30/08/2023
Good morning!
The club is looking to have Simon Read from Breckland Mantrailing come to Shetland to do Mantrailing. This is very exciting and great opportunity for owners and dog's.
Below is information of what Mantrailing is all about. There is also costs. The Dog Club will put money towards the training to reduce the costs. There will be a video to follow, this way you can watch what is involved.
If you are interested in taking part in this exciting opportunity, please PM the Shetland Dog Club page. We need numbers to make it worthwhile for Simon to visit. Dates TBC
Mantrailing
Trailing is absolutely something you and your dog can take part in. I have explained why below.
Mantrailing or Trailing originated from Search and Rescue teams across the world taking the natural ability of a dog’s nose and training them to follow an individual human’s scent trail, avoiding distractions until they find the person at the end of the trail. The sports potential in this discipline was recognised and has now become one of the fastest growing dog sports in the UK.
Dogs and handlers of any ages and ability can learn mantrailing. It is completely unique dog training in many ways. It will never replace the potential need for a behaviourist consultation but, it can help to solve a number of unwanted behaviours that may challenge your everyday life with your dog such as fear, hyperactivity, phobias, stress etc.
Mantrailing provides mental, intellectual stimulation for your dog, providing an exceptional workout for the brain, tiring them out without the need for extra physical exercise. This is perfect for dogs that are still bouncing around the house after endless walks, puppies, elderly dogs or dogs that are unable to complete as much physical exercise for one reason or another.
Mantrailing is suitable for puppies, elderly, blind, deaf and disabled dogs. It’s a perfect low-impact activity. It's not competitive or over arousing like some other dog sports. It is fantastic at getting the dogs to solve problems, which in turn will build confidence and make the dog more likely to respond to behavioural modification training as the dog will want to engage and learn. This will help to change the dog’s reaction to certain situations such as people, other dogs, animals or noises.
It is one of the very few sports where the dog can work freely and the handler can enjoy watching their dog work. It is all about putting the dog in control and the owners taking a back seat and watching how the dog works the trails out themselves. By doing this, the handler learns to read the dog's body language, which creates a great bond and ultimately will equate to further progression in their behavioural and every-day training.
The dog’s enthusiasm to trail is encouraged and strengthened by their ‘reward’ when the person is found. The reward is usually food or toys and must be of a very high value to the dog. A lot of dogs find trailing rewarding in itself.
Once the dog understands the idea of Mantrailing, which happens mostly within the first session, there is no stopping them from doing their ‘job’. The dogs are extremely intent on following the trail to find their missing person, that whatever or whoever gets in their way is completely ignored. This is great for our anxious and reactive dog and can help them to ignore any other dogs on or near their trail. Anxious dogs have been brave enough to pass objects or things they once wouldn’t pass or take food from strangers that they might not normally approach.
The most important bit for you however, is that all dogs are worked one at a time, never off lead and with a harness and trailing line on so you have complete control of your dog in a safe learning environment. Whilst working your dog, all other dogs will be away in their vehicles and so whilst it’s your turn to work your dog I will be coaching and instructing you both, and when not working your dog you will be able to follow the trail and take the learning from observing the handler and listening to the coaching.
Each class would consist of 5 handlers/dogs and last around 3-4 hrs. Simon likes to keep the classes smaller so that he can maintain the maximum learning in a 121 style.
The cost for the training would be as follows.
Single class (AM or PM) £40
Full day £75
2 days £140
3 days £210
The dedicated page for Breckland Mantrailing
