Quite often we are asked what age can my puppy start mantrailing? 🐾
As soon as they have had their second lot of vaccinations and they are allowed outside to explore the big wide world they can start mantrailing!
Aswell as being a good physical & mental outlet for your puppy it also gets them used to many different environments, textures, sounds, sights, animals and people which is important to their development as they grow. It gives them lots of positive assiociations, helps build their confidence aswell as strengthening the bond between them & their owner.
Moose doing his first trail at just 12 weeks old here 💙
No trailing this weekend thanks to storm Darragh 🌀🤦♀️ This video clip was taken of Smudge thursday just gone. We love a video clip as it allows others to watch and learn. Often when you have a dog attached yourselves, your trying to multi-task and can often miss subtle trailing behaviours. Not having a dog attached allows us to sit back & notice things we might of not picked up on previously.
Smudge is a very nose down type of dog when he trails, in this clip you can often hear the air being expelled through his nostrils. This allows him to get rid of any scent he doesnt want and to take fresh scent in. You can see when he gets to the big open junction he is given some more line to cast around and check all his options before commiting to a direction of intrest. You can see he checks out the vegetation on the junction also, where it was a particuarly windy day scent will get blown and sit on the vegetation. After casting he commits to his choice of intrest, can you notice the confident pull in the line as he commits?
After deciding which way to go at the junction Smudge shows a lovely flowing negative as he trails. A flowing negative is where the dog weaves left to right across the scent trail, often looks like they are zig-zagging. The dog is working over the scent in one direction as the scent gets weaker the dog works over the strongest point to the opposite side, as it gets weaker again they weave back again.
Can you spot this?
It's very hard for a dog to follow a trail on hard surface footprint to footprint, it takes a lot of brain power & nose work. The vast majority of dogs would revert to the blown scent on the vegetation and prefer to follow that instead of working over the hard surface.
Anyone that knows us knows we love anything nosework related. We done some hunting games today with Smudge & Moose using their favourite hairy rabbit balls focusing on using their nose to go 'find' them. Having to go actively search for the rabbit balls keeps their mind busy and is a great form of mental stimulation. We changed it up and on some gos made the hairy rabbit balls completely unknown by throwing them into position so their wasnt a track of human scent to follow, having mantrailing dogs they can be too clever and just follow where we have walked out to place them. So having no scent trail out makes them have to really work for it 👌
Giving your dog an sniffing outlet is so rewarding for your dog. Not only does it work their brain it will release dopamine and endorphins which make dogs feel good and allow them to de-stress. Sniffing is great for your dogs over all mental well-being and will help you have a much more relaxed dog. Compared to walking your dog hours upon hours which in turn will only make your dog fitter and turn them into an athlete. Getting them using their nose is as simple as doing find it games around the house, scatter feeding, doing hunting games or taking them on a sniffari.
Dog sports we offer that are great for your dogs using their nose include mantrailing, scent detection and tracking. If you have a dog that loves sniffing why not give one of these dog sports a go? Or if your looking for your dog to have an outlet to meet both their physical & mental needs then look no further. Give us a message for more information 😊
Here at Doggie Explorers we understand that not all dogs are food driven and some dogs actually prefer toys or praise and affection from their owners as their reward. Or a mixture of some of them together. Which is absolutely fine, every dog is different and it is what works for that individual dog. Even if your dog loves food we encourage the power of play in addition to food as it can make a huge overall difference in a dogs motivation to do certain tasks and is something that is really over looked.
Having the right reward in mantrailing is massively important. When your dog works super hard to complete a trail using lots of nose and brain power to problem solve and figure out complex challenges the reward at the end of the trail needs to be good enough the dog wants to keep going to do it again and again. What could be better than having a fun game with their favourite tug, ball or other toy reward. If the reward isnt good enough dogs can quickly lose focus, lose intrest and motivation.
Playing with your dog has a lot of benefits too. It increases endorphins which makes dogs feel good in themselves and encourages better learning. Whats not to love seeing your dog enjoy themselves with their favourite toy and parade it all the way back to the car park to show everyone how well they've done.
Take a look at the Tug-E-Nuff range. Dont forget to use our discount code for some money off : DOGGIEEXPLORERS
Have you ever wanted to try mantrailing? Teaching pet dogs to find 'missing' people for fun. Give your dog an outlet and release their inner sniffer dog.
Why mantrailing is great for you & your dog! The benefits are endless...
*Any dog 🐕 of any age (including puppies as young as 12 weeks old) and ability can take part, even reactive/nervous dogs as all dogs are worked one at a time. So every single dog is included in this fantastic sport.
*It is a low impact sport meaning you dont have to be physically fit to take part with your dog.
*It strengthens your bond between you and your dog, working as a team 💪
*A fun relaxed learning environment for you and your dog 😊
*It is a great form of mental stimulation 🧠 for your dog, letting them have a good physical and mental outlet. And is a lot more tiring for your dog than just taking them out for a walk 💤 Even more beneficial in your hyperactive and high drive dogs!
*Giving your dog a job to do and using your dogs best asset, their nose! Allowing your dog to harness their natural abilities 👌
*Can help reduce or overcome reactivity and improve your dogs behaviour.
*Helps builds confidence in anxious and nervous dogs.
*Lets your dog improve their problem solving skills 🧩
*Meet like minded dog people 👥
*Become part of a close commmunity with other mantrailing addicts 😂
*No commitment to weekly classes, you can book as many or as little sessions per month as you please 🗓
*Spending time outdoors🌲 And attend awesome venues and special events! Fort amherst, the Raf museum, a Maize maze.. just to name only some of the amazing places we are lucky to have access to!
*Work towards lots of differents tasks with your dog and undergo assessments. Work towards personal goals at your own pace & show off your achievements by earning badges, rosettes & certificates 🏆
Please give us a message on 07597199904 for more information or to get booked in 😊 You wont want to miss out!
Have you been wanting to start your mantrailing journey?
Teaching pet dogs to find 'missing' people for fun. This is a fantastic dog sport and great mental outlet for all dogs. Get them using their amazing sense of smell and turn your dog into an amazing sniffer dog.
Every breed, age (including puppies) and abilities are welcome. Even reactive/nervous dogs are included as every dog is worked one at a time. Enjoy trailing your own dog & also playing the missing person for other peoples dogs. Mantrailing is a sport like no other, come and see the benefits for yourself and why this dog sport is so addictive!
Give us a message to find out more information about how you can get booked onto an upcoming mantrailing introduction workshop and avoid waiting 😊 07597199904
If you have completed your mantrailing global introduction workshop already and want to join us on progression sessions and special events join our facebook group now -
https://www.facebook.com/share/shnu9tQzVQTRQcWz/
Smudge working on his freeze indication and some duration👌 We ended our session with a fun game to increase motivation and make scent detection more fun. We find using toys as rewards along side food really gives your dog alot more motivation and it has the added benefit of bond building too 💪 We have found that Smudge gets even more hyped up to search as the payout with food and the toy is the best thing in the world to him 💙
Dog training & dog sports specialists
