BAVARIAN BLOODHOUND HISTORY AND TRAINING

They are used for hunting big game and are precious when tracking wounded or lost big game. Any dog can trail a fresh blood trail if trained, but only this particular blood hound can track hours or even days old trails to success. Today, modern European hunters use these breeds for bird or small game hunting such as jack rabbits, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and even cougars. They are also used a lot when hunting wild boars. Some of the blood hounds are used to help police and medics in finding victims in earthquakes and mudslides, and also, but not confirmed, in the war against drug trafficking. Our Dogs are also trained to find shed antlers, mold inside houses/basements as well as termintes. All of these "new jobs" can be an additional source of income for the owners of our dogs. Feel free to contact us for additional info regarding these services.

Dog handlers should be self controlled and never an abusive type of person. The dogs can sense the handler's emotions. The handler should always praise the dog and show lots of affection towards it. The dog should never be punished with a leash or be jerked by the collar, which should be carried around the dog's neck loosely. The dogs should never be chained but kept in open places or kennels so that they can run.

Bloodhounds' commands should be given in soft but firm voice. Handlers can also train the dogs with hand signals/motions (hand clapping). Trainers should never shout or scream at the dogs. The reason for this is so that the wounded animal is not spooked or scared.

During the actual tracking, as stated earlier, the collar should be loose and attached to an approximately 10m (30ft) leather leash or rope. The leash is placed under the dog's belly and between its four legs. In this way the pressure on the collar is from the top of the neck and it does not block the airway. Body harnesses are modern options.

In the event that the dog is trained to track without a leash, than the collar should be taken off also, so as not to allow the dog to get itself caught in thick brush, hooked by wounded big game antlers, or caught by wild boar tusks.

Once the wounded deer (or other animal) is found, the dog must bark, which is the signal to the handler that the job has been accomplished.

There are a very small number of field trail tests conducted in blood tracking to determine the best of the best for natural selection and reproduction.

In any event, at least twice a month blood tracking practice on artificial blood trails should be conducted to keep the dog in good condition but once a week to keep them in top form. The minimum should be once a month. The older the blood trail, the better. At the end of the trail, the handler should place a deer or elk hide stuffed with hay or old rags and sewn together.

The primary practice commands such as sjedi (sit) or lezi (lay down) are done as with the other breeds, except that the blood hound should never be chained. Also, since they possess exceptional sense of smell, they should never be kept near stables or manure piles. Also the smells from a garage such as gasoline, oil, and/or exhaust fumes can dilute their sense of smell. The dogs should not be kept indoors, especially near kitchens or in newly painted rooms.

As stated earlier, the majority of the bloodhound work is related to the collar and the long leash, it is recommended that 12 week old puppies should be introduced to them. One should take the puppy into the woods to see big game, but it must not be allowed to chase it. If it pools an attempt to chase the animal(s) one must firmly tug on the leash and softly say fuj (no). If it is being trained or introduced without a collar and a leash, it must return on the command dodji (come) which should be introduced beforehand. If the bloodhound is trained to wait for the handler in a laying or down position, it must always be left in that position with a collar and a leash; the handler should never call the dog to come with a whistle or the come command, but instead the handler should go a retrieve the dog himself/herself.

The puppies' initial animal or bird tracking is done just like with the bird dogs, and later taken to the actual tracks which should be marked off by using specific tree lines or other markers so that you know when/if the puppy deviates, it can be corrected.

If one needs to discontinue the blood trail for whatever reason, then the puppy on the trail should not be pulled or dragged by the leash and collar but instead be praised and petted on the head and/or back and then should be lifted and carried away from the trail. This practice should be continued even when they are adults.

In the event of tracking the unwanted trail, one does as above but says fuj (no) and carries the dog away a short distance.

One should never allow the bloodhound to trail a heard of deer or elk, in which case is may loose the ability to track the individual trail.

One should never train the puppy to track the artificially made blood trail in snow deeper than 2 cm (1 inch). In deep snow, it may depend upon the eyesight instead of the nose. Fully trained Bavarians should be able to track blood trail(s) in any snow depth.
Fully trained Bavarians should always be able to track the wounded animal's trail under any weather conditions; they should be able to follow it regardless if the tracks are crisscrossed or circled by tracks of healthy animals.

The trainer can also train the blood hound to track known and unknown human tracks. This is useful when finding illegal hunters even on their own land. The same should be true for criminals in law enforcement.

It is never too much to praise the Bavarian during practice or in actual tracking work.

David Devore with puppies

At this time, there is no specific description of the later training method  involved.

Both methods are acceptable, but the later one is preferred in the event of high mountains or deep valleys in which case the handler may not hear the barking or not be able to pinpoint the direction, especially if the distance is greater than one kilometer. The use of radio tracking collars is the modern substitute for the "hanging collar" method.

In the event that the wounded animal is still moving, the Bavarian must bark and thus give the handler the direction of the moving animal for possible interception.

In either case, finding dead animals or barking at the wounded game, the bloodhound must be petted and rewarded.

Some hunters and hunting writers advise that the bloodhound should be given rewards such as fresh parts of the interior organs. For example, the liver, heart, lungs, etc., but some people advise against this practice due to the fact that Echinococoza disease can be transferred to humans. Another reason for this is that modern bullets can push parts of the organs to the exit wound and the dog may try to reward itself by eating without the given command, thus becoming a bloodhound troublemaker or game eater. The Bavarian could be safely given the animal's fatty tissue.

Praise your dog as much as possible, enjoy the companionship during the hunt, and bring home all of your trophies instead of losing them in the woods.

Every so often, refresh your training knowledge using this guide and bring out the most of your Bavarian.

One may also encounter an improved or new method of training but which the trainer must determine if such a method is suitable for his or her needs.