Hunting Forum

I'm training my dog to blood trail, but so far he has always been within sight of me when he gets to the end of the trail. How do I get him to sit and bark when he gets to the end of the trail? This way I can find him if he finds a downed deer at night.

Not a problem in NY dog has to be kept on a max 30ft leash.

Wow Bill!!! What a novel idea! Keep the dog on a leash!!

We use a light on our dogs collar to be able to follow her through the brush.  We have had to call her in and start the trail from where we lost her, just need to make sure she doesn't get too hot.  www.gundogsupply.com sells a light that slides on a collar, it twists to turn it on.

I don't care how you do it in New York or Tennessee. I asked a legitimate question about training my dog. It's obvious that neither of you can help me with the question I asked, so how about not posting a reply. FO

That's a good idea PJOHNSON. Thank you. I'll work on calling him back to me while he's on a trail during our training sessions. Do you use a red light so it doesn't bother her?

A leash wouldn't help???
I can teach a dog sit and make a dog yelp but I aint too sure how to make one sit and bark.....used to have one that like to sit and bay at moon.....had to shoot it because I cuddn't break it....
How bout teaching the dog to come back to you when you call it after losing it?
I obviously have no clue as to how to teach a dog to bark only when you want it too....had enuff problems breaking them from barking when I didn't want them too...

We use a red light because it affects our vision the least.  The light stays on the back of her collar, so she never sees it.

As far as teaching him to bark, you can do that, it just won't be easy.  Somehow you would have to convey to your dog that you want him to bark when he is at the deer or whatever you are tracking.  

Our dog is a house pet, we have taught her to bark softly at the back door when she needs out.  I did that by simply making a barking like noise when she was at the back door and getting her to replicate it, telling her "good" and letting her out.  I don't know if you could somehow do that in the field.  Training takes patience and figuring out how to let the dog know what you want.  Once they know what you want, most of them willing to work. 

Good luck,
Paula

Reverse poles on a Bark Coller ???
Sorry, I know I am being unhelpful....as I said, don't have a clue!

Thank you Paula. You're very helpful. I really like the idea of a light. My dog is a house pet as well. I have bells hanging from the outside doors, so I taught him to ring them when he needs to go out. I have also taught him to say "please" before he gets a treat. Maybe I could build on that somehow. I always put a prize at the end of the blood trail for him, normally a few pieces of stew meat. I could try placing it in some sort of container so he can smell it but can't get to it without me opening for him. He may get the idea if I make him sit and say "please" before I give it to him. Then I'll give the commands from farther and farther away. Thanks again for the help.

I never said a leash wouldn't help, but what other type of hunting do you do with dogs that they have to remain on a leash? Dogs bay pigs, lions, bears, etc. Those hunters don't call their dogs back when they lose sight of them, unless they're ready to end their hunt and move on. They wait for the dogs to bay the animal, and then they go to the racket. I'm trying to teach my dog to make racket even though he's not "baying" a live animal.
If you can't teach a dog not to bark when you don't want it to, then maybe you're not as good a dog trainer as you think you are.

Well...."baying" dogs bark all the way on fresh scent and the closer they get, they smell the scent in the air and bark quicker and more intense and when they bay, you readily recognize the sound difference....only used them on bear, pigs, rabbit, raccoon, possum, groundhawg(not on purpose) sqyuirrel, fox and Mtn Lion....hunted over and/or owned Beagle, Plots, Walkers, Treeing Walkers, Blueticks, Red Ticks, Redbone, Mtn Cur, Catahoula and all the crosses you could possibly imagine with a few pit bulls thrown in the mix.....did hunt with one Jack Russell in Africa that would bark only when he found the downed animal IF it was still alive....if dead, you had to find the dog...like I said, don't know what to tell you about training one to be silent on the trail and bark when he found a dead animal....

Paula,
That's exactly what I'm concerned about. My dog searches back and forth most of the time. It would be quite a mess trying to manage a 30 foot lead in dense woods. I try to let him figure it all out on his own. I can't wait until archery season, so hopefully we can do some realistic, easy recoveries. The other day, when he got to the end of the trail, I made him say "please" about 10 times before I let him have his prize, which was his dinner with some chunks of leftover steak. I still need to find a container to put it in that he can't get into without be. Thank you ma'am for your helpful replies.

You've already started a bad habit, meat for treat at then end of a blood trail, maybe praise and play would be better. Seems to me like given a retriever quail when he finds a bird. Never trained a dog to trail, but it sounds like to me your training the dog to eat the treat at the end of the trail, good luck hope you shoot big deer so there's enough for both of you, just sayin'.

I hope I shoot big deer too. I'll share with him while we're still in the woods so it's worht his while. Dogs love to eat eyeballs, liver and all kinds of stuff I don't care for.

I have been known to give my dawg a little scrap duck meat while I was breasting out and he was sitting there looking with that "ain't you gonna share" look, but no way I would give up a good deer liver! Heart is good too!

Don't think this relates to oringinal question of how to get a dawg to silent trail and bark when fining dead animal.....and I still don't have a clue on what to advise...

I don't care if he trails silent or not. But he hasn't made any noise so far during the training, so I'm not sure if he ever will. I would like to get him used to wearing a bell though.

Saw an African Hunting show this a.m....Jack Russell used for trailing, no barking then barked like hell....animal was still alive....then they used him again, no barking anytime...animal was dead, but he ran back and forth to hunter and guide.....