay ahead of your dog.  Furthermore, we would be followed by 2 accomplished judges and a group of our tracking peers.  Also, on this particular track, a videographer with the Oklahoma Outdoors TV show was along to document our test.  You never know how the dog may react to all of these distractions.  Add to that the horrible weather conditions we were facing, and I had some serious doubts about how we may perform.  

As I buckled up Boone's tracking harness, I had to keep telling myself to trust my dog's training and avoid over-handling him.  In stressful situations it is easy to doubt your dog, and try to pressure him into moving in the direction that you think the track may have gone.. However, I was absolutely running blind on this track, so I was determined to stay at the end of the leash, and let him work.  

I reflected a bit on all that this young dog had accomplished in such a short time.  At 4 months old he was already running live tracks, and recovering deer.  By the time he was 7 months old, he had 11 recoveries under his belt, with a couple being over 24 hours old.  He had progressed more rapidly than any dog that I had trained, and continued to show amazing skills on even the toughest tracks.  My long search for the "perfect tracking dog" had been rewarded with a hound who was a pleasure to train, and a delight in nearly every aspect.  Now, at 10 1/2 months old, we were facing our biggest challenge.

I started Boone on the track, and after taking in the scent, he was off to the races.  He moved from the starting flag to the second and final flag about 20 yards away.  He was on!  After that flag, the entire track would be blind.  He started down the track at a nice pace, covering ground slowly and carefully.  The track started in a short grass prairie with very little cover to hold the scent.  A strong cross wind howled across the dry, sparse grass.  Not surprisingly, Boone casted back and forth across the track as he progressed down a gentle hill.  He seemed unphased by the entourage following behind us.  I was starting to feel a little better, but  that was to be short lived.

Less than 100 yards into the track, my fears were born out.  First I saw 2 rabbits rush out from under a bush just ahead of us.  Boone didn't pay them any mind.  Then a herd of 5 deer blew out in front of us.  Boone immediately raised his head, and sucked in the scent of the deer which had run directly upwind of us.  As I was unsure as to whether or not the trail continued in the direction the deer had run, I had to let him work it out.  He moved cautiously in the direction of the deer.  His head remained raised, so after a short distance, I called him back to where he had left the trail, to see if he would take the track back up.  Without hesitation, he was back on track, and advancing away from the live deer.

The track eventually moved into a wooded area where Boone tracked flawlessly until hot deer scent caught his attention again.  Having trained through many similar situations, it was easy for me to tell that Boone was scenting fresh deer scent in the air, rather than 19 hour old hoof scent.  I called him back, gave him a quick correction, and restarted him on the trail.  After several circular searches, Boone was able to pick up a 90 degree turn, and progress back into an open area.  

We moved slowly up a hill, and along a limestone rock ledge.  Boone moved back and forth along the face of the ledge, trying to pick up the trail.  As I stopped to examine a drop of blood along the edge of the ledge, I was surprised to turn and see Boone rushing up the limestone slope.  I knew that hoof scent would not stay on the limestone, but noticed a few drops of blood going up the rock face.  What were these judges doing to me?  Thankfully, Boone was unphased. 

At the top of the hill, I stopped to water Boone for the 3rd time during this test.  The hot conditions were taking their toll.  Still, I knew that we had to be getting close to the finish line.  After catching his breath, Boone went back to tracking, and took us quickly to the track's end, where a deer hide lay hidden under a cedar tree!  

I let out a loud "Hallelujah!"   To say that I was proud of this pup was an understatement.  Our many months of training and growing as a team had brought us successfully to complete our UBT II under remarkably adverse conditions.  None of this would have been possible without a clear training plan tailored to developing a successful tracking dog.  In order to achieve this level of accomplishment,  it helps to train for success.

Boone tackles some tough tracks as training continues.

Our tracking season has essentially been over for the past couple of months.  Unfortunately, extremely cold weather and frozen ground has limited practice tracks. The weather has let up a bit over the past couple of weeks, allowing for some training time.  Boone has performed well on some pretty tough tracks. Running challenging tracks is an important part of development of a tracking team.  It is fun to have a dog run a perfect trail, but if a dog is not challenged, he is not going to grow to his potential.  Also, difficult tracks teach the handler how to read the dog when he is struggling on the trail.

The following video shows 8 month old Boone running a 1000 meter training track.  The track was laid with tracking shoes and 1 oz of deer blood.  It covers a variety of terrain and cover. The track is in a game rich area with a lot of deer activity. The track was aged 19 hours.  

The video is in 2 parts. Unfortunately, there should have been a 3rd part, but I must have accidentally turned the camera off during the last 1/3 of the track. Normally I wouldn't have published an incomplete video, but there are some tracking tips that are worth watching in the first 2 segments, so I decided to go ahead and post it.  Boone ran the last few hundred meters of the track very well, and arrived at the deer hide less than 5 minutes after the video cuts off.  

These two segments do not show a "perfect" track, but rather show a dog that is developing into a solid tracker.  You will see how I handle various difficulties encountered, including a couple of restarts.  None of this video is edited, so you get to experience the track "warts and all."  I hope you enjoy it, and pick up something useful.  Enjoy!

Good Hunting! Brady

Updates on a successful season

Well, deer season is quickly coming to a close in most of the areas where we track.  Calls become fewer and fewer towards the end of season.  As much as I hate to see the season close, it allows me some time to reflect on the ups and downs of the season.  Every season is hard to predict, and this one was no exception.  Our season got off to an extremely slow start due to unseasonably warm temperatures and an explosion of new trackers.  However, late October and the entire month of November were busy with lots of calls coming in.  We were not able to take many of the calls personally due to work and family obligations, but did our best to refer those tracks off to other qualified trackers.  Also, I felt like we spent an awful lot of time educating hunters on which shots are more likely to result in recovered deer, and which are not.  Additionally, a lot of phone time was spent educating hunters on what steps to take to dramatically increase the odds of recovering their deer with a tracking dog.  Obviously we don't make any money for giving advice, but hopefully this service will help hunters recover more deer in years to come.  My section on Tracking Tips details most of these suggestions.  It is best to review them prior to hunting season begins.

As of right now, our recovery success is on par with previous seasons at just over 35%.  A hunter did recover one deer that we were unable to find.  This is only the 6th deer recovered later by hunters when we were unable to find it in 9 seasons of tracking.  On that particular track, the deer had been jumped, and pushed by the hunter.  After being jumped up the hunter and his party continued to push the buck, and spent hours grid searching for the deer before making a call to us.  Layla, actually extended the track several hundred yards in the direction the deer had gone, but after hundreds of yards without any sign, I pulled her off the track just about 100 yards from where the deer was later recovered  The hunter found the buck in the same draw that we were in when I called the track off.  Layla did her job.  Chalk that one up to handler error.  None of the other deer we were unable to recover were found dead.  Some of them were later confirmed alive.  As in years past, gut and liver shots made up the vast majority of recovered deer.  Deer shot in the paunch are high success recoveries if the hunter doesn't push the deer by searching too early, and doesn't destroy the area by grid searching.

Layla had the toughest recovery on a nice 10 point that had traveled about 800 yards from the initial hit site, leaving very little blood. The hunter had then performed a grid search, and brought his dog from home to search for the buck prior to our arrival.  Both of these mistakes usually ruin the chances of a recovery.  However, 24 hours after the shot, Boone was able to advance the track wonderfully, but missed the last turn the deer made. Layla was placed on the track, and made short work of completing the task.  Here is the hunter with his beautiful SW MO buck.

Boone had a great rookie season, recovering a number of deer, including some difficult tracks. He showed great progress over the course of the season, and matured greatly as a tracker in just a few months!  It's hard to believe that he just turned 7 months old today! Here are just a  few of the deer that he was able to recover.

I am equally proud to report that Echo also had an outstanding season working with his new handler, Andrew.  For those that follow my blog, Echo was my top tracking dog over the past 2 seasons.  He grew from a mutt that one of my boys brought home, to an exceptional tracking dog.  Andrew purchased Echo from me to be his first tracking dog.  Andrew was also an excellent student, and took all the training that I provided to him to heart.  After training all Spring and Summer long, both Andrew and Echo were ready for the start of hunting season.  A live deer at the end of a tough track was all that Echo needed to turn on his prey drive,, which had been his only weak point in previous years.  After that track, he became a tracking monster.  At the last update that I received from Andrew, they were over 50% on recoveries, with many tracks under their belt. That is an amazing season for any on lead tracking team!  I am very proud of them. Here are a couple of photos of Echo's recoveries.

Lastly, I want to show my new logo design.  I want to thank my good friends, Russ and Laura Tucker at Best Sign Group in Rogers, AR for bringing my idea to fruition.  The dog profile is actually from a photo of Boone's grandsire.  I will be making an announcement in the next few months about another service that I will be offering on a limited basis once my kennel facility is completed.  The decal may give you a hint ;).  Stay tuned!

Boone is on the board!

The start of our tracking season has been predictably slow with our warm weather.  90 degree temps are not ideal for hunting or tracking.  We have gotten a couple of calls, but after interviewing the hunters, we haven't had a track that sounded the least bit promising.

I have gotten a few sits in the treestand with my recurve, but have only had immature bucks and does offer me a clear shot within range.  Needless to say, I have passed on all those deer.  This evening I was fortunate to have 3 does feeding close to me.  The largest doe was within 10-12 yards by the time she turned to give me a broadside shot.  I focused behind the shoulder, and let the arrow fly.  The shot looked great, and I thought I heard the doe crash at a distance.  However, with 2 other deer also running off the scene, it was hard to be certain.  

After an hour, I climbed down to examine the area.  I found the broadhead end of the arrow lying a few yards from the hit site.  A quick smell of the arrow gave off the aroma of a gut shot.  I was somewhat surprised, but was still convinced that I had penetrated at least one of the animal's lungs.  After a search of the immediate area, I had not found any blood, hair or guts.  Again, I was surprised and a bit concerned, but I still knew in my gut that my arrow had flown true.

Normally, I like to wait several hours before putting a dog on any trail.  Additionally, with the smell of guts on the arrow, I would typically recommend waiting at least 8 hours before beginning the search.  All that said, occasionally you have to break your own rules.  I was hunting about an hour from my house.  I had to work the following day, and temps were still a bit warm.   I only gave it an hour before I headed out to get Boone.  Like always, I had brought him along with the hopes of getting him on a track. 

He was full of anticipation and excitement when I loaded him back up into the truck.  When we arrived at the hit site, he was a bundle of energy because of all the deer scent in the area.  I calmed him down, and had him sit while I put on his leash and examined the broken arrow.  Once I called him over, he took a smell of the arrow, and worked around the area.  Rarely does he take right off on the trail, but rather he works a small circle around the starting point.  Once he was satisfied with the direction of the trail, he was off to the races.  He worked deliberately down the trail, and had no trouble working through the area where the other deer were feeding.  After 40 yards, he entered the woods along a well used deer trail.  I thought that the deer had exited the area on that trail, but wasn't certain.  There was still no evidence that we were on the right trail.

Another 20 yards into the trail, and he stopped to smell the ground more closely.  It was then that I noticed he was standing over the other portion of the arrow.  Good dog!  He still seemed very certain, and worked down the deer trail a bit further before taking a hard turn to the right.  We continued down the trail for about 125-150 yards to the downed doe.  Lung blood became apparent the last 15 yards of the trail.  An examination of the doe confirmed that my shot was well placed, but that the exit hole was occluded by a small piece of gut.  

Unlike the other dogs that I have trained, Boone showed no caution or concern as he approached his first deer.  You would have thought that he had done this many times in the past.  He walked right up to the downed doe, and began examining her, taking some time to lick the wounds and tug at her ears.  He was very happy to eat a few scraps of meat off her belly after she was field dressed.  He continued to follow along and tug on her hide as I dragged her from the woods.  Hopefully we will get some more challenging tracks in the near future. 

Just a few more days!!!

Bow season, and with it, tracking season, is less than a week away.  Traditionally, the season starts slowly and sporadically, and picks up the closer we get to November.  I am hopeful that we will get a few early season tracks to put the dogs to work on.

I had the opportunity to work with one of my friend's talented wirehair dachshunds about a week ago.  It was a lot of fun working his dogs, including 2 young pups who will have their rookie season this year.  All of the dogs performed well.  I also laid a 20 hour old trail for Layla.  The line was only about 400 yards long because of time constraints, but she performed well on the line, as expected.  

Boone continues to run about 3 tracks per week.  We are running tracks aged anywhere from 4-12 hours depending upon my availability to run the line.  He typically requires a little coaxing to remain excited and focused on older lines, but he always makes his way through them.  I anticipate that the more experience he gains, the more his drive will grow on these older lines.  This is a very common progression with young dogs.

His drive on most lines remains very high.  He is extremely motivated on the majority of tracks, and is single minded.  Not much distracts him from the task at hand.  He also is becoming more and more accurate on tracks of increasing difficulty.  All of our tracks now include scent shoes with varying amounts of blood trickled along the track.  Each track gets at least a couple of sections using just the scent shoes and no blood.  This helps Boone associate both scents with the track, but not depend upon both to be present.  Initially, he had a little trouble staying focused with the hoof scent, but he now tracks through the hoof only areas with ease.  As we progress, less and less blood will be used, simulating the tough tracks that we usually get during season.

Here is a line that we ran today.  The conditions were not ideal, temps in the mid 80's and dry.  Thankfully wind was light.  The line was laid entirely in a wooded area with a lot of rock and dry leaves.  Honeysuckle, gooseberry, and multiflora rose added some difficulty in maneuvering.  The track was about 4.5 hours old, roughly 150 yards long.  Very little blood was sprinkled on the ground, and it was more spaced out than we have been doing.  

As you will notice in the video, Boone is very focused and driven on this track.  He really doesn't require any direction from me.  He misses a couple of checks by a few feet, but almost immediately corrects, and recovers the track. This is one of my favorite traits of his tracking.  He is learning that coming back to the line is more efficient than random searching.  I will be very pleased if this trait continues!

On this track, there were two areas of major distraction.  The first was an area where a carcass had decomposed.  The beetles and bugs were still finishing off the left overs.  The second distraction was a well used armadillo hole.  I purposely ran the trail within a foot of both.  Watch his response...or lack of it.  He never looks up off the line.

This was a very nice run, and I couldn't be prouder.  Clearly, Boone still needs more experience before he is ready to run some of the very difficult tracks that we usually receive each season.  However, I anticipate some finds with this guy in the next couple of months.  I have little doubt, he will be tugging on real deer hide that he recovered before he turns 6 months old.  We can't wait to serve our area hunters this season!

It's go time folks!!!!

Good hunting! Brady

More puppy training with Boone, the Hanoverian Hound

Boone continues to make progress on all fronts.  He is about 12 weeks old now, and is really soaking up his training like a sponge.  Over the past couple of weeks, we have progressed with the age of his training tracks.  Most of our tracks are now aged 4 hours when my schedule allows.  He has run a couple of overnight (10-12 hour) tracks because that was all that my hectic schedule would allow.  He required some encouragement on those tracks, but got to the end of both of them.  I don't like to advance too fast because I want a pup of this age to be really excited on track.  Older tracks take a dog with more focus than most pups possess.  Boone showed good motivation on the tracks, but had to search hard to move down the line.  We will hold off on any more overnight tracks for awhile because I don't want to encourage blind searching over deliberate tracking.  

We have also moved from doing hide and hoof drags to tracks using the scent (hoof) shoes with plenty of blood dribbled along the trail.  This has been his hardest transition due to the greatly reduced scent with the hoof shoes in comparison to the drags. The scent is also somewhat different, so a little extra patience is required.  He has now completed 4 hoof shoe tracks, and is getting more solid with each one.

One word of caution for other trainers... In my opinion pushing a dog too quickly can lead to a "searcher" as opposed to a "tracker."  I have mentioned this in past posts.  A dog that covers a lot of ground searching for the next bit of sign can be useful, especially off lead, I imagine.  However, such a dog is typically a less effective tracker on lead.  At the very least, a wide searching dog will cause a lot of leash entanglement and frustration in thickly wooded areas.  There is a fine line between pushing your dog's limits and stretching it to the point that it develops "bad" habits that are hard to break.  How fast is too fast?  That is a decision that each handler has to make as he assesses his dog's working style and ability.

In addition to tracking training, we have also gotten started with some basic obedience.  After just a couple of short sessions, Boone is showing great promise.  He is eager to please.  He responds well to correction.  He is sensitive enough to respond appropriately to the pressure, but is stable enough that he does not cower to correction.  In fact, this dog has incredible nerves.  He is pretty much unafraid of anything; be it the noisy lawnmower, the vacuum cleaner, or big grouchy dogs!  He approaches each new experience with vigor and solid nerves.  It has truly been a delight to work with him over the past few weeks.

Here are a couple of short videos showing some of our early "sit/stay" training.  These videos were taken a few minutes apart.  This was literally the second time Boone had been worked on the leash.  In addition to the nice sit/stay response, we also worked a "heal" command just prior to this video.  In just two brief sessions, Boone went from a dog that was doing the puppy roll to escape the leash, to a dog that was healing nearly perfectly at my side.  I typically use a pinch collar for these training sessions, but I found it unnecessary with this little guy.

Notice in the second video how he responds to the correction.  Nice, solid puppy!  Most dogs that I have worked with required 10 or more sessions to get this level of understanding and obedience to the sit/stay command.  This is especially true with distractions or the handler "walk around" which makes nearly every pup break the first time or two.

We continue to work on recall with the "come" command.  He is doing well, but this takes weeks of reinforcement before transitioning to the ecollar to make it fool proof.  I have also introduced the "place" command which I use to put a dog in place for longer periods of time.  I like to use an article of clothing such as a shirt or jacket for this, but a rug works fine as well.  He is catching on quickly.  The length of time will be increased over the next several weeks.  These commands don't make for very interesting videos, but we may post a few clips in upcoming posts.

All of the obedience training is important to the foundation and development of a great tracking dog, but what everybody really wants to see is tracking performance.  The next video is a short track that we ran this evening.  Again, because of my hectic work schedule, I was only able to get the track down a couple of hours before dark.  The purpose was to introduce a new element, namely tracking in the woods.  Up to this point all of our tracks have been in short grass.  This track was primarily in very thick woods.  The forest next to my house is choked with honeysuckle, buckbrush, and gooseberries.  This makes for a difficult environment for a rather small pup.  

This was also the first time that I put the long lead on Boone during a track.  I don't like to introduce multiple variables at one time, but I was fairly confident that he would handle it fine.  As you can see in the video, he wasn't hindered by the lead at all despite my terrible leash handling (I was trying to take video with my phone).  Do not use this as a tutorial for proper lead handling!  There were a few times where Boone's lead became wrapped up in the brush, but he just kept on plowing through.  This dog will not be deterred.  He also got hung up in the vines on a couple of occasions, but never lost his focus or motivation.

The track was about 75 yards long with several twists and turns.  It was laid with hoof shoes and a trickle of blood.  I added a few short transitions with only the hoof, which he seemed to navigate just fine. Additionally, there were several obstacles that he maneuvered through.  The final obstacle was a large log which he chose to circumvent rather than jumping over.  Next time I may encourage him a bit to get him to work over the log.  Here is the track.

All in all, I am very well pleased with the progress we are making.  This little pup is truly a delight to work with and live with.  I hope you enjoy watching him grow half as much as I do.  Also, it is my understanding that there are still two of Boone's littermates available to tracking homes if anybody is interested.  Send me an email or text, and I will put you in touch with the breeder.

Good hunting!  Brady

Boone continues to impress

The past week has been filled with dog training.  Usually the "dog days of Summer" refers to the oppressively hot days we face during this time of year.  Fortunately, our weather has been quite pleasant over the past couple of weeks, which has been helpful in dog training.  Layla, ran a nice 22 hour blood track this morning, laid in the woods beside our home.  No need for her to take a back seat just because we have a new puppy.

Boone has a lot on his plate, and is taking it in stride.  He is still not terribly excited about nights in the crate, or days in the outside kennel when I am away.  However, he is complaining less and less.  House breaking is not complete, but has been pretty easy so far with only a few accidents.  The key to success is a lot of trips outside to accommodate his little puppy bladder.

 In addition to blood tracking, we have also started some basic obedience.  "Sit" and "come" are always at the top of the list.  He is a quick learner, and is progressing well.   Lessons are kept short to match his puppy attention span.  Also, I never work on obedience around the time of a practice track at this point in his training.  I don't want to apply any pressure during the track at this young age.  When his obedience is solid, we will combine the two, but this is months away.

I have also started with leash deconditioning.  He has been dragging a leash around during outside play time.  In a few days, he won't even notice that he has it attached.  This is important when tracking on lead.  He ran a track yesterday with his leash attached, and did just fine.  I forgot to attach it for today's track, but it will become a feature of most tracks from here on out.  Here is a picture of play time with the lead on.  I expect the dog to bite or carry the leash in his mouth the first time or two.

Yesterday, we also ran our first track using a deer hoof drag in place of the small section of deer hide.  The hoof was sprinkled with blood, and drug through the grass.  It was obvious that this was a learning experience for Boone.  It was not a seamless transition from hide to hoof, which is why we practice the change. He ran the track a little slower than the previous day's hide/blood tracks, and needed a couple of words of encouragement to stay glued to the trail.

Today's track demonstrated Boone's fast learning curve.  The same hoof was used to make a 300 foot drag.  The track was aged for 2 hours, his oldest to date.  As you can see from the video, he made short work of the track.  He even remained focused when a rabbit bolted out of the brush a few feet away from him.  Good dog, Boone!

Good hunting! Brady

Puppy imprinting

The past few days have been full of learning experiences for Boone.  When he arrived in Missouri earlier this week, he had never been exposed to a scent line of any type.  He had been tested using a small piece of liver on a rope, but had never followed an actual scent line of any distance.  Since arriving, he has run 10 tracks, and shown dramatic improvement with each line.  All this while acclimating to the rules of the house, and becoming established with the rest of the pack.

When training a scent tracking dog, the importance of imprinting cannot be overstated.  Whether the dog will be used for man tracking, big game hunting, or blood tracking, making a connection between the dog's brain and its nose is essential.  With blood tracking dogs, I like to make a progression from liver, to blood, and then onto deer body scent (typically hoof scent).  

Liver is typically used in the beginning because it has a strong blood scent that really stimulates a dog.  This is important because most pups won't naturally follow a faint scent line very well.  Some dogs need several weeks of liver drags before they are ready to progress, others a much shorter period of time.  It is important for the handler to be able to read the dog in order to determine when the time is right to make the change.  Also, the handler should keep in mind, that an important part of early training is to teach the dog good "line sense."  In essence, this is how the dog learns to progress from point A to point B to point C, and so on.  If a young dog is forced to search too much for the scent line early in their development, they will often develop a wide sweeping search pattern rather than a focused pattern of moving consistently down the line.  Subsequently, progressing to inconsistent, "broken" scent lines too early can lead to less than ideal results, in my experience.  This is why drags work so well in early training and imprinting. 

Boone's first 8 tracks were all done with liver drags.  The first 2 lines were lack luster, but we worked through the short tracks, so that he could get to the reward at the end.  By the fourth track, he became frantic in his search to reach the reward.  The few tracks that followed were very productive, and Boone definitely remembered the lessons from the previous days.  It was obvious that he was learning exactly what the idea of the "game" was.  Lines were increasingly aged from 0 to 45 minutes without any perceivable increased difficulty for Boone.

Today, I decided to try a progression of scents to see how Boone reacted.  I traded the typical liver drag for a small, 4"X4" piece of deer hide with blood soaked into the fur.  I am not a fan of hide drags for developed dogs due to the large amount of scent they leave.  However, a small piece of hide or deer hoof laced with deer blood makes a nice puppy drag without leaving a big "cloud" of hide scent.  Also, this allows the dog to start imprinting on both blood and deer odor.

Watching Boone's response to the first hide/blood drag was interesting and expected. The pup, who was excitedly running down liver drags the day before acted a little confused as to what was expected.  He required some encouragement to get started, but progressed quickly down the track once he figured out what was going on.  Here is the first drag of the day.

We ended the track with a food reward, and some tug of war with the small piece of hide.  It is awesome to see the prey drive and tug drive in this little guy.  He was determined in his effort to tear this piece of hide down from the branch.  I cannot say enough about how helpful it is in the motivation of a tracking dog when they exhibit this kind of drive.  Check it out!

The next track shows how well the imprinting from the first track went.  The second drag was run several hours after the first. The line was laid with the same small piece of hide and about half as much blood dripped onto the hide as the first.  In the video, I mention that the line is about 200 feet long, but after the track was completed I measured it at close to 300 feet (or 100 yards) with two 90 degree turns.  This is about as long as I like for a pup of this age because of their short attention spans.  This line was aged 45 minutes.  As you will see, he runs the line quite well, and without the hesitation he had on the first line.  This is all because the scent was imprinted in his brain, and he knew exactly what to do when he experienced the same scent again. 

Over the next week or two, we will continue with blood, blood/hoof, or blood/hide drags.  Lines will not be increased in length, but will be aged for greater periods of time as Boone gains experience.  Keep following!

Good hunting, Brady

Welcome Boone! Puppy training has begun.

In one of my very early posts, I said that I didn't intend to go over puppy training because a lot of good information has already been written.  However, I now have a new puppy, so I have decided to walk followers through his training progression.

Boone made his way from Georgia to Texas 2 weeks ago, then made the last leg of his journey back to Missouri yesterday.  Those that follow this blog know that Boone is a Hanoverian hound, and he tested very well in his initial puppy testing.  He is a high drive dog, which is exactly what I was looking for.

He has a wonderful personality, and kept my wife and me laughing much of the 10 hour trip home.  Besides being a bit of a clown, he is very people oriented.  He couldn't get enough love and attention during our trip, and bonded to my wife and me immediately.  Within a few hours of hanging out, he was attached to my side like a baby goose.

Once we arrived home, he got a quick introduction to the "big dogs."  Both Caliber and Layla behaved well with the little guy, showing no aggression.  There was lots of sniffing, and sorting things out.  All contact will be supervised for the first few weeks until Boone is well established as a part of the pack.  A divider has been added to the kennel so that the dogs can see each other daily, but also maintain some safe boundaries.  This may be overkill,  but with dogs capable of dispatching a puppy in a matter of seconds, I don't take any chances.  This approach has always resulted in a good outcome for me in the past, so I stick with it.

After the introductions were all done, we wasted no time in getting to work.  Within an hour of arriving home, I put down the first of 4 liver drags.  Each drag was very short, covering from 30-60 feet, and run shortly after it was laid.  On the first 2 tracks, Boone appeared lackadaisical, and I assumed he was tired from the car trip and exposure to his new surroundings.  There was a lot to check out in his new surroundings, after all.  He was helped along on each track; however, so that he could get to the reward of liver or hotdog chunks.  By the 3rd track, he was a bit more determined, and by the fourth, he was frantic about getting to the end.  I started to video the tracks, but frankly the first 2 were so boring, and labor intensive, that I gave up.  His quick progression, though, gave me some hope.

It was back to work for me today, so Boone spent his day in the kennel adjacent to the bigger dogs.  By the time I arrived home, he was extremely excited to see me.  We spent some time playing and hanging out before we got back to tracking work.  Our play taught me some important things about the dog.  First, he loves attention and praise.  Second, he has a natural aggressive tug drive.  And third, that he has a solid prey/chase drive.  These are all the things that I hope for in a tracking dog because all of these can be used to stimulate tracking desire.

I was excited to see if he remember's yesterday's game, so tonight I laid a simple 50 foot liver drag with a single right turn.   I put down a bit too much scent at the start of the line, so Boone spent a good bit of time licking the ground, and eating the grass where the line began.  After he moved down the line a bit, though, he made quick work of the remainder of the drag, and found the hotdog chunks at the end.  This is the imprinting that I am looking to build upon.  Slow and steady wins the race!  Here is tonight's track.

Taking on the Nemesis

I really wanted to call this post "Conquering the Nemesis," but we were just a little shy of complete victory.  One of the places close to home that I sometimes lay practice tracks is our local city park.  It is a beautiful park with plenty of areas to put down lines of varying lengths.  The terrain is diverse with rolling hills, closely mowed grass, scattered woods, and even a seasonal creek.  The down side of using the park is that there is not a distraction imaginable that doesn't exist.

 I have tortured myself for years trying to get a dog to run a clean track in this park.  Thee area was once a source of great frustration between a few of my dogs and me.  I would leave the track red-faced and angry, wishing that I had never even gone.  Finally I learned that the area I now call "the Nemesis" is disastrous for inexperienced dogs, and requires a dog that is exceptionally focused, and dedicated to the track.

What makes the area so difficult one might ask?  Let me name a few of the hindrances.  First off, critters.  The area has an enormous amount of nearly tame groundhogs that will scurry along in front of you or stand and watch you from arm's length.  Try to get a dog to ignore that!  The grounhogs are bested only by the armies of squirrels that lack any reasonable fear of man or beast.  Throngs of walkers, joggers, soccer players, bicyclers and barbequers also dot every nook and cranny of the park.  Did I mention that it bordered a golf course?  Motorized golf carts and park attendants cruise around the grounds every nice day.  Dogs and deer round out the list.  A man was training his dog when I put down the track.  He and his canine companion ran over my line at least 3 times while I was there.  Many other canids were walking their humans while I was there, as well.  The terrain is also difficult.  Closely cropped grass is always a less than ideal place to hold scent.  Throw in a lot of hills and dry creek beds, and you get scent that literally scatters to the wind.  This in a nutshell is what you get with the Nemesis.

I purposely had not run Layla on a track in this area for over a year, and the last time was less than desirable.  It was just too much for a young pup to endure.  Her progression over the past several months gave me hope that she might have a chance at success.  Also, the park is close, and time constraints make it appealing.  

The track was laid the night prior.  It was 13 hours old when we ran it.  1 ounce of blood was used on the 775 yard line.  I also used a set of old deer hooves that were not mummified, but should have been retired.  The track crossed 2 concrete paths and a dry creek bed.  The concrete walkways provided areas where Layla was forced to search for scent across an obstacle.  Here is a picture of a concrete area she had to work across.

She had no difficulty making the transition.  

When we ran the track, the conditions were very good.  A 10-15 mph wind was blowing SSW.  There was a nice amount of dew on the ground.  Joggers and dog walkers were all over the place.  Golf carts were buzzing around, and the army of woodchucks and squirrels were making their daily forays.  Here is the track...

Layla picked up the track easily, and progressed to the first concrete path (point 1).  She worked across the path, and picked up the scent on the other side (point 2).  From the second point she worked along, and then across a dry creek bed.  A gentleman was walking in the gravel bed searching for something just a little ways from us.  Layla took a quick look at the man, but quickly went back to work.  Point 3 was where the second walking path was located.  She worked accurately through the area despite a number of squirrels and woodchucks scampering around.  Just as we were making our way across the path, a woman with a Australian shepherd came down the lane.  Layla stopped tracking, but I was able to sit her until the duo passed.  Seconds later, she was back to work, but was excited, and working too quickly.  The track progressed up a steep hill where the wind was swirling.  She got off track a bit, but corrected herself without requiring any direction from me.

Just as she got back on trail I saw a groundhog run into a hole beneath a tree, just a few yards ahead of us.  Layla didn't seem to notice the varmit, but couldn't resist the fresh scent when her nose struck it.  The woodchuck was just a few feet away, and kept poking his head out of the burrow.  Layla was sucked in.  It took several stern corrections here to get her to leave the burrow (point 4).  Her solid temperament allowed for the correction without causing her to shut down.  After a few strong "leave it" commands and snaps of the lead, and she was back on the deer trail.  

Next, the area moved along a wood line, and Layla got sucked into following the tree line for a short ways (point 5).  I knew that she was picking up tons of small critter scent here, and asked her "Is that right?" before she got too far off track.  I prefer for her to work the trail out without my assistance, but I didn't want the whole thing to come unraveled from all the distractions. When I questioned her, she immediately redirected and advanced the trail.  

Between points 5 and 6 we entered the woods along a well used walking trail.  Layla easily moved along the packed mud and rock trail.  The path has a couple of loops.  I took the first loop to the left (point 6).  Layla missed the check by about 5 yards before she corrected herself.  Good dog!  The dotted purple line shows the main path.  We merged back onto the main path, and came to a second loop.  Here I stayed straight for a few yards before leaving the trail, and heading into the woods.  Again, she missed the check for a few steps, but quickly made the correction (point 7).  She followed in the woods, and eventually made her way back to the main path, just as I had when laying the line.  Shortly after that we exited the woods, and the line made a sharp right turn into a ravine where a small piece of deer hide signaled the track's end.  She make the turn without any effort, and completed the track.  

Overall, I am pretty pleased with the track.  I have had a lot of dogs struggle with this area over the years, and today's distractions were numerous.  Layla wasn't perfect, and needed a little bit of handling, but very little.  I don't think that we completed conquered the Nemesis, but we definitely gave it a good run for its money.