09/05/2026
The most common question I get asked every year by client dogs or newer handlers is how much do I have to run my dog after leaving training with me or before next season during the summer. And I train 12-18 dogs every spring and summer. Well that question can really vary depending on how comfortable you are at reading your dog and how much experience you have behind a lead. A bad handler can really mess up a solid dog on a track. Especially a young dog who’s still building confidence and is easily swayed by what the handler is doing. And then there’s experienced handlers that can make a dog look better than what they actually are by being able to read that dog. So I usually tell them don’t go crazy with it and overtrain them after they have it they don’t lose it. Experience matters on both ends of the lead. Train until you’re comfortable reading your dog. They don’t have to be perfect the entire track to get the job done efficiently. Lay some blind tracks and lay some known tracks so you can pick up what your dog is doing on the line and off the line. I like to get my own dogs out a few weeks before season because they both have experience already and it’s mainly just to knock the initial excitement out of them after not tracking for 7-8 months. This year I was so tied up and busy with client dogs that today was the first day I got my two pups out. And bear season starts in 4 days and deer season starts in 7 days. Two separate tracks both 1000+ yards and both aged 26+ hours. Anyone who has watched Freya track before knows it’s a work of art and so enjoyable to watch her. She was step for step with my track the entire way. If she believes she is right there’s no taking her off the line or influencing where she wants to go. But she has a ton of experience and I’ve spent a ton of time handling her over the past few seasons so I expected nothing less. Raven who doesn’t have nearly the experience Freya has also cranked this track out with no real issues. Just a little more time. She was a bit excited the first couple turns and made more work for herself then she needed to but self corrected beautifully on her own. I didn’t help her one bit and followed her wherever she wanted to go as a newer handler who can’t necessarily read their dog would do just to see what she would do and she cranked this track out no issues. She’s becoming more and more confident every season. No blood hoof only tracks. I’ll get Raven out a few more times before season to tone down that initial excitement and turn it more into focus. But these two hide pulling monsters are locked and ready to go. The time we have all been waiting for is just about here!
