The growth of deer-tracking work in the UK has led to some forthright views developing on what is the ‘right’ breed to use. Rudi van Kets says we need to look beyond the arguments

Up to about 15 years ago, the thought of using a tracking dog for deer, let alone having an organisation concerned with such things, was unthinkable in the UK. A possible reason for this was strict import rules for dogs. They had to remain in quarantine for a long time – and let’s not mention the accompanying paperwork – which could have put prospective deer dog owners off acquiring a suitable breed.

Today, it is different. It seems that more and more people are at it. I’ve browsed shooting forums to find all sorts of intense and even out-of-control conversations arising on the subject of deer tracking, many of which peter out into nothing after a while.

Meanwhile, groups or associations are formed, all of which devise their own philosophy or strategy according to their own ‘common sense’.

How do we unify and strengthen all this? It may be desirable to look at countries that have been working at it for some time already, and the development of dog breeds and training structures that they have adopted. An important organisation in this regard is the FCI. This overarching organisation already represents the main deer dog breeds and has established a breed standard for each one. Check online to see which countries are members of this organisation.