PSE- some of the best (not me) dog trainers in the world use breeds that you would never expect. I have friends who own dachshunds. Others say Drathaars, and then of course there are the bloodhounds and beagles.

The rule of thumb is that if you have a dog, he 'could' be a good blood tracker. I would guess that 80% or more is the handler/not the dog... but of course, some dogs just do not have a good nose or not as smart as others and cannot connect blood and deer scent together!

I am using an english pointer which is historically bred with bloodhound, greyhound, italian pointer, and bulldog- to form the breed we know today. The result is a very strong tracking nose with stamina!

I use her for upland hunts as well. She knows she is tracking deer when the harness is placed on her. While hunting birds, she is free and she seems to know the difference.

I have NOT had an issue while bird-hunting with her chasing deer. If she shows interest, or chases a deer while we are bird hunting, she gets reminded with her electric collar... and problem mostly fixed. We do not give dogs enough credit- and they likely know what their duty is when we take them afield.

Ideally, tracking dogs need to be taught to first have interest in blood, while they associate the smell of a specific deer. My pup is just shy of 2-years old, which means she is still young and learning this objective now.

I have had tracking jobs where she is SOLID on blood and takes you right to the animal, and others where the blood stops and she picks up on (a) deer and tracks that deer. It may/may not be the deer with the blood especially if there were several deer in the area when the target was shot... that becomes tricky and where I need to learn more!

The key is experience, and we are hoping for more!! I am sorry to those who have txt'd, emailed etc, and have been just too far for us, or we were 3-hours west hunting when you called.

WE NEED MORE TRACKERS out there-- period! and it starts today, with the dog you have on the coach. Get them out there!!! you will be surprised how well they respond.

Take them on EACH deer tracking experience you have, and they will train themselves over time. Gather blood from your next harvest, bottle/freeze it, and use it in your backyard to give your dog a mission-- ending with a pile of treats at the end. This is enough to get them started and there is PLENTY of tips/information on the web to get you going from there.