Mejä (blood tracks)
MEJÄ = Blood tracks, stands for Metsästyskoirien jäljestämiskoe, or tracking test for hunting dogs. The purpose is to measure a dog's ability to follow the scent of wounded game. These instructions govern the tracking test and its training in Finland.
What is MEJÄ?
- A nice and fun hobby for the dog and the handler
- Moving in nature, brain exercises which let the dogs use up all their "excessive energy"
- A hobby that both dog and owner enjoy
Only hunting dogs that have been registered by the Finnish Kennel Club can
participate in the trials. The dog's vaccinations must be valid; the dog
must be healthy and have a prize from a show.
A dog without a prize can participate in the open class if (s)he is over 9
months old. There are two classes: Open Class (abbr. AVO in Finnish) and
Winner's Class (abbr. VOI in Finnish). After a dog has won Open Class twice
(s)he moves to the Winner's Class and can't compete in the Open Class
anymore.
Equipment needed to make the trail:
- a 6 metre tracking rope for the dog
- tracking harness (normal harness can be used to begin with)
- a sponge or a piece of foam plastic for spreading the blood
- approx. 2 metre cord for the sponge
- 1/3 litre of blood (cow or game blood)
- stickers, tape, crepe paper or similar to mark the trail
- a "prey" to the End, for example a toy
- a map and a compass
Making the trail:
First wet the sponge with water. Mark the trail (with blue tape, for
example) to the Start. At the Start, break the ground's surface on a 30 cm *
30 cm area. Place the sponge on the broken ground and pour one third of the
blood on it. Drop some blood on the Start. It is also a good idea to turn
over the sponge in it. The Start should be marked, for example by using two
tapes with different colours. Then drag the sponge to the first corner. Mark
the trail with tapes. In the corner break the ground's surface. Tthis is
called "makaus" in Finnish, and it simulates a place where the wounded
animal might have lain.
Place the sponge on the broken surface; pour half of the remaining blood on
the sponge and some drops on the ground. Continue dragging the sponge to
another corner. Again, mark the trail with tapes. In the corner, break the
ground, place the sponge on the broken ground area and pour all the
remaining blood to it, dropping some on the ground as well. Drag the sponge
to the End, and break the ground there too, creating another "makaus". Drop
some blood from the sponge on it. Mark the exit trail from the End. The next
day take the "prey" to the End.
The dog's tolerance for gunshots is tested at the beginning of each tracking test while the dogs are hitched to a tree, for example. The handler is standing at about 10 metres distance from the dog. The shotgun is fired at about 25 metres distance from the dog. If the dog is scared of the shot, the test is discontinued. It is a good idea to habituate the dog to hearing gunshots before going to the test. There is no sense in going to a tracking test with a gunshy dog.
In the beginning, only a short track (10-15 metres) is made. The track doesn't need to be made in the shape of an open class track. The length and age of the track are increased little by little. You can't force a dog to track; in the beginning you must praise and encourage her/him.
When starting the hobby, you can show the dog where the track goes. It is a good idea to give a specific command word for the track - for example, "track". If the dog loses the track, it is lead back to the track and praised and encouraged to sniff the track. However, do not distract the dog with too many praises and commands. In the beginning, there should be a good reward, like a treat or a toy, waiting for the dog at the prey. The prey should be carried to the end of the track in a plastic bag to avoid its scent from spreading around in the terrain. You can also use the sponge used in laying the track as a prey.
It's a good idea to start tracking practices when the dog is still young. In the beginning the trail must be short. Both length and age of the trail should then be gradually increased. A dog cannot be forced to track, in the beginning (s)he should be praised and encouraged.
Other considerations:
- In MEJÄ - as in all other hobbies - a dog must not be numbed with too much practise or too demanding practice. If you train your dog too much, (s)he will lose interest to the sport.
- When making the track, do not step on it, otherwise you will spread the track around the forest.
- Don't make the track always in the same place. The scent will stay there for a long time.
- Before tracking, make sure that you don't have any blood stains from making the track in your clothes.
My experience with the first trail:
We made our first trail guided by Pirkanmaan Noutajakoirayhdistys. We made
the trail on May 5 to a forest in Pirkkala. We also received a very good
introduction to the secrets of MEJÄ and got a compass and a map to our use.
A 150 metre trail was drawn for each dog.
On May 6 the dogs and we handlers went through the trail in rain. I was
absolutely sure that Roope would just sit under a tree somewhere since the
forest was wet and it kept raining. I was wrong. Roope sniffed the Start
carefully. With some guidance he followed the trail, sniffing the ground
carefully and every once in a while deviating from the trail. Every time he
found the trail again when guided. He even marked the trail himself lifting
a leg once or twice! The first trail was a bit long. Roope lost some of his
interest during it. However, he was quite thrilled about tracking. Next time
we will practise with a shorter trail.
We people do the strangest things...
It might look funny to some when a person drags a bloody sponge in a forest!
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