515wingshooter
Active member
To everyone's knowledge which breeds scent through air and which scent through tracks/ground? Or does it just depend on the dog, the situation, or a breed thing?
Scenting Breed questions
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Dakotazeb
Well-known member
Not sure of the correct answer to your question but this happened to me last fall while hunting with Natty Bumpo and his American Field Cockers. Natty dropped a rooster ahead of him in the CRP and the rooster ran. His Cockers were trying to track it with ground scent, in the meantime my Brittany got over there and picked up the air scent. In a flash she had that rooster and was on her way back to me with it. But I have also seen my Brittany ground track a wounded bird. So I think it might depend a lot on the circumstances and the dog. If the scent is really fresh like in the case of Natty's bird they can use the air but may have to resort to ground scent if the breeze has blown the air scent away.
Uncle Buck
New member
Would depend on which way the wind is blowing. If not down or cross the dog is not going to pick it up on the wind.
Most of the Vesitile breeds have the ability to do both well or satisfactorily. My dogs vary as to tracking ability, and there are some that are out standing. Currently Fin Renard's Ion Flirt, aka Flirt is my best tracker. She can track a roadrunner in the desert. She is having pups Monday the 26th of Aug. in Idaho. She ran a cripple down my son just wing tipped last fall after the bird circled around us and was 200 yards away. Her mother is an import and we believe the euro dogs are better tracking with less prey drive and wind nose then their American bred counterpoints. We bred her to a male with long roots in North America, tho most of my dogs have at least one import grandparent.
Wet or snow conditions help immensley. You can train for it also, best at the puppy stage. .
Most of the Vesitile breeds have the ability to do both well or satisfactorily. My dogs vary as to tracking ability, and there are some that are out standing. Currently Fin Renard's Ion Flirt, aka Flirt is my best tracker. She can track a roadrunner in the desert. She is having pups Monday the 26th of Aug. in Idaho. She ran a cripple down my son just wing tipped last fall after the bird circled around us and was 200 yards away. Her mother is an import and we believe the euro dogs are better tracking with less prey drive and wind nose then their American bred counterpoints. We bred her to a male with long roots in North America, tho most of my dogs have at least one import grandparent.
Wet or snow conditions help immensley. You can train for it also, best at the puppy stage. .
BrownDogsCan2
Well-known member
Buck in your opinion can a dog rely to heavily on ground scent. I'm limited in dogs to compare, but assumed a dog would lean in the direction they had most success with. Some of it having to with their physiology. If thats the right terminology?
I know you can train to track, but can you train the other way. Or will a dog revert back to its past successes?
I know you can train to track, but can you train the other way. Or will a dog revert back to its past successes?
Uncle Buck
New member
Buck in your opinion can a dog rely to heavily on ground scent. I'm limited in dogs to compare, but assumed a dog would lean in the direction they had most success with. Some of it having to with their physiology. If thats the right terminology?
I know you can train to track, but can you train the other way. Or will a dog revert back to its past successes?
Tough questions. Sometimes a dog has to rely on ground scent, but overall you want them winding birds. Depends a lot on conditions. I will see better tracking of single, non-crippled birds when there is snow on the ground. Obviously better conditions and it seems some dogs stay zeroed in on that track rather than the wind. Overall I am just going to state thatwhile some are better at tracking, expose your dog often as possible to as many birds as possible in different conditions. Not hard to do in SD and the other Plains States. If a dog doesn't show some good nose in a decent breeze naturally (let's say esposure to planted or wild birds that you know are their after 6 or so occasions), I am not going to spend a lot of time trying to train it to use it's nose in the wind. They claim a dogs nose is 10,000 better than man's. That pup should be showing it to you at 4 months.
I did have one Pud that seemed more hound than upland no matter how many birds we put in front of him. Just would not keep his head up. I neutered him and gave him to my sister and bro-in-law. He hunted him on an occasion or two and he pointed some. Was out of my first litter in 1990 and this weekend should see our 20th litter. Have never seen another one like that. He was a great pet tho!
BrownDogsCan2
Well-known member
Thanks buck. Im limited to a dog about every eight years. So really Ive only worked with three. The first was a bird finder who leaned a little bit more towards the track.
.but legs were young so I didnt care
Second a tracker foremost. She had her moments but mediocre for the most part.
The dog I'm hunting now is a high head dog, least track of all of them.
Im a couple years out but wanting to find the balance
And be able to recognize it and develop it.
I know I know....pudelpointer
Appreciate you getting back to me, thanks again!
.but legs were young so I didnt care
Second a tracker foremost. She had her moments but mediocre for the most part.
The dog I'm hunting now is a high head dog, least track of all of them.
Im a couple years out but wanting to find the balance
And be able to recognize it and develop it.
I know I know....pudelpointer
Appreciate you getting back to me, thanks again!
Have had five Golden's and all of them with excellent noses. Number four dog is blind and uses his nose on the ground and in the air, Finding his way back to our deck, he seems to hold his head in the air vs on the ground. He was outstanding on crippled birds, in his day.
When on scent, all the dogs seem to have their head on the ground, ears back and neck out - a sign to me the dog is very close to a bird, usually a runner, although dog #5 points he has his head down and body stretched.
Bottom line: depends on the situation...
When on scent, all the dogs seem to have their head on the ground, ears back and neck out - a sign to me the dog is very close to a bird, usually a runner, although dog #5 points he has his head down and body stretched.
Bottom line: depends on the situation...