Tracking Domestic Animals?

Solo-Malee asks: "My sister has a blind hunting dog (yes really) and will soon be moving to the wilderness area of Sweden. She is really worried that her dog will run off after the first elk that it sees never to be seen again (since he's already run off numerous times already). Are Slashdot readers aware of any practical inexpensive tracking system that can be applied to domestic animals?"

Comments

Wheels of Zeus

[Karl J. Smith]

Woz's Wheels of Zeus is for tracking local objects and pets.

It's still vapor, though - you can't buy any products.

Re:Third eye dog?

[bluGill]

Dogs use scent more than humans do. A blind dog can smell elk just fine (well assuming there are not two handicaps). He cannot chase it was well because he cannot see trees, but he can track it just fine. Until several miles latter he no longer can find home, and is lacking one of the easier ways to orient itself.

Re:How not to lose your dog

[peragrin]

It doesn't always work. I have seen that fail exactly Once.

Take a 2 year old Husky -yellow lab mix,

Add one Nylon choke collar

One chain with a 500 lb breaking strength

One metal stake 6' long pounded 2' into the ground.

Make it hunting season, with an unknown # of deer on the move at dusk.

The Dog barked like mad as the deer walked about a 100 feet away. Then went quiet. 10 minutes later as that feeling of dread passed over I checked on the dog, and found,

The stake, the chain pointing the way the deer were walking, 2/3 of the nylon choke collar still attached to the chain, the remaining 1/3 about 5 feet away laying in the fresh snow.

That's right that Dog checked himself so he could naw his own collar off. Dog showed up 4 hours later, and promptly got a bath that he didn't want. Spent those 4 hours in the swamp and was tired and happy, but no obvious signs he was successful.

This same dog also learned how to open a sliding glass and screen door. How he could pop the chain off of his stake in the winter by climbing a snowbank from the drive way, how to play rough without causing pain, and mom even got him to do a 2 leggged waltz, though he is a bit clumsy.