Blood Trail Dog Training Rules 11/16/2016

1. Always start a track at the point of first blood if at all possible.

This seems like a no-brainer to me, and there exceptions to the rule, such as land boundaries, hunters in the treestands, or climate changes that cause you to move the dog up to speed up the track.

2. Always track at night for your personal safety and that of your dog.

I wear a full body blaze orange jumpsuit with reflective strips on the arms and legs, and I like to put an orange vest on the dog too.

3. Always be supportive of the dog.

Finding deer isn't just about taking your dog in the woods and hoping it will sniff out the deer. One of the most difficult things in tracking is trusting your dog. You run out of blood. The leaves have blown over the trail and there is absolutely no sign that your deer has been down that trail. Your dog is going left, but the Hunter thinks the deer went right.. so what do you do??? TRUST THE DOG!!!

4. Always train them on an empty stomach, or when tracking because a hungry dog hunts better, AND trains better, and then ALWAYS feed them back at the truck, after the track or training exercise.

5. Always try to use your human skills to advance the track when the dog struggles. And you do this to give the dog confidence that you got his or her back and that they are part of a team, and that they are not out there working all alone.