TRACKING DOG FOR WOUNDED GAME

[zillywilly2000]

hey I was wondering if some one could steer me in the right direction on finding a good dog for tracking wounded or downed game also must be good with small kids................. thanks

[seattlesetters]

GSP or GWP. It's one of the main things they were originally bred for.

[wildlands]

Zilly, there are many breeds out there that will do the job. You will need to takewhat people tell you and research the different breeds to find on e that fits your situation.A few questions to help guide you to a breed.

You have already stated god with kids, so that is answered.

Will the dog be an inside dog when not hunting or keep in a kennel?

Do you have a good area to allow the dog to exercise?

Will you be tracking for yourself and a few friends or be taking tracking calls from many people during a season? 20 + calls or more.

Will most of your calls consist of going back to camp and getting the dog to track so the tracks are 4-6 hrs or less or will you be looking at tracking 20+ hr old tracks?

Do you hunt upland game or waterfowl?

Are you up north or in the south around poisonous snakes?

Have you ever trained a dog before?

[wildlands]

Zilly I will go ahead and give a few suggestions.

If the dog is going to stay in the kennelwhenever they are not being used and not come in the house then a Begal or one of the many hunting hounds will work. They tend to do better than most other breeds when left in the kennel.

If you only have a small area for exercise then you will probably need one of the smaller breeds such as the Datschund.

If you are only going to be tracking for yourself and a few friends and most of your tracking jobs will be under 4-6 hrs then most hunting breeds will work. But if you will be taking lots of calls 20+ and the calls are 12 hrs or longer then you will need to go with a more specialized breed. The more calls the better a dog shouldbecome of course. This is very important init gives the dog the oppourtunity to learn and reach their full potential.

Ifyou hunt upland game and/or waterfowl then one of the versitle hunting dogs like the Deutsch-Drahtaarwould be good.

If you are up north where you do not have to worry with snakes then a short legged dog will work. But in snake country a bigger dog would be needed.

If you have never trained a dog then a easy to train dog like a Lab would be better for you than a hound which is going to be hard headed.

With what ever breed you choose. You greatly increase your chances of getting a good tracking dog if the parents are working dogs. Some breeds test their dogs specificly for blood tracking so you can look for this also. Each breed has its good and bad points. You will just have to find the one that best fits your situation.
Good luck
wildlands

[versdog]

http://www.vdd-gna.org/this is the website for the Drahthaar. I would suggest that you use the dog for more than tracking otherwise it be bored.
Good Luck