Is real blood used?
In training and at trials, a small amount of abattoir blood is used, precisely so the trail resembles a real one. No animal is hurt for it.
Hunting dogs
Blood Tracking
Of all the trials in this group, this one has the most practical use. The dog follows a blood trail that's hours old, sometimes a day old, to find wounded game. For hunters it's an ethical duty, and the sport grew out of that.
About the discipline
What Blood Tracking is
Blood tracking is how a dog finds wounded game that has run off. At sporting trials the trail is laid artificially with a small amount of blood, then left for several hours to age.
The dog works in a harness on a long line, nose down. It works slowly and methodically. Competition trails have corners, breaks and stretches with no blood at all. That's where you see whether the dog can pick the line up again after losing it.
Of all the hunting trials, this one has the clearest ethical case: a wounded animal that isn't found suffers. That's why many countries require a tracking dog to be on hand for big game hunts.
How it works in practice
What a trial looks like
- an artificial trail, laid with a little blood
- trail age from a few hours up to a day
- corners, breaks and stretches with no blood
- the dog works in a harness on a long line
- the handler reads the dog, not the ground
- the dog shows where the trail ends
- the method gets scored as well as the result
Which dogs it suits
- dachshunds by tradition, plus Bavarian and Hanoverian hounds
- any dog with a good nose and the patience for slow work
- hunters who take on the job of recovering wounded game
What you need
- a tracking harness and a 6 to 10 metre line
- field kit and a head torch
- access to woodland for training
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Blood Tracking
Which breeds suit it?
Traditionally the dachshund and the Bavarian and Hanoverian mountain hounds, which have been bred for this for centuries. In practice any dog with a good nose and some patience can learn it, even breeds with no hunting background.
What does it have in common with mantrailing?
In both, the dog follows a scent line with its nose, in a harness on a long line, and the handler learns to read the dog. The difference is the target scent: animal blood in one, a particular person's individual scent in the other.
From the same category
Related sports
Field Trials
Trials in open country where judges watch how hunting dogs search.
Retrieving Trials
Trials where the dog brings back game or dummies, cleanly and on command.
Pointing Trials
Trials where the dog searches for game and indicates it with a firm point.
Spaniel Trials
Trials where the spaniel pushes game out of thick cover and then retrieves on command.
We do not run Blood Tracking
This page is informational. We work in mantrailing, search and rescue and preparation for the TSAC and BH exams - but if you want an honest opinion on what would suit your dog, write to us anytime.