Back Tracking

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How do you stop it?????I have seven hounds and one has started to back track. I noticed it when I had him out solo. He had a long check and came out of it going the wrong way. I E-nailed him, but don't want to hit him too hard and break his spirit. He's just a year old and has it all, good foot speed, good nose, lots of hunt. I'm trying to get him ready for LP trials this fall but I won't put up with that. NEED HELP.....I'll try anything. Give me your ideas......Please..........Russ.....

[bowhunter59]

I BROKE 1 FROM DOIN THAT ! i would holler NO! SOMETIMES HE WOULD LOOK AT ME TURN around and go the right way and other times i would e mail him lol.....after about a month he stopped and if he went the opther way whenb the were trying to figure it out in the check area he would never open till he got it right!he's young give him time!

[CHAD_PLUNKETT]

Try walking or running right behind him where he just ran the rabbit purposely messing up the scent so its not as easy for him to backtrack. I probably wouldnt use the e collar on him for backtracking. For fear that he would quit running all together. He's also still young and some dogs will backtrack when they are young until they get some more experience.

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[Guest]

good post I have had some backtrackers in my day with very little success breaking them. I dont want to depress you but if you find away please post I would be interested. When a dog back tracks it is my opinion that they are a little short in the brain department. It depends on how serious a dog is back tracking too. If he is going back 5-10 yards working a check I dont worry but when he goes 15-50yards the wrong way then it is a little out of hand. If he is going the wrong way for just a short way and turns back the right way I wouldnt let it bother you to much.

[Brian]

Certain lines are notorious for this! Backtracking is usually just one problem in hounds that show this characteristic. It seems alot of time the same dogs that back track will also be a little mouthy or just over eager to open on scent and often caught dog tracking. I'm not saying your dog is like this just keep a close eye on him he may become real disruptive for the rest of your dogs. Personally i have never seen a full fledged back tracker broken from this trait. All young dogs will occasionally get excited and get turned on a track but most when they realize they are wrong will immediately turn and work it out.

The biggest difference i see in beagles is some run the track and others run the rabbit if you know what i mean. The rabbit runners want to find the rabbit and the track runners want to find a track just about any hound you see that back tracks is a track runner!

Just my opinion the way i see it! No offense intended to anyone or their hounds.

[wingpatch]

Just forget a min. That this dog is running rabbit scent the wrong way And think about this. If this dog has ran this track one way and turned around and went back the other Not only is he going backwards he is doing it over his own tracks[Scent]. In my book there is no excuse. None.. Plain And simple he has no Brains Or has no desire to us the little he has. It is just like Brian said back tracken is not the only problem you are going to have...Wingpatch

[snowshoehareguide]

russ ... i dont have any sure fire cure... ive seen one dog with a great nose that didnt do any back tracking..... i guess i have more tolerance than some for this cause ive seen so many that backtracked a little that also ran when nothing else could... the more nose a dog has the more likely he is to back track... if its excessive i would e-nail him... id also give him some time.. run him alone and work on it ... down him and turn him around . id make it real clear that i wasnt happy with it.. in my bear hounds i really look for coldtrailing as a good thing... some of these dogs start out as back trackers.. a lot get over it... i dont seperate my beagles much from any hound.. i like a super cold nosed dog... i want to run anytime anywhere.. i dont want a beagle thats a bad back tracker but i think ive owned one good one that NEVER backtracked... anyways never surprise me if a dog back tracks surprises me if they dont .. ive seen some dogs just plain stupid that were just as happy to backtrack and i call that a cull.. i hate a dog like that. but if i culled every dog i owned that ive seen back track i would only had one decent dog in thirty years.. but anyways thats just my opinion... not too popular among most beaglers.. also dont see many beaglers want to run when its below zero or all crust.. easier to whine about poor scenting.. every time dogs cant run its poor scenting. i think this real hard line on backtracking and extra mouth is the reason for so many poor scenting days.. send pipe bomb to 1554 loop rd north troy vt

[MasonsBeagles]

Ok this summer I have seen what i thought was backtracking and right before I brought out the lightening I saw a rabbit running in front of my hound. WIth that said be sure they are backtracking. Little bunnies make dogs look funny.

Every one of mine at one time or another has hit a backtrack. Never bad and dont do it ever if ever but on occassion I have seen them. When I notice it I yell No and it usually corrects them. If not well that is what ole shock collar is for I bump them on the lowest setting and yell no. My pup started it after about a month in the wild. SOme say it is the starting pen and it might be. I have noticed that if I run a young dog with older dogs and keep them stretched out for a while I usually dont have the problem. I not sure guess they get used to running it the right way and dont run it backwards anymore.

Best trick if I know one will hit a backtrack is to stay close to the race where i know I will be their to administer my handling skills. lol My little pack dogs are fast so running with them and seeing all of it is out of the question, but I will walk across the circle and watch the races. I like doing this because I am able to see some of the race and if I get lucky get in front of the rabbit and get to check out exactly how my dogs are doing.

[Chris__Herpin]

I haven't seen a dog that's exceptional at working a double that didn't backtrack a little. I'll take a little backtracking, but nothing excessive. Sometimes when working a double a dog will be mistaken for backtracking. I've seen guys accuse dogs of backtracking that didn't know what they were looking at. Like working a double in a swampy slough and working the line in the opposite direction and actually hsve it. I'm just saying I don't like a backtracker, but just be careful before you make a mistake and cull a keeper.

[Guest]

Snowshoe-----Here is the plan.....Good or Bad........Solo Every Morning
I have a 50 acre training area that is somewhat flat which allows me to use my Polaris. I'm 65 and need all the help I can get to keep up with these LP hounds. I Train 6 days a week starting @ 7:am. He is the first dog out SOLO. When he has a loss I'm right on top of him. As long as he is working the check area - Fine - I give him 3 minutes then call DEAD TRACK. This way he doesn't become frustrated because he can't recover his loss and I think that may a big part of the problem. He handles real well and responds to " Dead Track ". So we move on to a different area and start the process over again. If he pulls out of the check area and/or starts to backtrack I e-Nail him and give him time to respond, If I'm not satisified I call a Dead Track and we start again. We have only had two sessions so far but I think he is begining to understand the program. I intend to allow him more time in the Check Area as he makes progress. I certainly do not intent to give up on him.
Mason....... I agree with you on the young rabbits, and that may be very reason he started. They won't run out of a small area and cover the same ground. So many track to confuse a young dog. That's another reason for 3 minutes in the check area. You need a four wheeler to keep up
Chris........Cottontails will sometimes double back on their own track for a ways and lose the dogs. My dog is definitly a Keeper. When the track is hot he can run the HARE off them
Thanks for all your comments. I'll take all the advise I can get.....Russ

[ACOMEAU]

Give him some more time, some of your dogs with the best nose will back track some. I would run him with a medium speed bitch that is very tight and percise. If he has any leg, he will get out infront and after a loss, she will come along and correct him. If he starts to run backward after a loss, she should be coming right along to turn him around. I cured a dog two summers ago that was a year old with this method. She runs a decent rabbit today. The longer it goes without correction the less likely you will cure it, and sometimes its just bred into them. Those dogs are useless.

[Guest]

acomeau....I have done just as you suggest with the same result. That is my plan for Phase II. If Solo training doesn't work. Or better yet maybe I'll do both and see what happens. Thanks for the comments Russ

[swing]

Is this dog bred the same as the other 6 dogs you are running or is it different breeding.
Might have something to do with that, maybe some of the guys on here have had some of the same problems you are having with that same breeding.
Trent

[arrow]

SWING.........Different line......Do think it's genetic?????Today he did just fine with my 3 min per loss rule. Ran strong for 15 min. Then had a loss and I pulled him off...No Backtracking.....Second rabbit about the same...Third he got a Jump-Strike, rabbit went in a hole about 100 yrds....High temp and high humidity, and he (the rabbit) didn't want to run. He hunted hard for the next 45 min. No rabbits, so I picked him up. I think he's making progress. Still looking for ideas......Russ