Mantrailing Lancashire

15/01/2025

Need some ideas on how or where to hide at the end of a trail? Why not give these a shot! (*please check with your instructor first!*)

Behind a Tree or Bush: Classic but effective, especially in outdoor settings like parks or forests.

Inside a Car: Parked cars can add an extra layer of complexity, especially if windows are closed.

Under a Picnic Table or Bench: A great option in public spaces.

In a Shed or Garage: Offers a confined space with distinct scent trails leading to the entrance.

Behind a large wheelie bin: Provides a strong scent barrier and challenges the dog to work through distractions.

Inside a Tent: A portable option that introduces an unusual and enclosed environment for scent detection.

Upstairs in a Building: In multi-story buildings, hiding on higher levels adds the complexity of vertical scent trails.

In a Body of Water: Standing in shallow water or near a shoreline introduces new scent dynamics.

Under a Pile of Leaves or Blanket: A fun challenge for dogs in autumn!

Inside a Playground: Slides or climbing frames provide confined, high finds.

14/01/2025

Yesterday at our Mantrailing session over in Great Hardwood, Teams Freya and Wyatt worked on road crossings and junctions, with the added distraction of a little bit of wildlife!

Some really nice decision making! Both of them giving really clear indications when they went off the trail and committing to changes of direction and crossings!

Thank you for joining us!

12/01/2025

If you have ever wondered how the weather can impact your dogs ability to follow a trail, we're here to give you the answer!

Warm/sunny:

Heat can make scent molecules rise and disperse quickly, making it harder for dogs to follow the scent. Dry conditions can also reduce moisture in the scent trail, making it less distinct.

Cold:

Cold temperatures slow down the dispersion of scent molecules, keeping them closer to the ground and more concentrated. However, icy or snowy conditions can dilute or trap scents, depending on how fresh they are.

Rain:

Rain can amplify scents by helping them cling to surfaces, making trails easier to follow. However, heavy rain can wash away trails or scatter scents unpredictably, adding an extra challenge.

Wind:

Wind can carry scent molecules over long distances, spreading them widely. Dogs may need to work harder to locate the origin of the scent trail but can also pick up trails from further away.

Snow:

Fresh snow can trap scent beneath its surface, requiring dogs to dig or sniff deeply to locate it. Older snow trails can become more challenging as the scent disperses or melts away.

Fog:

Fog keeps the air moist, which helps scent linger and stick close to the ground. This creates good conditions for dogs to follow trails more easily.

Frosty:

Frost can lock scent particles in place on surfaces, making the trail easier to follow. However, cold air may reduce the dog's ability to pick up faint scents.

12/01/2025

Fantastic chilly morning over in Blackburn at our Aged Trails workshop!
Teams Grace, Izzy and Tully had the usual challenges of junctions or road crossings, but this time aged an hour!
Now, don't worry, no one froze to death, as we have a special way of doing our aged trails!
So, after successfully completing their warm up trails, each team set to work on their aged trails.
These aren't as complex as they sound (though can be made more complex depending on weather conditions and contamination), and for the trails today we did them blue line, so that each handler could concentrate on watching their dog more.

Absolutely fantastic work from each team, especially the handlers who only had two wheel drive!

Thank you for joining us!

11/01/2025

If you can't get out Mantrailing and want some tips to keep your dog entertained, head over to Nell and Co for some tricks and scentwork ideas!

Blind box gamble!

Make use of all those New Year sale delivery boxes by making them into a Scentwork game!

Take 4-6 boxes, place your dogs favourite toy, treats or a scent into one of them. Line them up, and send your dog to search the line!

When they hit the jackpot box open it up for their reward, reload and go again with the loaded box in a different place in the line!

08/01/2025

Stuck for ideas for scent articles? Here are a few ideas!

Soft Items:

Glove
Sock
Bandana
Hat
Trainer

Hard Items:

Phone
Mug
Metal spoon
Sunglasses
Keys

Natural Items:

Stick or leaf
Feather
Seashell
Piece of bark
Rock or pebble

Immovable Items:

Car door handle
Park bench
Doorframe
Lamppost
The corner of a picnic table

Weird or Unusual Items:

Toothbrush
Skull or animal bone
Carrot
Lawnmower
Creepy Baby

04/01/2025

Fantastic morning over on Buckshaw with teams Betsy, Dora, Edna, Grace, Luca and Ziggy!

Besty and Edna both started on their Mantrailing journey today, so started with some hunting trails, with slightly easier road crossings and junctions than the other teams, who all had multiple crossings and changes of directions, with a couple being tested on back trails.

Fantastic work from everyone in freezing conditions (impacted the handlers and instructor more than the dogs!), especially when the wind picked up! They all coped well with the fitness groups, lorries, pushchairs and the traffic moving the scent around and adding in distractions on their trails!

Thank you everyone for joining us!

02/01/2025

Pot filling ponders.

Looking to spice things up with your dogs reward pots when Mantrailing?

Here a few few ideas!

Peanut Butter: Use a dog safe, xylitol free peanut butter, in very small amounts, a little goes a long way!

Tinned Sardines: Opt for sardines in water with no added salt. The strong smell makes them especially enticing (not so much for your trail layer!)

Soft Cheese Spread: Soft or cream cheese like primula or vegan Philadelphia is perfect for smearing on the lid!

Cooked Chicken Liver Pate: Blend cooked chicken liver with a little water for a high value, spreadable reward!

Cat food: put a small amount of cat food in their pot for a doggie Macdonalds!

Dehydrated Meat Strips: Pieces of dehydrated chicken, beef, or fish are easy to make, long lasting and make a great alternative if you want to avoid we food!

Kibble with a Twist: Use their regular kibble but mix it with a few high value, freeze dried meat treats and some chopped veg to enhance the smell! Great if your dog is on a diet!

Small Cheese Cubes: Hard cheeses like cheddar cut into small cubes work great as a stand alone or a topper to your pots!

01/01/2025

Great morning with these two teams, who braved the bad weather to join us with Venom for some Mantrailing!
Grace and Wyatt were on fire, working junctions/complex junctions, road crossings and some casting, with the wind again making things even more difficult! These two made some really good decisions, are much more confident on the trail, really nice to see the progress they've both made!

Thank you for joining us, we hope your year continues to be a great one! (and full of trailing😉)!

26/12/2024

Only *ONE* spot left on our New years day special! Bag yourself the last spot for a fun filled morning of Mantrailing, cake and goody bags!

Head over to https://www.nellandco.as.me/birthday to bag yourself the final spot!

24/12/2024

At our final Mantrailing session of the year over in Blackburn, we were joined by teams Ficek, Freya, Grace and Wyatt!
Whilst it wasn't *quite* as windy as Sunday, it still gave the dogs a challenge whilst they worked on road crossings, junctions, covered finds or casting!

Really excellent work from them all, some really nice casting, very good indications of where trail layers had changed direction or turned, and not a single one batted an eyelid at the covered trail layers, who looked a little like really crap Christmas trees🤣

Thank you all for coming, and thank you everyone who has supported us this year!
See you all in 2025!

24/12/2024

24 days of Mantrailing related (and sometimes useless) information

Did you know that you can save yourself some money on your Mantrailing addiction, with a Mantrailing membership?
Available all year round and come with the perk of priority booking for all sessions, workshops and special events?

23/12/2024

24 days of Mantrailing related (and sometimes useless) information

Did you know, you can improve your dogs confidence with Mantrailing?

22/12/2024

Fantastic day at our "Christmas; What a Nightmare" Special!
The weather may have been abysmal for the most part, and the wind - we have never had it so bad on a session, so we did make a few adaptions to our planned trails to make them more suitable for the weather, but every single team worked with and through it like pros and they had multiple crossings, changes of direction, road crossings, open spaces/casting and decoys to work with!
Very hard conditions to work with, which really tested the dogs, they've all had to work extra hard, though it *did* give the handlers the perfect opportunity to see just how much weather impacts the scent trail AND how it changed how their dogs worked!

Thank you everyone for joining us and well done to teams Asmodeus, Grace, Grace, Lily, Scout and Tully!

22/12/2024

24 days of Mantrailing related (and sometimes useless) information

Did you know that when a dog zig-zags or weaves back and forth whilst Mantrailing, it is called a "flowing negative"?

21/12/2024

At our final Saturday Mantrailing session of 2024, Teams Holly, Four, Tank and Venom, were joined by Storm, who kicked off his Mantrailing journey in style, with a boat load of rain and wind!
He started with hunting trails and took to it like a natural, and both he, Holly, Four, Tank and Venom did some fantastic work, in tricky conditions!
They worked on road crossings, junctions/complex junctions, surface transitions or contamination.
Fantastic work from all of them!

Thank you for joining us on such a grim day, and thank you everyone who's trailed with us on a Saturday this year! See you in 2025!

21/12/2024

Only TWO places left on our New Year Mantrailing event!

Don't miss out on a full filled morning by securing your place at https://www.nellandco.as.me/Birthday

21/12/2024

24 days of Mantrailing related (and sometimes useless) information

Did you know that dogs of all ages can Mantrail?
Trails are highly adaptable, so whether you have a young puppy, or a time served veteran, there is a trail out there for them!