REVISED:12/95

Section I. Admission

1. Dogs of any age and breed are permitted to participate in the Artificial Blood Tracking Test.
2. All dogs which participate in the Artificial Blood Tracking Competition are required to take the Pretest described in Appendix I or if they have not taken the Pretest they are to pay a double entry fee. The additional fee may be refunded if the judges conclude that the dog was seriously trained for the competition.
3. No more than six dogs may be judged in an Artificial Blood Tracking Competition on any given day.

Note: Dog placement during tests.

Within the various "prize classes" the dog with the better performance will be placed ahead of the next best, disregarding conformation and age.

4. The Blood tracking Competition Judges shall decide whether the competition will take place in cases where the weather conditions might affect the fairness of the competition or the safety of the participants. All bloodlines must be laid on bare ground.

1. A candidate, who is a Deer Search member, may be approved as a Deer Search Judge after completing all of the following requirements:

1. must have trained, handled and passed a dog on a DSI certification line.
2. must have apprenticed on at least two (2) artificial test lines. These two (2) apprenticeships cannot be done on the same day.
3. as an apprentice must have recommendations from two different judging groups, not necessarily six different judges.
4. must have assisted in the preparation of at least one test line.
5. must have been actively involved in field activities as a Deer Search member for two (2) years.
6. must be a Deer Search Certified Handler.

(Judges must have satisfied all six requirements a through f above.)

-OR-

1. Be a current JGHV (Jagdgebrauchshundverband) judge.

B. Three (3) judges will be used. One of these must be a Deer Search Judge.

Note: In each test one of the judges must be familiar with the line being judged.

Section III. Preparation of the Track

1. The track will be 800 to 1000 meters in length and will incorporate three (3) 90-degree turns. The tracks will stand from 20 to 24 hours and must be laid in game-rich areas. The start shall be placed in an area as natural as possible, i.e. on paths, in nurseries, meadows or fields that are situated next to a forest and then laid into it. Two (2) wound beds have to be distinctly marked on the track. These wound beds will not be placed at the 90-degree turns. The preparation of the wound bed will be made by clearing away all leaves and sticks to form a circle of bare ground at least a meter in diameter.
2. An approved DSI judge must be present when all artificial blood lines are laid out and the blood is placed.
3. For each test a choice must be made either to drip deer blood (from a squeeze bottle) or to dab it (with a small sponge on a stick) every 60 cm. to a meter (approximately every 2 to three feet). Once the technique has been chosen, it must be used for every line in the test.
4. If blood tracking tests are held repeatedly in one area, the course of the track has to be altered each time. It is not permitted that persons knowing the course of the track handle dogs during a blood tracking test.

1. For the length of the track of 1000 meters, a maximum of 250 ml. (1/2 pint) is to be used.
2. If possible, deer blood should be used. Chemical additives are not permitted. However, deer blood, which has been frozen within 12 hours after it has been drawn, may be used.

1. The dog has to work exclusively on a leash. He has to lead to the kill on a leash of a minimum of six meters. A proper tracking collar or harness shall be used. The handler must attempt to use a majority of the leash when possible. As kill, a deer or deer skin must be used. To make their judgement the judges have to observe how the dog behaves at the beginning of the blood trail; how he works the trail, and how he occasionally corrects himself.
2. A dog is allowed to lose the track twice. If a dog has lost the track he has to be given sufficient time to correct himself. For this reason the judges should call him back only if the dog goes 75 meters beyond the track. The judges' behavior must not give any indication that the dog has lost the track. Corrections can be made by the handler. He may pick up the dog, or lead the dog, to return to a spot where visible signs have been found, but the handler has to give a reason for this to the judges. Repeated picking up of the dog without giving reasons leads to the deduction of points or even to failure of the test, even when the kill has been found.
3. In the Blood Tracking Competition there is a 60-minute time limit for working the blood trail to the kill. Dogs that exceed this limit will be dropped from the blood tracking competition. Dogs may be dropped before the 60 minutes have passed, if the judges conclude that the dog is not making significant progress.

The evaluation of the dogs at the blood tracking test is accomplished with index and score numbers. The following categories of performance are tested and evaluated as follows:

A) Steadiness and Concentration Index number 10

B) Tracking Accuracy Index number 8

C) Willingness to Track Index number 7

Awarded Score Numbers

0 -- Unsatisfactory
1 -- Needs Improvement
2 -- Satisfactory
3 -- Good
4 -- Outstanding

Minimum requirements for a First Prize

Minimum Requirements for a Second Prize

Minimum Requirements for a Third Prize

The judges should recognize that different breeds have different speeds and different working styles. In multi-breed competition each dog will be judged in accordance with the standards of the breed or type rather than one universal model. Judges should not expect the same speed from a Dachshund that they would find in a Drahthaar. Likewise judges should not expect a Drahthaar to stay as close to the line as a Dachshund. Emphasis should be placed on the team-work of handler and dog and the potential effectiveness of the team's working style for finding wounded deer in the field.

Steadiness and Concentration

Tracking Accuracy

The number of "call-backs" that a tested dog receives is one of the criteria for scoring a dog, but it is not the only one. For example just because a dog has no call-backs or one call-back does not mean that he has to be given a "4" or a "3". A dog is also judged for his ability to stay in close contact with the blood line, to quickly recognize that he is off the line, and to efficiently return to the point of loss. A dog that parallels the line in a way that cannot be explained by wind drift or a dog which overshoots turns by 50 yards does not deserve the highest score for tracking accuracy even though the dog stays within the 75 yard limit at all times.

1. Preparation of Pretest Track

a. Pretest line must be from 20 to 24 hours old.

b. Pretest line must be 500 meters long.

c. 125 ml. (1/4 pint) of blood must be laid on the line.

d. Pretest line must have two (2) 90 degree turns.

e. The bloodline must be laid by the pretest evaluator.

2. Minimum Requirements for Pretest Evaluators

a. must have participated with a DSI judge in the preparation of a test line at least once in order to lay out or evaluate a pretest.

b. must be a DSI Certified handler.

c. must have trained, handled and passed a dog on a DSI certification line.

The Rules for the Artificial Blood Tracking Test differ from the Rules for the Artificial Blood Tracking Competition as follows:

Section I, C. In the Blood Tracking Competition a maximum of six dogs may be tested in a single day. When dogs are being presented for the Test, and there is no time limit, then only five dogs may be tested in a single day.

Section I, D. SNOW: In the Blood Tracking Competition the blood MUST be laid on bare ground, but at the discretion of the judges the competition may take place even if snow has fallen on the track after it was laid.

Section 5, C. In the Blood Tracking Competition there is a 60 minute time limit for each dog. This time limit does not apply in the Blood Tracking Test.

REV:12/95

ARTIFICIAL BLOOD TRACKING COMPETITION

(These rules differ in certain aspects from the rules for DSI Blood Tracking Tests. See Appendix II.)

Section I. Admission

A. Dogs of any age and breed are permitted to participate in the Artificial Blood Tracking Test.

B. All dogs which participate in the Artificial Blood Tracking Competition are required to take the Pretest described in Appendix I.