Tangentially mountain related... maybe

[splatek]

Well, after eight years of thinking my Catahoula leopard cur (Beans) was a useless couch potato with no nose, today I played around trying to teach him to track deer. I saved the legs off a deer I killed and dragged it around my yard. Then I wiped my finger on the portion between the toes/hooves and told him to "find it." On the first track, which was short, he took off almost directly for where I hid the leg, but along the track/drag. I praised the living heck out of him, which is something he prefers to treats. Then I tried a second track in a different direction from a different starting point; again right to it along the track. Then later this afternoon I tried two more tracks. The first was twice as long as those in the a.m. and we went right to it with one hiccup. But, golly it was cool watching him work - he would be on the track, then lose it, then test the air, then get right back to it. A good bit of praise and some gnawing on the foot and he was like a pig in you know what.... The last track I moved to a different yard and purposefully made the track winding and weaving through some high grass and a bush and over a few patio bricks and turf. It was a much longer track, about 4 times that of the morning training. Again he got there in seconds, making only one big mistake that he corrected by backtracking and another small mistake which just took a swing of the head in the opposite direction. Four for four! Whether this sticks or he goes back to being a useless couch potato, I am proud of my old boy today. Wish I would've started sooner. I guess it's on me to keep up with it now...

Since I am so new to this, I am open to any suggestions on material to read, websites to visit, or any info you are willing to share.

Here he is... with the foot in his mouth after a successful training. And of course he's a Bulldogs fan!

 

[Nicodemus]

That`s a fine looking dog.

 

[splatek]

That`s a fine looking dog.

Appreciate it
He has a checkerboard on his forehead that was super cute when he was a pup.

 

[antharper]

I’d say anytime you or a friend shoots a deer don’t even look for it and see how he does . Once he realizes what he’s doing or what you are wanting him to do he may be a natural . Fine looking dog also

 

[Raylander]

I had an old porch hound that i never trained. One day i needed him and he found my deer lickety-split. I regret not working with him earlier and more often. He was very smart and had a great nose

Try introducing blood. Try laying longer tracks. Try letting the tracks sit for hours or even overnight and see how he does.

 

[splatek]

I had an old porch hound that i never trained. One day i needed him and he found my deer lickety-split. I regret not working with him earlier and more often. He was very smart and had a great nose

Try introducing blood. Try laying longer tracks. Try letting the tracks sit for hours or even overnight and see how he does.

Appreciate the advice
Thank you

 

[Timberjack86]

We've trained several kemmer cur tracking dogs. We use the same system each time. Save several pounds of deer burger in the 1 pound tube. We use straight venison nothing else added. Thaw the tube overnight. Poke a few holes in the bottom right before you drag it. Start off with easy tracks then get progressively tougher. When your dog finds the pack of burger, praise the heck out of him and give him a quarter pound of it right there. Do that several times and everytime he smells blood he knows there's a huge reward. When my dogs start finding deer ill give them a kidney from the gut pile and praise the heck out of them!