13/08/2024
A very quiet couple of months on this page, I will be better in the future!
The last 2 months have been fun and busy, enhancing my own skills, seeing and learning from different people , trailing my own dogs, as well as running sessions. This included a trip to Hungary to spectate at an international mantrailing seminar. It was fabulous to meet a great group of people from all over Europe, all with a passion for trailing, and training for police, search and rescue , and sport.
Different organisations approach trailing in slightly different ways- for example, how they approach and offer the scent article, and do the scent inventory, their approach to intensity trails etc. I love to understand the "why" behind these approaches, and then see if they will fit in my tool kit/may be useful in the future for certain dogs.
Teaching pet dogs to trail means we have such a wide variety of dogs, much more so( I believe) than those who are training specifically for search and rescue. And some tweaks to one's approach as a Mantrailing Global certified instructor, may suit certain dogs in certain situations.
I feel very grateful to be learning all about trailing with 2 very different dogs, my collie and my whippet. Torrin has taught me all about building motivation and resilience - and that this cannot be taken for granted. He has taught me to be my dog's advocate , taking small steps instead of a giant leap, and not comparing myself on my journey to anyone else. He has done some awesome trails recently, being so transparent in his behaviour when odour is not present, yet resilient in his problem solving.
Jack has been my dog with whom I can explore different avenues and approaches, doing some fabulous trails along the way. He has challenged me in different ways - as a dog who likes to please and loves to trail, he finds it easier to choose another odour ( particularly if I don't respond to subtle negatives!) - we are still learning !
Thanks to K9 RoxStars and Jane Dalton , to Gerry Moss and , to Anna Pleban of Follow Dogs, to Fiona Leel of Canines to Discovery Dogs Wales - Scent Work & Mantrailing for a great seminar with Mònica Díaz Trias and Chris Boyd ( who I also learnt so much from in Hungary), to Mantrailing Training Center- Képzési Központ for organising a great seminar ( and Hungary is a lovely country to explore), and to Andy Tippins for a days trailing with BMA head instructor Richard Lee. ( apologies if Ive missed someone!)
So I encourage you to learn from different sources - but always be an advocate for your dog ( you are allowed to be at times confused by different approaches so long as your dog is not!). Sometimes the learning will be "interesting, but not for me" - that is just as important - the human learning equivalent of flowing negatives!
One learns so much too, by going to spectate ( and occasionally a dog drops out so one gets a trailing place too !) - if you are not sure, I strongly recommend going without your dog, and seeing if the way of teaching would suit both you and your dog.
The pictures below shows an example of previous learning history. Swimming across to an island ( the trail layer had gone in a canoe). Jack is a strong swimmer, often swimming in the river behind my house. But the river can go in spate, and I am actually very relieved to realise he does not go in and actually swim unless I throw something in! Which is the behaviour he showed on the trail. I would not want to train through that, as it is more important in his daily life he only swims when something is thrown. So, a throw of a squeaky pink pig meant he got to his trail layer! Always remember previous learning history.
And a trail where his line pull across the road was so strong and confident, working all the time.
Enjoy, and have fun everyone.