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Post by tannerjohn on Mar 7, 2007 15:38:03 GMT -5
I am having a hard time getting my Drahthaar to track rabbits.If he smells a rabbit he will point it or chase it,but he does not seem to want to track the sent trail. He has no proplem tracking birds,and he has a very high pray drive. I am testing him for his VJP and i am concerned about the rabbit track. Any suggestions?
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Post by Wildflugel on Mar 7, 2007 16:17:05 GMT -5
Tannerjohn:
I am not sure how much time you have before your spring VJP test. But there are a couple of things that you can do to help get him ready for the tracking phase of the test.
I always have rabbits in my freezer for use as drags. If you have any dead rabbits (those you have either shot during the hunting season or picked up as road kill) you might try dragging one and leaving it at the end of the drag for your young pup to find. To start out I would drag the rabbit in a straight line without any turns or curves. Make sure to leave the rabbit behind a grass clump or in a depression so when the pup is working the track he does not see the rabbit and run right up to it, but has to rely on his nose to find it.
I start out working the track with the wind to my back. I want my pup to have to follow ground scent instead of having the wind blow the scent into his face. Once the pup is working the track with some reliability start incorporating sweeping turns and obtuse angles. I do not always leave a rabbit at the end of the track, I want to keep the pup guessing. Do not work so many tracks that the pup becomes bored with the exercise. You want to keep the pup in "balance" between tracking and pointing.
I will send you a personal message regarding another exercise you can do with your puppy. I hesitate posting the information on this public forum. Check your mail box on this web site.
Good luck with your pup.
Wildflugel
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Post by wowposter on Oct 31, 2008 22:07:21 GMT -5
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