A. Blood Tracking

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There are two methods of following up wounded game with dogs.  On a leash and off the leash.  I am all for on the leash and then, when necessary, you can decide to go off the leash.

On the Leash:
⦁ The ability to train and rectify problems with the dog

⦁ My presence, protects the dog against animals like zebra, baboon etc.

⦁ My question is always, how far can you hear a dog barking?  600 meters is pushing it in the bush

⦁ Although some dogs bark at dead animals, how long will they bark at the dead animal?

⦁ 60% of all snake bites, can be eliminated with your presence.

Off the Leash:

After my dog is completely game proof, I will start to release him, and grow the distance gradually.  The idea is that you can release your dog to bay the wounded buck, if the buck is not dead and you cannot get a clear shot.  I strongly suggest getting a GPS collar at this stage, you will then be able to track where your dog is, and you will have the control to call him back.  You will also have a quicker response time as you would know where the dog is at all times.

Benefits of having blood tracking dogs:

⦁ Dogs are much faster

⦁ Dogs can track for longer distances

⦁ These dogs can track where humans cannot track (better success)

⦁ They can track at night

⦁ They can track through water (and above water)

⦁ They can track through sand and long grass

⦁ They do not have to be directly on the track to be able to track the animal

⦁ Air cent can be tracked up to 12 hours (dry track)

⦁ Blood track can be tracked up to 3 days later

⦁ Animals / Humans on the track have very little effect on the dog’s tracking ability

Choosing the right tracking dog:

I found that people always want to reinvent the wheel.  There are dogs bred for specific purposes in which they will excel.  You can always Google Wikipedia and the dog type as they are quite accurate with regards to tracking dogs.  There are dog types which is specifically bred for blood trailing which is called bloodhounds (English Bloodhound, Bavarian Mountain Hound (Bloodhound) Hanover Hound).

There are a few things to look at when purchasing a new hound:

⦁ Scenting ability

⦁ Does the dog work away from you

⦁ Is he agile enough to get away from storming animals

⦁ Does he have big game temperament

⦁ Willingness to work on a harness

⦁ Companionship
When you chose a dog for any purpose, make sure that the dog comes from the father and mother lines used and bred for that purpose.  The table below is from my own experience: