Not really, because I am a member of an association of trackers for hire, and I have a yard full of dogs ready to go! I am a breeder and a trainer, so I have dogs of all ages, but I don't sell them in my yard, I train them in my yard, and I sell them in the woods.
I have people calling who want to come to my house and tour my yard, and "see" my dogs. What is the point of looking at dogs if you want a working dog? You need to see them on the job.
Sorry, I don't sell dogs out of my yard, only puppies.
And if you would like references from my many satisfied puppy customers, please ask.
So if you are interested in a started or finished dog, invite me to your lease or hunting camp during deer season, on a weekend when there are several deer being taken and I will show you some blood tracking dogs in action. I will bring finished dogs in case we have a tough track to work, and some started dogs who need to get on as many blood trails as possible during the open season, and puppies. I always have dogs in training, and need places to work them where they can get on multiple tracks even if the deer was already found. Because the deer season is short term, we need to get on as many deer blood trails as possible during the hunting season, and give the new dogs active experiences in as many areas as possible. I also have experienced ready to go finished dogs if you don't want to buy a dog, but need tracking services for hire.
For the most part, I do not sell finished dogs because it gets complicated after a dog is several years old, and is very attached to you.
Just like my experiences with hog dog shoppers, most people(about 95%) call me wanting a finished blood trail dog, assuming they can buy a ready to go, all you need to do is invest money, and voila: you have a working blood tracking dog.
These finished dog shoppers fail to understand the importance of a mutual relationship in the dogs’ functionality. No matter what breed, how well bred, raised, trained, or experienced, a finished dog will always have a big adjustment, going from one person—who they have known and loved all their life—to someone new.
And if they don't know, trust and love you, they won't work for you. If you want to buy a finished dog understand that it will require a lot of time and personal input on your part to develop a relationship of trust
before you will ever get that level of service the dog performed with the original owner.
Not only does that relationship factor make selling finished dogs damn near impossible, I have people calling me who think they can get my 4 year old finished dog for the price of a puppy.
I am telling you here and now: you want a finished dog and you call me with that in mind, please advise me in advance as to how many thousands of dollars you are willing to spend so you are not wasing my time or yours. I put years into a dog, and it is worth thousands. If you don't believe that, you put years of your time, vet bills, and food expenses into a dog and get back to me on this one.
This brings us back to my most satisfied group of customers—the ones who are getting a puppy and raising it, and working on developing that long term relationship early on, and then having a dog that gets better and better year after year.
Apparently common sense is not as common as it once was, and that may be the biggest issue causing people to think finding a blood tracking dog is a hard thing to do. Most people are not looking for a puppy or started dog, because they are accustomed to buying and using complex, ready to go, high tech machines to serve them, and all that is required is a purchase, then you turn it on and it is working for you. But a dog is a living breathing animal with feelings and complex emotional needs, that wants to be loved and accepted, and on a regular, if not daily basis. Dogs want to be part of the family, go where you go, do what you do, sleep in the house, guard you, your wife and kids, and your territory, and that's why, of all the domesticated animals out there, dogs are referred to as man's best friend.
Another thing is every dog has his own style of hunting and unless you know the dog and understand what it is doing, you might try to interfere and make the dog do what you want instead of trusting the dog, and letting it do what it knows it needs to do to find your lost deer. For instance some dogs hunt in circles, cover a lot of ground and should be worked off leash. Others are more straight line and on the blood track, and would work much better on leash if that is a restriction relative to your particular lease or management area. For you to trust your dogs actions in the field you must spend a lot of time getting to know how that dog hunts. As much as you might believe you need to train your dog to trail blood, if it is bred right, and raised properly, as mine are, obedience is the most important part of training, and after that, I suggest you let your dog train you to track blood. Where did we ever come up with this concept that we are smarter than them? You might be surprised how much a dog can teach you.
I have joined the Southern Blood Trackers Association, and we are discussing ways to get more dogs and tracking people into service.
Obviously, hiring us to come out with our experienced blood dogs is the most immediate and practical means for most hunters, to get a dog today. But we need to look ahead, and really plan on having one, or more than one for next season.
By that, I mean getting a puppy now, during hunting season, allowing it to be there in the box stand, and in the skinning shed, and raising it for a year and having it well started by next season. Buy a puppy from me, and I am available for consultation and training exercises in the off season to keep you on track.
Or getting a started dog, and working with it on leash now during the hunting season, and gradually training and evaluating during the off season, so you have one well advanced for next hunting season.
. We, in the blood tracker association, have obstacles that must be overcome to get more dogs into service. We need your help and want to work with you, the deer hunters, hunting clubs, and with government entities to raise the level of public awareness and the importance of the ethics involved with using working dogs to serve as the blood-tracking experts and minimize the effect of lost and wounded animals.
So, many people come into this looking for a finished dog and end up walking away from that pursuit assuming that blood tracking dogs are hard to find. If all you’re looking for is a finished dog, I agree—it’s going to be hard to find, because there are not that many of us breeding raising and training who are willing to sell our best dogs.
Started dogs are very much available, from me personally, but you’re going to have to come up with more than money—you have to prove to me that you qualify to get one of these started dogs.
And what I mean by that is; I am very protective of my dogs who have been with me for a year or more.
Your best bet is to get a puppy and invest time and money—and build a relationship—and as this dog progresses, I am available for consultation, training exercises, and will do anything I can to help bring your puppy into a point of service some day. Send him back to me for a 1 week boot camp at 6 months, for an evaluation and training exercise. Schedule a private class here at my training facility or better yet at your hunting camp or lease for me to work with you and your dog.
If you need blood tracking services for lost or wounded deer, you can call me at 337 298 2630.
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