# Training dog to track using Aniseed Oil



## yellvis (Oct 31, 2008)

Hi

Has anyone used aniseed oil to make an exciting game/training method for your dog to track?

We have an 8 month beagle and would like to do this with him and have read about using aniseed oil.

has anybody used this and is it worthwhile? and if so what type of aniseed oil do you need? can you get it from the chemist?


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2009)

Be very careful doing this as a lot of gamekeepers add this to the pheasant food, I don't think a keeper would be too happy if your dog ended up amongst their birds.
Lovely idea though, maybe someone could come up with another scent


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2009)

whatabout tracking cloths with your own scent, or can you buy deer scent in a bottle???


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2009)

DoubleTrouble said:


> whatabout tracking cloths with your own scent, or can you buy deer scent in a bottle???


 deer scent??? could be even worse


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2009)

Didn't think we were quite up for rooting out bin laden yet! couldn't do much damage with a tracking lead surely.


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2009)

It's when the tracking lead is off and your trying to go for a walk off lead and bump into a deer.
You've just taught your dog to chase them


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2009)

rona said:


> It's when the tracking lead is off and your trying to go for a walk off lead and bump into a deer.
> You've just taught your dog to chase them


Thanks Rona two views below

Not saying I fully agree with the above - when tracking you lay the track - probably a few hours before - should the dog not only be focused on that scent at that time?

We came across Jack Deer last year whilst away - However, I could with complete confidence say that would not have been a problem with my girl - her recall was always 100% - the two muppets I have now though!! not so sure - so point taken.
DT


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2009)

While tracking yep, should be one scent, it's when you're just out for a stroll. This is a beagle I believe, not the easiest dogs to control when noses are to the ground


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2009)

rona said:


> While tracking yep, should be one scent, it's when you're just out for a stroll. This is a beagle I believe, not the easiest dogs to control when noses are too the ground


Yeah but a beagle would follow any scent Rona - once it got wind! - laid or not!
DT


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2009)

So, if you want to do this with your dog, it would be better to have a scent that it wouldn't normally bump into at other times


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2009)

Then surely it has to be scenting cloths and the handlers own scents.


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## hollie.hocks (Sep 30, 2008)

Hi, I haven't heard of that before, if you find out anymore, let us know.

With regard to tracking, have a look at my last post that I started, I wouldn't encourage it!!! 

Alfie was always so good, any beagle owners we came across couldn't believe that we could possibly let him off, well, now I'm joining their club! 

With him, it's just not worth the risk, I hope yours doesn't turn out the same!

H x


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2009)

Training Articles - Teaching your dog to track

Here a way of doing it without too much risk, but it's best with two people


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## yellvis (Oct 31, 2008)

Thanks guys

we don't ever let him off lead when outside - read and heard far too much advice saying you should never let your beagle off lead (Hollie - read your thread about losing your Beagle when off lead and sounds horrendous) - the only time we have let him off lead outside is in a running track on a local playing field that is totally fenced in all the way around, and does he come back when we call, i'd say 50-50 so far unless theres another dog on the other side of the fence and he wants to play then he never comes back!

we just wanted to give him a little "tracking" game whilst in the house or in the garden - and maybe eventually do it in the woods when with 2 people (ie one runs off with the scented rag and the other has the dog on its lead while its tracking)

just want to give him the mental stimulation of tracking his breed needs.

trouble with using our own scent on a rag at home is that our scent would be everywhere anyway.

maybe aniseed would be too strong in the woods - might end up with a whole pack of dogs chasing me!


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2009)

I think it is a brilliant idea, this is what a beagle is bred to do.
If you do it I think you will have a very happy little dog


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## alphadog (Jan 29, 2009)

rona said:


> Training Articles - Teaching your dog to track
> 
> Here a way of doing it without too much risk, but it's best with two people


Great link rona! My friend and I play tracking games with our combination of dogs (all sorts of breeds - including my brother's beagle at the moment) just by draggin a new tennis ball through the woods and fields - have you ever noticed how strong tennis bals smell when new?!? The dogs love it and no need for special equipment although we have wondered about getting some aniseed.

I don't let the beagle off the lead, I just run behind her getting twigs up my nose and brambles in my socks - all good fun :thumbup:


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2009)

alphadog said:


> Great link rona! My friend and I play tracking games with our combination of dogs (all sorts of breeds - including my brother's beagle at the moment) just by draggin a new tennis ball through the woods and fields - have you ever noticed how strong tennis bals smell when new?!? The dogs love it and no need for special equipment although we have wondered about getting some aniseed.
> 
> I don't let the beagle off the lead, I just run behind her getting twigs up my nose and brambles in my socks - all good fun :thumbup:


Sounds great fun, it's a pity more Beagle owners don't do it.
You should all get hold of the breed club and get them to organize this with competitions etc.


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## alphadog (Jan 29, 2009)

It's interesting to watch how the different breeds go about the job in hand too... for example, my BC cross knows what we're doing and just runs in circles till she finds it, the retreiver collects it and proudly marches back with his head held high and the spaniel very nearly waggs her tail right off!! The beagle takes it all very seriously, and quickly!


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## hollie.hocks (Sep 30, 2008)

Hi,

I've now found out all about this, we took Alfie drag hunting! It was brilliant, we went to crufts and spoke to the beagle club and they told us all about it, see the link below. You're right, they lay a line which is basically an old rag dragged around a field which has been soaked in oil and aniseed.

All the beagles are let loose and they have to follow the scent round, we went last saturday and Alfie absolutely loved it, he's definitely got a very strong hunting instinct. We were really worried he wouldn't come back and just run off but everytime he searched us out in the crowd and came straight back to us.

The season runs Sept - March, have a look:

Working Section

H x


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2009)

That sounds like so much fun, I hope other beagle owners consider it


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## scarter (Apr 26, 2009)

We'd like to try this with ours, but we're in Scotland and there's nothing up here. We did contact the Beagle Club down south and the invited us to join them if we're ever down south.

The best beagle sport we have up here is Beagle Racing - here's a little video clip:

Beagle Racing 2008 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Anyway, back to drag hunting. My husband's concern with this is that it could be like opening pandora's box - teach them what their nose is really for and you might have trouble stopping them.

I asked someone from the drag hunting down south about this and her response was "They're tracking aniseed. You don't get that in the wild so I can't imagine it being a problem. But having said that I never let mine off lead as they chase deer".

I can see both sides to this. On the one hand if you give your dog an outlet for his instincts it might be possible to control when he engages in hunting. On the other hand, teach him to do it and he might not be able to stop!

But I sure would love to see my dogs doing this. They would love it!!!


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

Working trials training incorporates tracking on a harness and long line, Indie's good at this, but Tau never took to it. The scent they actually track is what the track layer has scuffed up with their feet, so all the little foliage and dirt molecules that remain disturbed and different to the immediate surroundings, as well as anything left by the track layer - so if they walk across a piece of grass, then hard soil, some of the grass scent may carry with them. 

I started out with laying treats down on a straight track about 100 paces, which you double scuff (ie really drag your feet as you're laying it, and once you've got to the end, turn round and scuff back to the beginning trying not to kick or scuff away any of the treats) and lay treats randomly evern 5, 10 or 15 paces, it encourages them to get their nose down and the treats aren't at a set distance. At the end of the track they get a reward of a few treats. 

You need to get along to classes really to learn all about wind direction and how scent cones work - with this type of tracking you start with the wind behind you, sounds odd but the wind blowing a lot of scent into a dogs' face can be confusing, with the wind behind you the concentration of scent is down on the ground, where your dogs' nose needs to be. Cross winds, corners and all the variations can easily throw a dog that isn't used to them, as the track can just seem to disappear.


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