To get started, all you need is a comfortable harness for your dog and a long line. Your dog cannot do mantrailing on a collar, and extendable leads are not suitable for this activity. I’ll provide a long line for your introduction session, and if you don’t yet have a harness, I can usually lend you one for the session.

I’ll also give you a full kit list during our pre-session Zoom meeting, but anything else you might need, I can almost guarantee you already own.

To allow each dog to work a trail individually, the other dogs and their handlers rest and consolidate what they’ve learned while waiting for their turn. This downtime is a crucial part of the process, as it gives your dog’s brain a chance to rest and process the new skills.

To ensure your dog is always safe and comfortable, the cars are never left unattended. If your dog struggles to be alone in the car for about 30 minutes, you are welcome to bring a second person they know to sit with them. This person can even join in the fun by volunteering to be a trail layer for other dogs.

Mantrailing is a very sociable activity! We work in small classes, usually with four to six dogs and their handlers. When it’s not your turn on the trail, you’ll be with the other class members. This is a great time to chat about how your trail went, share your experience, and learn from watching the other dog-handler teams. We also work on line-handling skills as a group, so you will be working for short periods with the other human members of the class. This important skill is covered in both the Introduction and Progression sessions. It’s a supportive environment where you can both learn and make new friends.

Yes. Structured workshops can be delivered within educational settings, tailored to age group and learning objectives.

Yes. Team-based Mantrailing experiences are designed to develop communication, delegation and collaborative problem-solving in a dynamic outdoor format.

Yes! Mantrailing is one of the best activities for nervous or reactive dogs. The sport is structured so that each dog works a trail individually. This means there are no stressful face-to-face greetings, and your dog can focus entirely on the scent and the game. Often, dogs gain a huge amount of confidence from being the one in charge and succeeding at a task that uses their natural abilities. Since mantrailing is also a problem-solving activity, this process helps them immeasurably, and we often see the confidence they gain on the trail spill over into other areas of their lives.  That in turn can reduce reactive behaviours.

Absolutely not! Every dog, regardless of breed, age, or size, has a powerful sense of smell and a natural instinct to hunt. While some breeds may pick it up a little quicker, we have seen all kinds of dogs—from Poodles to Staffies to tiny terriers—fall in love with Mantrailing. If your dog has a nose, they can do it!

The benefits are huge, for both dogs and owners! For dogs, it’s an incredible form of mental and physical stimulation. It builds confidence, as they are the ones making all the decisions and succeeding. It also provides a great outlet for dogs with a lot of energy, and is particularly helpful for dogs who are reactive or anxious, as they work individually and learn to ignore other dogs and distractions while on the trail. It’s a low-impact activity, making it suitable for puppies and older or injured dogs too.

You’ll need to complete an introduction session before moving on to progression sessions. In our introduction sessions, we focus on teaching both you and your dog the fundamentals of mantrailing. To help your dog understand what we’re asking them to do, we use a specific kind of start to begin each trail. Once you’ve both got the hang of the basics, you’ll move on to our progression sessions. Here, we’ll expand your skills by using a variety of different starts and working over longer, more complex trails in a wider range of environments, helping you and your dog become a truly dynamic team. We also hold themed progression sessions, which allow you to focus on a particular skill or scenario, making for a fun and focused training experience.

Every human has a unique scent made up of shed skin cells, bacteria, and hormones—like an odour fingerprint. Before a trail begins, your dog will be given a scent article to sniff, such as a piece of clothing the trail layer has worn or carried. This gives them the target scent, and from there, they are the boss! You, as the handler, are a vital part of the team. You’ll learn essential line handling skills to support your dog on a long line, guiding them around obstacles and giving them the space they need to work and staying with them while they work. This makes it a fantastic team activity where you both learn to trust and communicate with each other.