Training your bmh for
blood tracking
Bavarian Mountain Hound's Nature and Disposition

Although this breed is non-aggressive, loving, gentle and very loyal they are hunting dogs first and foremost.  They are
not merely a dog to keep around the house as a pet. They are commonly referred to as blood tracking dogs but are
more specifically very specialized scent tracking dogs.  It is not only the small amounts of blood which they will follow but
also scent from inter-digital glands on the hooves of deer, digestive juices, and the overall scent of the animal that
makes each individual animal different from the other. They do very well as inside dogs when they are not tracking.
They become very attached to their owners, have a very laid back personality and love to play. They want to be with you
wherever you are,  even when you are not tracking.  But, they are happiest when they get plenty of time outside using
their nose and receiving regular mental and physical exercise.

Health Issues

I have found that the long ears are prone to yeast infection (with the high humidity that we have here in the South). This
is a minor issue if taken care of in a timely manner. Another issue is their tail. Their tail is always wagging because they
are a very happy dog. The tail is like a whip and they beat it on everything in the house when they get excited or they
are playing. Its sounds like it would really hurt but it does not seem to phase them. This can cause a problem when they
bust the tip open and blood goes everywhere. With the constant wagging of the tail they also tend to create calluses on
the bottom side of the tail if they are left in an outside kennel with concrete floors all the time.  The tail hurts when it
strikes you in the face or on bare legs.

Training

Over the years, proper breeding and training is what has made these dogs the great trackers they are. The tracking
ability is already there due to the breeding, but you have to fine tune it with training. Training a Bavarian Mountain
Hound (BMH) requires patience because not only are these dogs very smart, they can be hard headed.  They do not
take to harsh punishment or scolding. Being hard headed is one of the traits that makes them excellent trackers. When
they lock in on a scent they become single minded and focused on finding whatever they are tracking. The BMH
requires a totally different approach to training than most Americans are use to.  

Training starts around 10-12 weeks of age with a small 5-10 yard drag of either a liver or a piece of hide with blood on it.
This is just something to get the puppies used to using their nose. You want to see a dog that has a drive to follow the
line even at this age. Do not worry so much at an early age about obedience training, this breed catches onto what you
want from them very quickly. Getting them started on developing their nose is more important at this time and obedience
can be taught after they have started working their nose on a regular basis.

As the dog becomes 16 weeks old or a little older you can start laying out straight trails over 100 yards with ample
amounts of blood.  Age the track about 2 hrs at this point. You should lay some tracks on bare dirt which forces the dog
to breath in deeply to draw in the scent up off the ground, thus developing a dog with a "deep nose". This will help you
later on in tracking when you get a track that has very little or no blood. Always leave something at the end of the tracks
as a reward, either a food treat or a piece of hide or something along those lines. I prefer a deer leg at the end of the
tracks as a reward.

Once the dogs shows that it can do the 100 yard track with no problem, you can start putting in a turn or two with the
same amount of blood over varying terrain and at slightly longer distances. You can also start aging the line another
hour or so. Gradually increase the line length and decrease the amount of blood used in the track.  By 6 months old the
dog should be doing 12 hour old tracks over 500 yards.

Two of the most important things to remember during this time is to be patient and to make it fun. Remember the BMH's
do not take to being punished hard so you will need lots of patience and a soft hand. When you lay out your tracks and
the dog completes it give them plenty of praise and love. Of course, the more real tracks you can your dog on the
better. They do not care if the animal has already been "found".  There are so many scents on a real track that you will
never be able to reproduce on a mock trail. By all means have fun!

This breed is not considered an adult until they are 2 1/2 years old; However, they really start coming into their own
around age 3.  If you are not willing to take the time in training, or be dedicated to laying out the mock blood trails for
several years, then you will be dissatisfied with your dogs tracking abilities. It will not be the dog's fault but yours for not
spending the time required to fine tune the dog's nose. If you are not willing to do this, then this is not the dog for you.
But if you spend the time training, you will have a quality tracking dog that your are satisfied with for many years to come.

Basic equipment needs for tracking:

You need some means of dispensing blood like an old ketchup bottle for laying moderately heavy blood trails down to a
big syringe without the needle to make just small drops of blood as you make the tracks harder. An alternate to this is
using the  dab method. This method is just taking a sponge on a stick that you dab in blood and then on the ground as
you walk along making your track.

A Quality tracking collar or harness is also needed. The tracking collar should be at least 2 inches wide to spread out
the weight on the dogs neck as they pull during tracking. A good quality tracking collar can be purchased from Hans
Klein at Kleinwood Sporting Goods. If you are not planning on testing your dog with the JGHV then a harness works
really well.

A 30' lead made out of 8 mm climbing rope or some other stiff rope of the same size works well for a full grown BMH. You
will want to start the puppies out with a smaller diameter rope or cord when you first start tracking with them.

A quality light for night tracking is required. Always keep a back up light and extra bulbs in case your batteries die or
break a bulb. I prefer a 6 volt coon hunters light since it allows my hands to be free.  Check with your local game warden
about the legal restrictions regarding the use of or size of lights you track wounded game with.

Wear a pair of rubber boots when laying out trails to minimize your own scent.  They are also nice to keep your feet dry
when doing real tracks down in swampy bottoms .

There is a lot of other equipment that makes tracking easier or more comfortable.  My favorites are brier pants and shirt
for comfort and a gps unit so you know were you are and how far you have traveled on the track. But the things listed
above are all you need to get you and your dog started in the enjoyable sport of recovering wounded game with
leashed tracking dogs.
A quality book about leashed tracking
dogs has been written by John
Jeanneny and is now available. This is
the only book in English on this
subject. This is a must read for anyone
interested in getting started in tracking.
The book can be purchased by
clicking on John's book.
John's second addition is
now available and comes
in a hardback version also.
Hillock Kennels is a proud member of
Hillock Kennels

Williamson Ga 30292
770-468-5459
Contact
Ken Parker
Web site created and maintained by Ken.
Last updated 7-01-06