I have a brittany a little over a year old. I want to teach to blood track. I am going pig hunting this weekend and was maybe gonna try dragging the kill away and seeing if I could get him to track the scent.

Anyone have any suggestions or tips for teaching a dog to blood track? Never done this before

I have heard freezing the blood of which ever game you are taining for. This way you will have it to train with all the time. I have found that my lab love the "dove" scent from cabella's so I plan to do something similar with that and have him search for the smell so he can find them easier and possibly flush birds that may be hiding out...

The main thing that you don't want to do is run too many easy trails in the beginning. Run about 5-8 trails that are 24 hours old and that is it. Then move to trails that are no younger than 48 hours old. If you run too many fresh tracks the blood scent is so strong that they don't have to use the nose that much. If you run older tracks the dog has to really use their nose and will go slow and take their time. it will make them a better trackers.

The basics are simple.

Lay simple track. when the dog finds it go crazy over it.
Lay some harder tracks. go crazy when they find it.
Lay some old easy tracks.
Lay some old hard tracks.

Use a check cord and make them go slow in the beginning. There is no reason that a brintany couldn't follow a 800 yard track with blood only ever 25-50 yards apart.

Good luck and take it slow.

i might be able to bring some deer blood home in the next few weeks if you want some.

Awesome thanks for the tips makes since. If I just used blood what do you leave at the end of the trail to find? I know my dog like deer legs, he found and chewed on one for about an hour at caddo grasslands by our camp site.

Yeah I wold love some, where are you from?

There was a post on this back in Jan 2009 under the Deer Hunting section.

The method I am using follows: Blood Tracking

i have seen people wrap a tanned deer hide around a 5 gallon bucket to keep at the end. Also you can reward with food at once they complete the track. Oh and make sure you have a special word to start tracking. I know a guy that uses "go fishing". i like "blood" but you can use anything. Once the dog knows what they are supposed to do don't keep giving them the command. Let them work and keep your mouth shut.

i like the link that stinkbelly gave but the only thing i would worry about is running such fresh tracks. If the dog is going slow and methodical that new tracks will work, but if you are working with a dog that wants to move then i would go to older tracks quick. Another reason for the older tracks is that you don't always get the chance to track a wounded deer that quickly. Many times is the next morning or afternoon. Once your buddies figure out that your dog can find wounded deer you will be getting a lot more phone calls.

Keep researching for yourself and find what you think will work best for your dog.