Kit for the dog that follows up. Tracking lines, brass bells, Acme whistles, scent powder for laying a training line, slip leads and padded mats for the kennel or the back of the truck.
Working a tracking dog
- Track on a long line, not a lead. The Bisley 8mm line runs to six metres, which keeps the dog ahead of you and under control at the same time. A short lead turns tracking into towing.
- A bell earns its keep in cover. A brass bell tells you where the dog is when you cannot see it, which in standing rape or deep bracken is most of the time.
- Train the line before you need it. Tracking powder lets you lay an artificial line in the garden or the paddock so the dog learns the job before it is asked to do it on a wounded beast in failing light.
- Keep the recall whistle separate. A 575 Shepherd's Mouth nickel whistle carries differently from a plastic pealess pattern. Whichever you settle on, stay on it — a dog learns the pitch, not the brand.
Following up is a legal and welfare obligation, not an optional extra. Anyone shooting deer should have access to a dog that will do it, whether that is their own or a neighbour's.
Related
- Collars & leads and whistles
- Dummies & launchers for gundog training
- Deer extraction and larder equipment
