Tracking???

Duchess · Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 11:11 am Post subject: Tracking???

Hello, everybody, have been away for a while, too much going on.
But, any way, I am so glad to be back, have missed alot I see and lost of new folks so, hello to all and welcome!!!
I am just curious! Has anyone ever used the weim for tracking deer?
We have 3 (actually 4 live here, daughter has one as well). My husband and 3 sons LOVE deer hunting and were wanting to train the weims, or have them trained, for tracking deer. They would like to train them. One of my sons wants to bird hunt as well. The weims point at birds now and will kill a cat in a heart beat if they get out of my sight for a second!!
They have a VERY strong prey drive.
Just wondering if anyone has used them for tracking and can a weim track and bird hunt?

My step father had 2 weims when I was a child and her used them for hunting. I only remember him taking a piece of some animal and tying it tooa string/rope and dragging it across the ground and then tying it in a tree, he would then let the dogs out of their pen and ther est I forgot. I think I was 7-8 yrs. old when this took place!
Anyway, any opinions, advice, suggestions, help would be greatly appreciated.

anne · Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 12:02 pm Post subject:

I don't, but know people that do use them for blood tracking. HOnestly, it's natural to them. Just teach them a few tracks with food so they understand teh difference between ground scenting and air scenting (we use "fetch" or "find" to mean go track) and they'll get it in a few sessions.

I wouldn't overdo tracking training if you are also using the dogs for birds as tracking encourages the dog to keep the nose on the ground. Tracking is a "gimme" for Weims, concentrate your efforts on the bird training.