And the Best Tracking Dog- The envelope please
03-16-2008, 07:52 PM
#11
Spike
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: TX
Posts: 77
RE: And the Best Tracking Dog- The envelope please
ORIGINAL: Jimmy S
I always wondered why a Bloodhound would not make a great bird dog.
I asked a trainer once and he said because the nose of a Bloodhound is too good.
They will actually pick up scent that was made days ago where other dogs could not.
Makes sense to me...
I always wondered why a Bloodhound would not make a great bird dog.
I asked a trainer once and he said because the nose of a Bloodhound is too good.
They will actually pick up scent that was made days ago where other dogs could not.
Makes sense to me...
There are several reasons why Bloodhounds do not make good bird dogs. Firstly, I have never had one that was remotely interested in birds. Secondly, since birds fly rather than run, they cannot be trailed. Unlike Labs, Spaniels etc that use the air for scent, a Bloodhound almost exclusively uses the ground. Also Bloodhounds do not use their eyes much, and rely mostly on their nose. Then there is the off-leash factor. An off-leash Bloodhound is a lost Bloodhound. They have been bred to stick to a trail no matter what, and you can shout and scream all you like but your Bloodhound will not come back if it's onto something good.
In terms of tracking wounded game, there are other multi-purpose breeds that aregenerally capable of fulfilling the requirements of most hunters, andare cheaper to feed, live longer, are far easier to transport due to their smaller size, and are easier to train. Bloodhounds are bred for trailing in general and scent discrimination in particular, ajob which they excel at but they do not have much interest in doing anything else.
Trailing human scent in a vehicle? Under what circumstances? Was the vehicle entirely closed?
Ive seen German Shepherds, Labs, and other hounds (Redbones, BlueTicks, Walkers and Plotts)that can run with any Bloodhound Ive worked with. Not to say they are crap, but they are not the end all be all. Ive spent YEARS working with Search & Rescue teams and have seen some good hounds and heard some real fish stories too.
Ive seen German Shepherds, Labs, and other hounds (Redbones, BlueTicks, Walkers and Plotts)that can run with any Bloodhound Ive worked with. Not to say they are crap, but they are not the end all be all. Ive spent YEARS working with Search & Rescue teams and have seen some good hounds and heard some real fish stories too.
The specific difference between the skills of hounds and those of German Shepherds, Labs, GSPs etc is that hounds trail and the others track. A tracking dog follows the quarry step for step (e.g. Police dogs searching for evidence). Tracking is the dog's ability to follow a scent and identify articles along the way. Trailing isthe ability to distinguish and follow one person's scent and identify that person. A trailing dog can air scent, ground scent or use any other means to get from point "A" to point "B" the quickest and most efficient way possible. For this reason, a Bloodhound canfrequently get you to a victim quicker than another breed of dog will. On a relatively fresh trail, a German Shepherd can follow it well. The difference comes when the terrain is less receptive to scent (e.g. asphalt or concrete), the trail is old, the search is in an urban setting full of human scent,or the weather is not conducive to good scent conditions.
I work a Bloodhound, a Lab mix, and a GSP as SAR dogs. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. The other members of the group have German Shepherds or Dobermanns. However, in adverse conditions itisthe Bloodhound that goes to work, and the prison Bloodhounds are called out to assist.
