Yesterday evening we went to a friends small piece of ground, where they constantly have problems with invading Muntjac. I normally go there quite a few times throughout the year and make contact with some of them, but this this year despite going on quite a few sorties, have not seen any of the perpetrators. However yesterday proved fruitful, and as one came sneaking out of a very large bramble patch on the boundary I squeezed of a round from my faithful old rifle. The wee beastie was only around 100m away and went down like a sack of potatoes. This was a good and bad thing, it is my instinct to place the shot for an instant kill, but having Heidi in the truck ready and waiting, I could have done with the animal running on for some distance, but at least animal met a humane end. I should point out that I would normally love to have Heidi with me whilst stalking, but as the weather was around -2 degrees C, I thought it kinder to leave her in the warmth of the vehicle.
A few minutes after taking the shot I headed back to the truck and drove a good way back to the place where the shot had been taken from. It was getting dark now so I put Heidi on her normal lead and walked to some 50m from the dead Munty. She then sat while I changed her lead for her tracking collar and leash, and we then headed closer to where the deer had first shown itself. Heidi showed a great deal of interest in the fresh scent of the deer so I told her to 'track on', which she did with great gusto, her head was glued to the floor as she almost pulled me over with her keenness to get to the Muntjac, which she did with no problem. Once she got to the animal she was very pleased with her find, giving it a close inspection, licking the entry hole, and savouring a few drop of blood that was laying under the carcass. I tried to get her to speak, but she wasn't interested at this stage. After giving her heaps of praise I dragged the dead animal back up the hill to the truck, with Heidi mouthing and tugging at the carcass as we went. Once at the vehicle we could shed some light on what we were doing, and I managed to get Heidi wound up enough to start speaking, albeit with some reservation but at least she was doing the job. She now did not want to be pulled away from her new find, which made getting her back in the truck a bit of fun but we got there in the end.
Upon reaching our larder back at home, which was only a 5 minute drive, I got the beastie hung up and gralloched, which gave me the opportunity to collect some valuable blood. The small liver I sliced into chunks for future training rewards, but gave Heidi a piece straight away which seemed to be very appreciated. It was then Heidi's dinner time, so along with her food she also was given a couple more bits of the fresh liver, I'm sure she thought she had died and gone to heaven! Once she had eaten she climbed into her bed, where I completed her day by giving her one of the Muntys cleaves to chew on. This was now a very happy dog having received a great big dose if incentive for her work, and I am sure its just the sort of thing she was in need of.
Monday 29 November 2010
Friday 26 November 2010
BMH society of GB Training & Test Day
November the 21st saw Heidi and myself attend the BMH society of GB Training & Test Day at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire, organised by Pete Garraway of the BMH society. The day consisted of an introduction and lecutre on blood tracking, from tracking test judge Andreas Guhl. This was a very informative and interesting talk, which also included a section on tracking dog equipment from Kit at www.muntjactrading.com
After a hot lunch in the college canteen we returned to the car park where we were then split into two groups, each of which was accompanied by a judge, witnesses and assistants, and sent of to the location of our the Schweisshund Aptitude Test, which had been laid earlier in the morning before our arrival. Full details of the test can be found here: www.bavarianmountainhoundsociety.org.uk/Images/Aptitude%20Test%20v2.pdfWe each waited nervously for our turn, and soon enough it was time for me and Heidi. The judge, in our case was Andreas Guhl who showed us our starting point and then it was up to us! Although being a basic test, I really felt the pressure, as this was the first time we had be on a track laid by somebody else, and not knowing exactly where it went. Anyway I kitted Heidi up with her tracking outfit, showed her and examined the impact point, told her to 'track on', and away she went steadily but confident. I was desperately looking for signs of blood etc, but couldn't find a great deal, mainly because I was watching Heidi perhaps a little too much. Doing this test made me realise just how much more you have to work as a team, and work at a pace that lets you notice the tell tale signs left behind, if nothing else so you can back your dog up if things dont go quite right.
After this we were taken outside into the icy wind, where Andreas gave us a practical demonstration of how to lay a training track for our dogs using a liver drag on open ground. After which we were split into teams of two, and were able to lay down tracks for each others dogs to practice on, which I am very pleased to say, Heidi was able to complete with no problems.
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Photo courtesy of Suzanne Hall http//:deertrackerupdates.blogspot.com
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After a hot lunch in the college canteen we returned to the car park where we were then split into two groups, each of which was accompanied by a judge, witnesses and assistants, and sent of to the location of our the Schweisshund Aptitude Test, which had been laid earlier in the morning before our arrival. Full details of the test can be found here: www.bavarianmountainhoundsociety.org.uk/Images/Aptitude%20Test%20v2.pdf
Luckily for me Heidi seemed to know what she was doing and followed the line perfectly, picking up and dealing with the obligatory turn in the track with no problem, eventually working her way to the find, which in this instance was a Roe head. At this point you cannot imagine my relief that everything went okay and I passed this on to Heidi giving her masses of praise and reward. We then walked back to the rest of the group with the judge and helpers who kindly praised Heidi's work and gave us a few pointers for the future. Its always good to hear from those more experienced than yourself, you can learn so much. After a short drive back to the classroom, we refuelled with a hot coffee and biscuits, were given our results which in our case was a pass,followed by a debrief on the days events.
All in all a terrific day. Anyone with a tracking dog should have a go. Its not expensive and there is no need to worry about being embarrased if things go wrong, these people are there to help you and your dog. It has given the both of us inspiration to continue with our training and look forward to taking the Schweisshund Test Level 1 in the future.
Photo courtesy of Suzanne Hall http://deertrackersupdates.blogspot.com
Monday 22 November 2010
A Word Of Caution On Basic Discipline Training
Over the last few weeks I have given Heidi a deliberate rest from tracking training so as not to bore her with the same routine. During this time I thought it would be a good idea to re-enforce some basic discipline training, namely walking to heel.
Now don't get me wrong, she naturally wants to walk with me, but not what I call a proper heel position, and it is one thing that I am really fussy about, especially as I want her to stalk with me.
Every time we went for a walk, she had to walk to heel. To achieve this we used all the normal methods of heel training as previously in her early life which worked well, and when off the lead should she creep ahead, would receive a verbal reminder, and a light flick with the lead. The end result was perfect, and a very obedient dog, just what I wanted.
Now, we had her BMH society of GB aptitude test coming up soon, so a week before we went out for a practice track, which was set on a frosty morning, in a wood, and left around six hours to age. This would normally be no problem for her, so when we got close to the impact point on went her tracking collar and lead, then slowly approached the strike area, where she had a sniff around, then proceeded to go off in the right direction for two meters, and stopped, looking round at me! I gently encouraged her and on we went just a few meters at a time, and it was pretty much like this all the way to the end. Halfway round I realised what was wrong? Oh no, I had got her walking to heel, and that where she thought she must be even when tracking. I was gutted, especially with the test coming up.
The following week we went for some very long walks, and I clipped the SportDOG training lead to her. Initially again she would not leave me, and would be very cautious when she felt the weight of the lead dragging or got even slightly caught on grass. Taking my old terrier Corrie with us on the first day gave her more confidence to leave my side, and eventually after about three days we got back to a confident Heidi, even pulling me along! Needless to say I never used the Heel word once!
As they say, just be careful what you wish for as it may come true.
Now don't get me wrong, she naturally wants to walk with me, but not what I call a proper heel position, and it is one thing that I am really fussy about, especially as I want her to stalk with me.
Every time we went for a walk, she had to walk to heel. To achieve this we used all the normal methods of heel training as previously in her early life which worked well, and when off the lead should she creep ahead, would receive a verbal reminder, and a light flick with the lead. The end result was perfect, and a very obedient dog, just what I wanted.
Now, we had her BMH society of GB aptitude test coming up soon, so a week before we went out for a practice track, which was set on a frosty morning, in a wood, and left around six hours to age. This would normally be no problem for her, so when we got close to the impact point on went her tracking collar and lead, then slowly approached the strike area, where she had a sniff around, then proceeded to go off in the right direction for two meters, and stopped, looking round at me! I gently encouraged her and on we went just a few meters at a time, and it was pretty much like this all the way to the end. Halfway round I realised what was wrong? Oh no, I had got her walking to heel, and that where she thought she must be even when tracking. I was gutted, especially with the test coming up.
The following week we went for some very long walks, and I clipped the SportDOG training lead to her. Initially again she would not leave me, and would be very cautious when she felt the weight of the lead dragging or got even slightly caught on grass. Taking my old terrier Corrie with us on the first day gave her more confidence to leave my side, and eventually after about three days we got back to a confident Heidi, even pulling me along! Needless to say I never used the Heel word once!
As they say, just be careful what you wish for as it may come true.
Wednesday 13 October 2010
Sportdog Training Lead
A few weeks ago I was given a SportDOG training product, which had filtered through from our company in the U.S.A. for evaluation.
Although I tried it for tracking, I have to stress that it is a check cord, not a tracking leash, but is a great tool for exercising and training dogs. Lightweight and easy to coil and carry, this high-visibility 30 foot orange check cord is soft on your hands and tangle-free to prevent knots that get hung up on brush. With a heavy-duty brass snap, you're in confident control during training sessions.
It is very tactile, and doesn't get caught up easily. It does get slightly heavier when soaking wet, but dries out well, and I get the feeling that it will last a long time. The only things that I didn't like was that it had no reminder about a meter from the end to let you know that it is about to slip out of your hands, and that it was a bit shorter than what I have been using, other than that a great product.
Although I tried it for tracking, I have to stress that it is a check cord, not a tracking leash, but is a great tool for exercising and training dogs. Lightweight and easy to coil and carry, this high-visibility 30 foot orange check cord is soft on your hands and tangle-free to prevent knots that get hung up on brush. With a heavy-duty brass snap, you're in confident control during training sessions.
It is very tactile, and doesn't get caught up easily. It does get slightly heavier when soaking wet, but dries out well, and I get the feeling that it will last a long time. The only things that I didn't like was that it had no reminder about a meter from the end to let you know that it is about to slip out of your hands, and that it was a bit shorter than what I have been using, other than that a great product.
Tuesday 28 September 2010
DEAD ON
Have just started to read John Jeanneney's second book, "Dead On". It covers deer anatomy and shot placement for bow and gun hunters, as well as tracking techniques for wounded Whitetails. That said the principles are pretty much the same for most species, and although a small book it is well worth adding to your collection.
Available through Amazon.com
Available through Amazon.com
Wednesday 22 September 2010
23/09/10 Hunt Cover
My friend Steve who keepers Hunt Cover, called me the other to say that he now has his pheasant poults in the release pen, and has noticed some fox activity close by, so could I take the rifle with me on my next visit in case I should spot the offender. Now I wasn't planning to do another track so soon, but as Steve had been kind enough to give me permission to use the wood so I decided to do a short track, as a confidence booster for both of us.
The track was to start at the far side of the wood, come inside, head down hill, then swing round and head back uphill towards the pheasant pen.
We had quite a long walk to our impact point, but we weren't in a rush and Heidi seemed to really enjoy the walk, so when we got to the start she was pretty relaxed which is always a good thing. I put her tracking collar on, followed by 'track on', and as usual she was away with no problem.
We continued into the wood, turning down hill slightly and she still had her nose to the floor, going at quite a strong pace, but not going to fast, although it gave me a problem as I was trying to pick up my markers as we were going along.
Next up came a left hand turn, at which point Heidi turned right, and my heart sunk thinking she was off on a wild goose chase, but she suddenly just stopped, turned around, and came back to the turn point, nose down, and was away in the right direction again.
Things continued to go well uphill until we came to another slight left handed turn, and Heidi just wanted to go straight on into thicker woodland? As I knew this was not the track that I had set, I let her go the full length of the leash, which she did almost pulling me along. I know the wind can do strange things with the scent, but could not figure out in this instance why it would have changed in this area, and also the trail was just a few hours old, so I pulled her up hard on the leash whilst verbally correcting her. This done we got back to the track line, and with the command 'track on' she got back to the job in hand.
This took us right up the side of Steve's pheasant pen. It was Heidi's first introduction with such an amount of game birds, and her reaction was to just stop and look for a few moments, intrigued by what looked like a mass of small chickens, followed by an urge to move towards them to investigate further. I gave the command 'NO', with a slight tug on the leash, which was enough for her to put her nose back to the ground, and carry on to the find (Muntjac head), without showing any more interest in the birds.
At the find she got her normal reward, followed by having a good chew on the head. I spent about 15 minutes or more with her here, and even managed to get her to speak a couple of times when holding the Munty head above her.
Age of track: 10hrs
Length of Track: Approx 3000m.
Type of track: Shoe and blood.
Amount of blood: 250ml.
Wind direction: From behind.
Wind strength: 25-31 mph
Temp: 18ºC
Weather: Warm, bright and windy.
Time: 05.30pm
Age of Dog: 6 3/4 months
Conclusion:
This was meant to be an easy practice, practice track using non diluted blood, and the age of track not being to much, but Heidi blatantly went past what I considered to be easy turns. It was only a few days since our last outing, and maybe she got a bit bored/complacent. I thinks I will leave it a couple of weeks now to give her a rest, and hopefully by then get some Fallow involved.
The track was to start at the far side of the wood, come inside, head down hill, then swing round and head back uphill towards the pheasant pen.
We had quite a long walk to our impact point, but we weren't in a rush and Heidi seemed to really enjoy the walk, so when we got to the start she was pretty relaxed which is always a good thing. I put her tracking collar on, followed by 'track on', and as usual she was away with no problem.
We continued into the wood, turning down hill slightly and she still had her nose to the floor, going at quite a strong pace, but not going to fast, although it gave me a problem as I was trying to pick up my markers as we were going along.
Next up came a left hand turn, at which point Heidi turned right, and my heart sunk thinking she was off on a wild goose chase, but she suddenly just stopped, turned around, and came back to the turn point, nose down, and was away in the right direction again.
Things continued to go well uphill until we came to another slight left handed turn, and Heidi just wanted to go straight on into thicker woodland? As I knew this was not the track that I had set, I let her go the full length of the leash, which she did almost pulling me along. I know the wind can do strange things with the scent, but could not figure out in this instance why it would have changed in this area, and also the trail was just a few hours old, so I pulled her up hard on the leash whilst verbally correcting her. This done we got back to the track line, and with the command 'track on' she got back to the job in hand.
This took us right up the side of Steve's pheasant pen. It was Heidi's first introduction with such an amount of game birds, and her reaction was to just stop and look for a few moments, intrigued by what looked like a mass of small chickens, followed by an urge to move towards them to investigate further. I gave the command 'NO', with a slight tug on the leash, which was enough for her to put her nose back to the ground, and carry on to the find (Muntjac head), without showing any more interest in the birds.
At the find she got her normal reward, followed by having a good chew on the head. I spent about 15 minutes or more with her here, and even managed to get her to speak a couple of times when holding the Munty head above her.
Age of track: 10hrs
Length of Track: Approx 3000m.
Type of track: Shoe and blood.
Amount of blood: 250ml.
Wind direction: From behind.
Wind strength: 25-31 mph
Temp: 18ºC
Weather: Warm, bright and windy.
Time: 05.30pm
Age of Dog: 6 3/4 months
Conclusion:
This was meant to be an easy practice, practice track using non diluted blood, and the age of track not being to much, but Heidi blatantly went past what I considered to be easy turns. It was only a few days since our last outing, and maybe she got a bit bored/complacent. I thinks I will leave it a couple of weeks now to give her a rest, and hopefully by then get some Fallow involved.
Friday 17 September 2010
19/09/10 Another Training Track in New Wood
Today’s plan was to take Heidi back to New Wood as previously she has been having problems here with the amount of live tracks and other wildlife. On her last mission in Hunt cover she got on a lot better, so this was to see if things have changed. Also the plan was to include a wound bed about half way through, and see how she dealt with it.
I laid the trail about 5.30pm in fairly cool weather as I had to go out later that evening, and we set out to pick it up about 7.30am the next morning, making it a 14 hour old track. At which time there was a frost on the floor, and the temperature was around 11 degrees.
As we approached the impact point I fitted Heidi's tracking outfit and gently led her in. Now I was a bit surprised, as she suddenly put her nose down and was off before we got started. The reason for this, well, call it old age, bad eyesight, or just the daylight not being at its peak yet, but I had missed my mark completely. It's a good job she knew what to do!
Anyway we were off at quite a good steady pace along the headland of the field, heading towards the wood. Once there we had a ditch to negotiate, cross a footpath, then up another bank. All of this was carried out with professionalism by Heidi, without any mistakes. Onwards we went deeper into the wood, heading for the next test, the couch bed. No of this was a problem, and even though I had had a good scratch around, and left a heavier amount of blood here, Heidi did not falter, but just carried on following the right line. I thought this was brilliant, and we were going a such a good pace, then wallop, she lost the line completely, and I let her take about three different lines of attack, but I knew two of them were no good. In the end I took her right back to the point where we had crossed the footpath, and her tracking was very strong. Again we got about 15 or 20 meters past the couch area, and she lost it again. This time I took her back top the couch area, and let her once again pick up the line, again she lost it after about the same distance. Once again, back to the couch area, and after a few seconds bingo, she pick it up, albeit very cautiously. Now I don't know what the reason for this was after being so strong up to this point. Whether it was the air currents causing a problem, live tracks or the sudden overwhelming scent, compaction and disturbance of the couch area, I really don't know, but I suspect it has to be one of the last two. The only good thing is that I feel that I am able to pick up on Heidi's body language now, and pick out when she's not on the right line, or at least I can most of the time!
Anyway at a very steady pace we continued on to an area of brambles that were just a bit higher than Heidi, and she needed a bit of verbal encouragement here to push past them, but we did get there, to a point where we came out on to and old concrete road that runs through the wood. She had a good shake here after coming out of the brambles, had a quick look around, put her nose down again, and pick up the light blood trail I had laid across the road. Once over it was a right turn, and suddenly there was no holding her back, as she continued on full leash, all the way to her find, where she was told that she was the best dog in the whole world!
Age of track: 14hrs
Length of Track: Approx 450m.
Type of track: Shoe and diluted blood.
Amount of blood: 250ml (1/5diluted with water).
Wind direction: Initially from the left, and in front.
Wind strength: 4-7 mph
Temp: 11ºC
Weather: Dull becoming brighter and cool, with ground frost
Time: 07.30pm
Age of Dog: 6 3/4 months
Conclusions:
This potentially was a really good job on behalf of Heidi. Her start was extremely strong, especially considering the age of the track for her. Things only went wrong, well inside the wood, and at just the one point after the couch area. Was this the sudden influx of scent or live tracks causing the confusion, I just don't know. Maybe next time I'll try a different venue and create another couch area to try and find out. Other than this the finish was also strong, so all in all a pretty good track in my book. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we can also get her on to some cull fallow, which I'm sure will give her some extra motivation in her work.
I laid the trail about 5.30pm in fairly cool weather as I had to go out later that evening, and we set out to pick it up about 7.30am the next morning, making it a 14 hour old track. At which time there was a frost on the floor, and the temperature was around 11 degrees.
As we approached the impact point I fitted Heidi's tracking outfit and gently led her in. Now I was a bit surprised, as she suddenly put her nose down and was off before we got started. The reason for this, well, call it old age, bad eyesight, or just the daylight not being at its peak yet, but I had missed my mark completely. It's a good job she knew what to do!
Anyway we were off at quite a good steady pace along the headland of the field, heading towards the wood. Once there we had a ditch to negotiate, cross a footpath, then up another bank. All of this was carried out with professionalism by Heidi, without any mistakes. Onwards we went deeper into the wood, heading for the next test, the couch bed. No of this was a problem, and even though I had had a good scratch around, and left a heavier amount of blood here, Heidi did not falter, but just carried on following the right line. I thought this was brilliant, and we were going a such a good pace, then wallop, she lost the line completely, and I let her take about three different lines of attack, but I knew two of them were no good. In the end I took her right back to the point where we had crossed the footpath, and her tracking was very strong. Again we got about 15 or 20 meters past the couch area, and she lost it again. This time I took her back top the couch area, and let her once again pick up the line, again she lost it after about the same distance. Once again, back to the couch area, and after a few seconds bingo, she pick it up, albeit very cautiously. Now I don't know what the reason for this was after being so strong up to this point. Whether it was the air currents causing a problem, live tracks or the sudden overwhelming scent, compaction and disturbance of the couch area, I really don't know, but I suspect it has to be one of the last two. The only good thing is that I feel that I am able to pick up on Heidi's body language now, and pick out when she's not on the right line, or at least I can most of the time!
Anyway at a very steady pace we continued on to an area of brambles that were just a bit higher than Heidi, and she needed a bit of verbal encouragement here to push past them, but we did get there, to a point where we came out on to and old concrete road that runs through the wood. She had a good shake here after coming out of the brambles, had a quick look around, put her nose down again, and pick up the light blood trail I had laid across the road. Once over it was a right turn, and suddenly there was no holding her back, as she continued on full leash, all the way to her find, where she was told that she was the best dog in the whole world!
Age of track: 14hrs
Length of Track: Approx 450m.
Type of track: Shoe and diluted blood.
Amount of blood: 250ml (1/5diluted with water).
Wind direction: Initially from the left, and in front.
Wind strength: 4-7 mph
Temp: 11ºC
Weather: Dull becoming brighter and cool, with ground frost
Time: 07.30pm
Age of Dog: 6 3/4 months
Conclusions:
This potentially was a really good job on behalf of Heidi. Her start was extremely strong, especially considering the age of the track for her. Things only went wrong, well inside the wood, and at just the one point after the couch area. Was this the sudden influx of scent or live tracks causing the confusion, I just don't know. Maybe next time I'll try a different venue and create another couch area to try and find out. Other than this the finish was also strong, so all in all a pretty good track in my book. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we can also get her on to some cull fallow, which I'm sure will give her some extra motivation in her work.
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