Mantrailing 101: How to Get Your Dog Started

Mantrailing is a dog sport where dogs track down a person for fun and is surprisingly easy to get started. It’s the civilian version of police manhunts. You can take your dog to sessions where they earn points toward a title and have fun with your dog — and other dog-loving people. 

It may sound difficult to get into, but you will be amazed at how quickly your dog picks it up.  

Mantrailing: A Modern Twist on an Ancient Practice

For millennia, we humans have worked alongside our four-legged friends. We fed, bred, and trained them; and in exchange, they protected us, helped us hunt for food, and tracked down lost people and livestock.

It’s safe to say that humanity wouldn’t be where it is today, without dogs at our side.

Mantrailing is newer, even to some dog sport families. But it is a modern take on something we have done for as long as we have had dogs. It takes advantage of the super sniffer on the tips of our pooches’ noses, which can be 100,000 times more sensitive than ours.

Dogs explore their world through their noses — it’s natural for them to stick their noses into things. However, it takes a little training to teach them to sniff out what we seek, and then let us know they’ve found it.

In mantrailing, dogs follow a trail left by a designated person. That person leaves a scent item with the handler and dog team who is searching for them.

The handler helps the dog get a good snoot-full of scent from the item, and off they go.

Trails become progressively harder as dogs get better at following longer trails. Like any skill, it takes practice to build up the mental and physical stamina to keep focused on a single scent for long periods.

Mantrailing is Different than Tracking

Although many people use “tracking” and “trailing” interchangeably, they are different disciplines. A tracking-trained dog literally follows the footsteps of the person or scent they are tracking. Competitive tracking requires the dog to follow the track laid, finding specific objects along the way. In contrast, a trailing-trained dog follows the scent, but will cut loops out of a trail — their goal is finding the source of the scent. So, cutting across the trail saves time and usually gets to their subject faster. 

In short, trailing is faster than tracking. Trailing also allows dogs to decide how best to follow the trail to its end.

What is a Scent Trail

Every living creature leaves a scent trail. People shed skin rafts at up to 40,000 rafts per second. Made up of dead skin cells, pheromones, fragrances worn, and bacteria, skin rafts are easily scented by dogs. 

Just wearing a hat for a few minutes can leave enough scent for a dog to follow a trail. 

Skin rafts blow in the slightest breeze, getting caught on the brush and trees along the trail, or falling directly on the ground. In urban areas, trailing is more challenging because there are more distractions and trails go cold faster.

How Do You Get Started with Mantrailing?

Before you do anything, you’ll complete an introduction course. The course teaches you how to handle a longline safely, pick out and adjust an appropriate harness, and work with your dog to find their first target. 

You only have to take the introduction course once, even if you have multiple dogs. Then, you can join any available session across the country.  

Part of the course involves the basics of using a longline. It also includes teaching humans how dogs process and understand scent. 

Can Any Dog Participate in Mantrailing?

As with many dog sports, all breeds and mixed breeds are welcome. Yet, some breeds may perform better on extremely difficult trails — bloodhounds come to mind here. 

But it doesn’t end there. Mantrailing is open to and appropriate for all dogs, including elderly dogs, deaf and blind dogs, young puppies, and dogs who are missing a leg. You can’t say that about many dog sports.

It is also a perfect outlet for breeds like Belgian Malinois, German shepherds, and border collies. Many people find that mantrailing provides the mental and physical stimulation that these bright, active dogs need. 

Common breeds in mantrailing:

• German shorthaired pointers
• German shepherds
• Belgian shepherds
• Bloodhounds
• Beagles

What Should My Dog Know?

In many dog sports, dogs must be comfortable around groups of people and other dogs. So, training and manners are important. 

With mantrailing, your dog needs to have a few cues like “leave it,” but they learn the rest along the way. Because there is only one dog out at a time, your dog doesn’t have to be perfectly sociable 100 percent of the time. The environment can be controlled more easily, and when a dog is working a trail, they are always on-leash. 

So, yes, even your reactive dog can join in the fun!

However, if your dog already knows some basic obedience, it will make getting started in mantrailing easier. Plus, having a consistent “leave it,” will keep your pooch from picking up raccoon poop while trailing.

How Mantrailing Benefits Your Dog — and You!

Success in mantrailing means that you and your dog trust each other. Most of the human side means you’ll need to stay out of your dog’s way, letting their nose lead the way. 

The handler’s job is to teach them what to find and encourage them along the way. The hardest part for the sniffer-challenged humans is learning to read their dog’s body language to know what the dogs are saying.

You’ll find that even shy and insecure dogs benefit from mantrailing. Learning any skill is a confidence boost, and learning to use their nose to find a person hiding brings out the best in many pups.

Where to Find Mantrailing Sessions and Instructors

Although mantrailing hasn’t taken off in the U.S. the way it has in Europe, there are more trainers becoming certified every day. 

If you’re interested in how to earn titles or badges in mantrailing, you have a couple of options inside and outside the U.S.

• Mantrailing Global certifies and lists instructors in the U.K., Europe, Ireland, Canada, the U.S., and Australia.
• American Bloodhound Club is only open to bloodhounds, but your dog can have fun and earn AKC-accepted titles.
• American Mantrailing, Police, and Work Dog Association has master trainers who train law enforcement handler teams. They may also have workshops and mini-seminars available to members. 

Do You Need Special Gear?

Sort of, but this is one of the more affordable dog sports. Here’s a short list of helpful gear:

Harness with lots of room for shoulder movement.

There are very expensive harnesses available. If you want to spend $100 and up, you can. However, any harness that allows enough freedom of movement will work. Look for a harness with a Y-shape at the breastbone and very little covering the shoulders.

Long Line

If you’ve never used one, a long line is a long, lightweight, usually nylon lead. It doesn’t always have a handle at the end, and it can be up to 50 feet long. Most mantrailing instructors recommend one that is 20-30 feet long. Your dog needs to have room to move and can’t always be at your side while trailing.

Super-Special Treats

This can be anything, but some handlers like to use a small can of wet dog food because their dog can lick it. The licking releases endorphins and helps reinforce the positive association with finding the hidden person. 

However, you can use whatever treat or even a toy that your dog loves the most. 

Journal

To make consistent progress, tracking your dog’s work will help. You could argue that any dog sport should be journaled, but it’s easier to keep track of your dog’s progress if you write it down. Keep notes of distance, difficulty, terrain, etc. 

Final Thoughts on Mantrailing

Mantrailing is truly a sport for every dog and you don’t have to commit to weekly classes. You can join sessions whenever and wherever you like, having fun with your dog along the way.

The most important thing to remember is that every training session should be fun. After all, this is the dog version of hide and seek! This sport doesn’t require much in the way of extra equipment. You can practice any time you have a partner willing to hide, but joining sessions with an instructor will help you make faster progress with your dog. 

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/K_Thalhofer