When to start scent training ?

charlieboy-shooter

Well-Known Member
Hi Guys,

Jumping the gun here a bit but thought I’d ask early to hopefully get sorted, condition myself and acquire any bits as required.

Picked up my new pup a few days back, she’s now a 10 week old working cocker. I know as such she’s probably not the preferred breed but for me it was always going to be a working cocker.

So ideally I would like to train her to track a scent. So the question is when to start at what age. Any top tips of do’s and don’t whilst she is still a proper baby.
Any recommendations on good literature or any guidance which could be of help. ( I have ‘training spaniels’ by Joe Irving from my current Cocker) however this is more suited standard working and field trials.
I’m in no mad rush as I just want to lay the foundations 1st with sitting, recall, lead walking etc. Ah yes going to the toilet outside. ( so she’s a house dog too)
I don’t know if there’s any truth in this but I heard sometime back that’s it’s not good to train a dog to do field work and then tracking. So one or the other. In truth I think my beating days are over well at least until I have more spare time so I’m not necessarily worried if that’s so.
Thanks
 
I am just training a GWP pup now for deer, all my other dogs are used as general purposes dogs, from deer, rough shooting, falconry to various standards of success😊.
This pup I have decided just to concentrate on deer for the time being, she is 5 months old, had her from 8 weeks old, before starting her on scent work I have got the basics, sit /stay and heel on the lead, my GWP has a very high prey drive so breaking her to sheep has been a challenge.

she has also been out with the 410 shot gun to get used to the noise whilst running with my other GWP.

I wanted to get all the basics in place before I let my dogs hunt anything up, as it is easier to introduce what can be hunted and they leave every thing else alone.
she has had the odd deer head and feet as chews when I first had her just for her to associate the smell with fun tasty meals
.
I am no expert dog trainer but this is how I attempt to train mine, get the basics and once they have that then introduce the quarry they can hunt when the dog is ready.

My new pup is in the very early stages of tracking , but it is going well.
Just have fun and enjoy it
 
Thanks Jon P. Good luck with the training.
Possibly a bit early but I was looking in one of the freezers and came across some deer legs so thought I'd defrost one and offer to her, just to see her response as she's on raw food anyway. She absolutely loved it although my daughter, other half and other dog wasn't impressed especially when she was running around the house with it. Maybe it's a girl thing as my son and I thought it was a positive response. Actually quiet entertaining to see her with it.
Looking-at some of the other threads and reading reviews elsewhere the following book is recommended and reviews well. 'Tracking dogs for finding wounded deer' by John Jeanneney. However obtaining a copy seems a complete new challenge.
 
Thanks Jon P. Good luck with the training.
Possibly a bit early but I was looking in one of the freezers and came across some deer legs so thought I'd defrost one and offer to her, just to see her response as she's on raw food anyway. She absolutely loved it although my daughter, other half and other dog wasn't impressed especially when she was running around the house with it. Maybe it's a girl thing as my son and I thought it was a positive response. Actually quiet entertaining to see her with it.
Looking-at some of the other threads and reading reviews elsewhere the following book is recommended and reviews well. 'Tracking dogs for finding wounded deer' by John Jeanneney. However obtaining a copy seems a complete new challenge.
I don’t think it ever to early to get them chewing on a deer leg 😊, I will keep an eye out for that book👍
 
Don't want to upset folks but I spent ages training a gwp on deer. It was ok , passable ! Settingbblood trails the works .
I didn't train my lab ( well apart from general gundog work and obedience) . Ran absolute rings round the gwp I had though , the only things he won't do is bark or pull on a tracking line if he feels tension he stops and waits looking back with that " catch up two leg look "
Its actually easy for a dog to trail a deer they stink and dogs have evolved to hunt them. Now that old wounded goose or cock pheasant that don't leave as much trail and flies every now and then is hard !
So when to start I suppose I never did on deer I just needed him one day besides being among them all his life and getting bits off them to eat or chew I never did
 
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