Watercubs & Kivisilmän

working show-quality newfoundlands

Blood Trials and Tracking
 

Blood Trials:

The purpose of this is to get the dog tired when it's too hot outside for a longer walk. ;-)


How to get started:

1. Take a small bottle of blood (can dilute it 1dl blood : 1dl water, but diluting it makes it harder for the dog)

2. Get some good, bright colored ribbons that you can attach to trees for you to see the trail you marked. HINT: get children's twister rope, as it is very easy to tie around different sized treetrunks.

3. Get a long rope (10 meters) and possibly a harness for the dog. The long leash will make blood trials and tracking easier for the dog to work, as you can give it space to work (think logically: would you want anybody breathing down your neck when you are doing something that requires precision).

To start the trail:

1. Clear some ground with your foot to "open" the area and get new scents rising from the ground. Mark the area clearly with the bright ribbons. In the forest every tree looks the same, so it is impossible for you to remember exactly where the marked trail is.

2. Pour some blood drops (three squirts) on the cleared area. Step on the blood to get some scent on your feet.

3. To make it easier for the dog, walk in straight lines. Remember to mark your way, every 10 steps. It helps you to know where the trail goes and see if the dog's following it right. For a beginner, drop blood drops at every step, start with small steps. Don't make any corners before you know your dog follows the trail well. Remember not to walk over the trail when you go back to get the dog!

4. Leave a reward (cow hoof etc..) at the end of the trail. Make sure it isn't visible and that it is in a box (so that others don't eat it before you get there)

Helpful tips:

1. Use clothespins for the ribbons. Tie one end of the ribbon (or twister-rope) to the clothespin, and tie a knot on the other end of the rope. It is very easy for you to quickly snap the rope around any sized tree by this method as you do not have to stop to tie the knot or adjust the rope during the marking walk.

2. Use more concentrated blood for beginners. The closer you drop the blood drops, the easier it is for the dog. For a beginner, you can also use other substances such as stomach or meat-juice if the blood is not interesting to them.

3. The longer you wait after marking the trail, the harder it is for the dog.
 

If your dog isn't interested in going after the blood, it isn't worth forcing it to do so. After all, newfs are waterwork dogs, not scent/hunting dogs!

Tracking:

Tracking is almost the same as blood trials, except that the reward is a person, not a treat. Also you don't use blood. The blood is substituted by a person just walking the trail. It helps if the person walks heavily and drags their feet to get the maximum scent.

 
Ruuti tracking in summer -09

Ruuti tracking in summer -09, she has found the reward=MOMMYYY!!! :-)
In the picture you can see the orange twister rope used for marking the trail. We pick them up after the tracking is done.
 

(c) Salmelin