08/27/2026
Ella is working hard today and excelling in her training!
When we talk about a dog tracking wounded game, it’s easy to say, “They just follow the scent.” But the reality is much more complex.
Different breeds and even individual dogs within the same breed can use their senses in very different ways.
Scent trailing dogs are often relying heavily on odor left behind by the animal. As a wounded deer moves through the woods, it leaves behind a constantly changing scent picture made up of skin cells, blood, tissue, interdigital gland secretions, disturbed vegetation, and other biological odors. A trained dog learns to recognize and follow that particular scent rather than simply following the most obvious blood sign.
Some breeds also incorporate sight into the process. Sighthounds and other visually oriented hunting breeds were developed to notice movement and locate game with their eyes, while still possessing functional scenting ability. Other dogs may use their vision to help navigate terrain, identify disturbed vegetation, locate visible blood, or confirm the direction a track is taking.
A dog may put its nose down and work a scent trail through thick cover, lift its head to the wind when conditions allow, visually recognize a trail crossing or disturbed vegetation, and then return to the ground scent when the trail becomes difficult.
This is one reason there is no single “perfect” tracking breed.
A versatile hunting breed may naturally combine scent, sight, and environmental awareness. With the right training, dogs can learn to work beyond what their natural instincts alone would provide.
The goal isn't simply to teach a dog to find blood. The goal is to teach the dog to find the wounded animal. That distinction matters.
A healthy deer may have traveled through the same area hours before the shot. Other deer may have crossed the exact same trail afterward. Rain, wind, temperature, terrain, and time can all change the scent picture.
A properly trained tracking dog has learned to discriminate between those competing scents and stay committed to the track that matters.
At Big Black River Kennels, we believe that understanding how a dog naturally works is just as important as teaching it what to do.
