How to Train Your Dog to Track Animals

Start training your dog to track animals and scents when she is approximately 6 months old. The younger you start training your dog, the more tracking becomes second nature. The best breeds for tracking are bloodhounds, beagles and Labrador retrievers. Take your puppy to an open field or deserted park during your first few training sessions. If possible, visit the area early in the morning before many people have walked around it and contaminated the area with their scent. You can also choose a location that is generally deserted.

Create an introductory scent path in the field or park while the your puppy remains in her kennel. In a straight line leading away from the kennel, place a dog treat on the ground every 6 to 10 feet. Crush each treat with your foot so that the aroma from the treat can be released and mixes with the smell of the grass and the rest of the environment. When you're approximately 20 feet away from the kennel, place your glove, hat or one of your puppy's favorite toys on the ground and place a crushed up treat on top of the item. This item will serve as the "reward" at the end of the trail and will teach your puppy that by following a scent path it will always eventually find something.

Release your puppy from the kennel and encourage her to follow the treat/scent path by saying things like "Go get it" and "Find it." Be very encouraging to the puppy but don't be too enthusiastic or the dog might get distracted. Each time the puppy successfully moves up the path and finds a treat, say "Good girl" or something similar to let her know that you are proud and that she is correctly following the path. The dog is learning to follow with its nose and to focus on one smell until it comes to the end of a certain scent track. Do two or three of these track activities per training session.

Add curves and turns to your track after a few weeks of training and make the tracking courses longer. You can also place items along your training paths that don't have crushed treats on top of them to test your dog and reinforce to her that she must ignore items and scents that are not part of the scent she's currently tracking. As your dog gets better at tracking, have a friend join your sessions. Have the friend hold a dog treat, let the dog smell your friend and the treat and then have the friend hide behind a tree or in some tall brush. Instruct your dog to "Find him" or "Go get him" and see how well your dog does tracking the scent of your friend and the treat.

Use the scent or blood of a certain animal you want your dog to track after a month or two of training. If you want to train your dog to hunt rabbits or fox, start using blood or other scents from that animal on the scents paths you create. Many animal scents can be purchased at hunting stores. Remember to continually praise your dog and pet her affectionately as she makes her way through a training path and successfully finds the item at the end.