Hello Everyone!
Since last November, one of our main dogsport activity with Nelson was mantrailing. Few weeks ago we took the level 1 exam for it, and of course, Nelson aced it. He was almost perfectly focused the whole time, and we didn't need to use our one question (You are allowed to ask one question from the trainer during the exam, and they can answer it with yes or no). Our only issue was about me and my leash handling, but that didn't bother him too much either.
Mantrailing is a dog training technique where we teach dogs to find people (but not exclusively) by using their scent. This method is frequently used in search and rescue operations or in police work to locate missing people, criminals, or even pieces of evidence. A significant aspect of mantrailing is that the dogs are trained to discriminate scents, meaning they focus on the specific scent they are given and ignore others. This allows them to track one person in a crowded area or after a long period of time.
While it's a valuable skill for working dogs, mantrailing is a fun and challenging activity for pet dogs, providing mental and physical stimulation. We even use it during the rehabilitation of dogs with extreme fea from people and it is also good when we want to reinforece the bond between the dogs and their owners.
I'm always amazed by the dogs ability to find their target. You can hear about how good their snese of smell is, but seeing it in action is truly an eye opener.
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