What is Mantrailing ?

By Susanne Broughton

Mantrailing, the practice of using a dog’s extraordinary sense of smell to locate a specific person by following their unique scent trail, it has evolved from an essential tool for search and rescue to an exciting activity for pet owners. While professional mantrailing is widely known in fields like law enforcement and search and rescue operations, pet mantrailing allows regular dog owners to tap into their dogs’ innate abilities, turning it into a stimulating and fun exercise.

The Science Behind Mantrailing

Mantrailing is based on the fact that humans constantly shed skin cells, sweat, and other tiny particles that contain our individual scent profile. These scent particles, called rafts, float through the air and settle on the ground, creating a trail that a dog’s acute sense of smell can detect and follow.

Dogs have one of the most powerful olfactory systems in the animal kingdom, with 200 to 300 million scent receptors, compared to a human’s mere 5 million. Additionally, the part of a dog’s brain dedicated to processing smells is 40 times larger than in humans, enabling them to identify individual scents in a highly complex scent environment. This means that dogs can follow a specific person’s trail even in places where other humans or animals have been, and over various terrains such as forests, fields, and urban environments.

When a dog engages in mantrailing, it works by distinguishing the specific scent of the target person from all other smells in the environment. Dogs trained in mantrailing can follow these scent particles even hours or days after the person has passed through an area, as long as the environmental conditions such as wind, temperature, and humidity have not completely dispersed the scent.

The Origins of Mantrailing

Mantrailing as a practice has roots in early human history, but it became formalised as a technique in the 19th century. Bloodhounds, with their highly developed sense of smell, were used extensively in Europe for tracking escaped prisoners and lost individuals. Their natural tracking abilities made them highly effective in law enforcement and rescue missions.

One of the earliest recorded uses of mantrailing in a professional capacity was in Scotland in the 1800s, where Bloodhounds were employed to trail criminals. Around the same time, in the United States, Bloodhounds were famously used to track runaway slaves and later criminals. The technique spread rapidly across the world, becoming an essential tool in police work and search and rescue efforts.

Over time, other breeds, including German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Labrador Retrievers, have been trained for mantrailing due to their strong scent detection abilities and intelligence. In recent years, mantrailing has moved beyond law enforcement and search and rescue to become a popular sport and recreational activity for pet owners.

Sport Mantrailing: A Modern Twist on an Ancient Skill

In sport mantrailing, regular pet dogs, rather than professional working dogs are trained to follow a specific human scent for recreational purposes. This form of mantrailing harnesses a dog’s natural scent-tracking instincts and channels them into an enjoyable and mentally stimulating activity.

While sport mantrailing is grounded in the same principles as professional mantrailing, it is often less formal and rigorous. Instead of searching for missing persons, dogs in pet mantrailing typically follow the scent of person just hiding. Sport mantrailing has become popular in Europe, particularly in Germany and the United Kingdom, where organised clubs and training courses have sprung up to teach dogs and their owners how to engage in the activity.

The Training Process

Training a dog for pet mantrailing starts with introducing the dog to a scent article, such as a piece of clothing that has been worn by the target person. The scent article contains the specific odour particles that the dog will be tasked with following. The dog then learns to search for the person who left the scent, starting with short, simple trails and gradually progressing to longer and more complex ones.

The key to successful mantrailing lies in a positive reinforcement training approach. Dogs are rewarded with treats, toys, or praise when they successfully locate the person they are trailing. This motivates them to engage in the activity with enthusiasm and improves their scent discrimination abilities.

Benefits of Sport Mantrailing

Sport mantrailing provides numerous benefits for both dogs and their owners:

Mental Stimulation: Dogs need mental challenges to stay happy and healthy, and mantrailing offers a perfect way to engage their brain. The process of searching for and following a scent requires intense focus, which helps tire them out mentally.
Physical Exercise: In addition to engaging a dog’s brain, mantrailing also provides physical exercise, as the dog has to move through different environments, sometimes at a fast pace, while following the scent trail.
Strengthens the Dog-Owner Bond: Mantrailing is a cooperative activity between the dog and its handler. It fosters a strong sense of teamwork, as the dog learns to rely on its handler’s cues while the handler learns to trust the dog’s scent detection abilities.
Confidence Building: Mantrailing can boost a dog’s confidence, particularly for shy or anxious dogs. Successfully finding the person at the end of the trail gives dogs a sense of accomplishment and encourages them to rely on their natural instincts.
All Breeds Can Participate: While professional mantrailing often focuses on breeds known for their scenting abilities (like Bloodhounds or German Shepherds), pet mantrailing is open to all breeds and sizes. From small terriers to large retrievers, any dog can enjoy mantrailing with the right training.

The Role of Scent and Environmental Factors

While dogs’ noses are incredibly powerful, the environment plays a significant role in their mantrailing success. Factors like wind direction, humidity, temperature, and the presence of other animals can influence how a dog follows a trail.

Wind can carry scent particles over long distances, helping or hindering a dog’s ability to detect the trail. A light breeze can help spread the scent in a way that is easier for the dog to follow, while strong winds may scatter scent particles in multiple directions, making the trail more challenging.
Humidity helps to preserve scent particles in the environment, making it easier for dogs to follow older trails. Dry conditions, on the other hand, can cause the scent to dissipate more quickly.
Temperature also impacts scent detection. Cooler temperatures tend to preserve scent longer, while hotter conditions can cause scent particles to rise and disperse more quickly.

Understanding these environmental factors is crucial for pet owners who want to engage in mantrailing, as it helps them work with their dog more effectively.

Summary

Sport mantrailing is a fascinating and enriching activity that allows dogs to use their natural abilities while providing physical and mental stimulation. Rooted in centuries of professional use, the modern adaptation of mantrailing for pets opens up new possibilities for dog owners to bond with their pets and engage in a fun, team-based activity. From its origins in law enforcement and search and rescue to its current role as a recreational activity for dog lovers worldwide, mantrailing continues to showcase the extraordinary capabilities of canine olfaction, offering benefits for both dogs and humans alike.

Mantrailing Dogs Human VOCs

Based on the research of Lauryn DeGreeff

Mantrailing dogs have long been recognised for their remarkable ability to track human scent over long distances and diverse environments. The core of this ability lies in their sensitivity to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted by the human body. Lauryn DeGreeff’s research delves into the chemistry of these VOCs and how they are transported through the environment, providing essential insights into the mechanics of canine olfactory tracking.

The Chemistry of Human VOCs

Human bodies constantly emit a variety of volatile organic compounds through processes such as sweating, respiration, and natural skin exfoliation. These VOCs include acids, alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes, which form a unique olfactory signature detectable by dogs. As DeGreeff’s research reveals, each person’s scent profile is distinct, influenced by genetics, diet, health, and environment. This makes it possible for mantrailing dogs to follow the specific scent of an individual despite competing odors in the environment.

To better understand this, DeGreeff employs headspace sampling and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to analyse the chemical composition of human scent. Through this approach, she has identified key VOCs that play a critical role in helping dogs distinguish human odor from background smells.

Vapor Transport Mechanics: How Human Scent Moves Through the Air

Once human VOCs are emitted from the body, they are carried into the environment through a process known as vapor transport. Vapor transport mechanics refer to how volatile compounds behave once they leave their source, in this case, the human body. Several key factors influence how these VOCs move through the air and are detected by dogs.

Temperature

Temperature significantly impacts vapor transport. Higher temperatures can cause human VOCs to evaporate more rapidly, enhancing the scent’s strength and making it easier for dogs to detect in the immediate vicinity. However, this also means that the scent may dissipate more quickly, becoming harder to follow over long distances. Conversely, in cooler temperatures, VOCs may evaporate more slowly but remain closer to the ground, allowing a more sustained scent trail for tracking.

Humidity

Humidity levels influence how long VOCs remain suspended in the air. In high-humidity environments, water vapor can trap VOCs, creating a “cloud” of scent that lingers close to the ground, which is ideal for dogs following a trail. On the other hand, in dry conditions, VOCs are more likely to dissipate quickly, reducing the overall strength of the scent trail.

Wind and Air Currents

Air movement, including wind speed and direction, plays a significant role in the distribution of VOCs. Strong winds can spread scent molecules over a broader area, forcing dogs to use cross-wind search patterns to locate the source of the scent. DeGreeff’s research indicates that experienced dogs are adept at compensating for such environmental factors, adjusting their search strategies to relocate dispersed VOCs.

Surface Interaction

The surface on which a person walks also affects how VOCs are deposited and re-released into the air. For example, porous surfaces like grass and dirt can absorb VOCs, slowly releasing them over time, which creates a more persistent scent trail. In contrast, harder surfaces such as concrete or asphalt may retain less scent, making tracking more difficult for the dog. DeGreeff’s research shows that dogs can still detect residual scents on such surfaces, though it often requires more effort and skill.

How Mantrailing Dogs Detect and Follow Human Scent

Mantrailing dogs are specially trained to detect the VOCs released by humans and follow the vapor trail, regardless of environmental conditions. Their noses are finely tuned to pick up even the smallest concentrations of VOCs, allowing them to detect scent trails that may be hours or even days old.

DeGreeff’s research highlights that dogs do not simply follow skin flakes or sweat droplets left behind by humans. Instead, they rely on the invisible vapor trail of VOCs that evaporate from a person’s body. This vapor trail is dynamic and interacts with the environment in complex ways, influenced by factors like temperature, wind, and terrain. Mantrailing dogs are trained to process these environmental cues and adjust their behaviour accordingly, making them incredibly effective in tracking over various terrains and conditions.

Human Scent and Thermal Lift

While DeGreeff’s research doesn’t explicitly focus on “thermal lift” as a distinct concept, the idea can be inferred from her studies on how temperature gradients affect vapor transport. Thermal lift occurs when warm air rises, carrying scent molecules upwards, potentially making it more challenging for dogs to detect scent at ground level. This is especially relevant in situations where scent trails may “lift” off the ground and disperse at higher altitudes, causing dogs to lose the scent temporarily. However, experienced dogs often compensate for this by circling back to re-locate the scent at a different elevation.

Synthetic Training Aids and Practical Applications

One of the key contributions of DeGreeff’s research is the development of synthetic training aids that replicate human VOCs. These training aids allow dogs to practice in controlled environments, where the concentration of VOCs can be adjusted to simulate real-world conditions, such as a faint scent trail in a windy or dry environment.

By studying vapor transport mechanics, DeGreeff helps optimise the preparation and usage of these training materials, ensuring they mimic the complex environmental factors dogs will encounter in the field. Her work also emphasises the importance of proper storage and handling of these aids to maintain their chemical integrity over time.

Summary

Lauryn DeGreeff’s research into VOC chemistry and vapor transport mechanics has significantly advanced our understanding of how mantrailing dogs detect and follow human scent. By exploring the interaction between human-emitted VOCs and environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and wind, DeGreeff’s work helps optimise the training and deployment of these dogs in real-world tracking scenarios. Her insights into vapor transport provide the foundation for improving canine performance, ensuring that mantrailing dogs remain at the forefront of search-and-rescue, law enforcement, and other scent-based detection fields.

In sum, the science behind mantrailing dogs’ success lies not just in their extraordinary olfactory abilities, but also in the nuanced understanding of how human VOCs behave in the natural world—a topic that DeGreeff’s research continues to illuminate.

Mantrailing: Debunking 5 Common Myths – by Susanne Broughton

Are you a looking for a unique and engaging activity to share with your dog? Look no further than mantrailing! This exciting and rewarding activity offers numerous benefits for both you and your dog. Unfortunately, there are some misconceptions floating around that may discourage potential enthusiasts. Fear not! In this blog, we will delve into the amazing benefits of mantrailing while debunking five common myths, including the notion that only certain breeds can excel in this activity.

Maya hot on the heels of her trail layer

Myth: Only certain breeds can trail.
One of the most persistent myths about mantrailing is that only specific breeds possess the necessary skills to participate. In reality, any dog, regardless of breed or size, can learn to be a good mantrailer. While certain breeds may have natural instincts that make them excel in scent work, any dog can be trained to enjoy and succeed in mantrailing. It’s all about patience, consistency, and building a strong bond with your dog.
Myth: Mantrailing is only for highly energetic dogs.
Another misconception is that only high-energy dogs can benefit from mantrailing. While it’s true that energetic dogs often enjoy this activity, it can also be a great outlet for dogs with lower energy levels. Mantrailing provides mental stimulation, encourages problem-solving skills, and promotes overall well-being. It’s a fantastic way to engage and challenge dogs of all energy levels while strengthening the bond between you and your pet.
Myth: Mantrailing is too complicated to learn.
Some may think that mantrailing is a complex and challenging activity to teach their pets. However, with the right approach and guidance, mantrailing can be taught to dogs of all ages and skill levels. We will help you understand the basics, including teaching your dog to follow a specific scent, differentiate between scents, and work collaboratively with you. The key is to start with simple exercises and gradually build up skills through positive reinforcement and consistent practice.
Myth: Mantrailing is only for professional search and rescue dogs.
While mantrailing is commonly associated with search and rescue work, it’s essential to recognise that this activity can also be enjoyed recreationally. Participating in mantrailing provides mental stimulation, offers an opportunity for dogs to utilise their natural instincts, and encourages physical exercise.
Myth: Mantrailing is time-consuming and requires extensive equipment.
Contrary to popular belief, mantrailing can be adapted to fit your lifestyle. You don’t need elaborate equipment or hours of training sessions to enjoy this activity. Even short, regular sessions can provide significant benefits for your pet. With a few essential items like a long leash, harness, you can start your mantrailing adventure in no time. It’s a flexible activity that can be tailored to your schedule and preferences.

Mantrailing is a fantastic activity that offers numerous benefits for both you and your dog. By debunking these common myths, we hope to inspire pet owners to give mantrailing a try, regardless of their dog’s breed or energy level. The joy, mental stimulation, and strengthened bond you’ll experience with your pet are well worth the effort. So, grab your lead, follow the scent, and embark on an exciting mantrailing journey with your dog!

Check out the Doghampton Facebook page to start your journey.

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Mantrailing is more than training.

Please read this article from Mantrailing uk

Find an event at Doghampton

Mantrailing is like no other activity or sport that you can take part in with your pet dog. It is completely unique dog training in many ways but quite interestingly, it can help solve a number of unwanted behavioural problems that may challenge your every day life with your dog such as fear, hyperactivity, phobias, stress, anxiety, reactivity and aggression.

Mantrailing is allowing the dog to make the right choices independently and will be much more satisfying and prioritising the preferred habits in the brain. It has the effect that over time, it changes unwanted habitual behavior and shapes new behavior that is the final, desired goal. It interrupts and redirects unwanted dog behavior, will give the dog satisfaction and can be therapeutic. This, in turn, will provide various benefits and will give you and the dog more confidence and stress free experiences.

These dog behaviours can lead to you becoming extremely isolated with your dog and having stressful and disappointing experiences and missing out on taking part in various activities or even simple dog walks.

Mantrailing is the ultimate sport for turning a pessimist into an optimist!

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 handlers taking a back seat and watching how the dog works tricky trails out themselves. Through this, the handler learns to read the dogs body language, which creates a great bond and ultimately will equate to further progression in their behavioural and every-day training.

By taking part in Mantrailing, both you and your dog become a team – the best team imaginable! You will achieve success after success together, getting a buzz each time a missing person is found.

This will also help with building the dog’s confidence and self-esteem up in a very short period of time. It helps the dog to become less stressed, relax, learn a new game and have endless fun along the way. By working as a team, the dog will naturally want to engage with their handler and learn.

A dog’s nose dominates its brain, so naturally Mantrailing provides mental, intellectual stimulation for your dog, providing an exceptional workout for the brain, tiring them out without the need for 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.

“It is invaluable dog training.”

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 a person, a dog, another animal or person.

“By making Mantrailing the best game ever, we change the priorities for the dog.”

Behaviour, that has become habitual for the dog, such as chasing a runner or barking at another dog, can be challenging to reverse. By making Mantrailing, which is a natural game, more fun, exciting and rewarding, we are changing the priorities for the dog. All over sudden, chasing that bike isn´t as important as following the trail that leads to receiving the best reward. A lot of dogs find trailing rewarding in itself.

Once the dog understands the concept of Mantrailing, which happens usually 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 has, for expample, enabled dog reactive dogs to ignore any other dogs on or near their trail.

Nervous dogs have been brave enough to pass objects or scenarios they once wouldn’t pass or take food from strangers that they might not normally approach.

Olfaction is believed to be the dogs’ most powerful and perhaps important sense. Their sensory world is impressively different from ours, they observe their world through relentless sniffing and scent discrimination. Dogs can have up to 300 million olfactory cells, whereas us humans have only about 15 million.

“It is believed that they can detect a tea spoon of sugar in an olympic sized pool.”

Canine olfaction is a growing area of scientific investigation and there are many new applications surfacing every year. The dogs’ brain is build around the information it gets from scent which is closely linked to emotions. Endorphins are chemicals that are produced in the brain during times of stimulation and excitement, they create feelings of calmness and happiness and decrease stress and anxiety.

When endorphin levels are too low the dog is likely to feel under a lot of stress, which can result in undesired or obsessive behaviours that the dogs use as a mechanism to cope. Anything that induces pain or excitement boosts endorphin levels, so a dog could chew his own paw, spin, or chase shadows all day as their way of creating enough endorphins for normal function.

The more the brain can be engaged and challenged with new behaviours, the more relaxed and content the dog will be. Stimulating the dog mentally and physically can help it cope with lower than average levels of endorphins being produced.

So what are you waiting for? Get trailing!

To find out more about Mantrailing and how to get involved, visit our events page or join our Facebook group “Mantrailing Association UK”

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References

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280446218_Canine_Olfaction_Scent_Sign_and_Situation

http://www.balancebehaviour.org/

The newest fun dog sport, and 5 reasons to take it up

WHAT IS MANTRAILING?

1. It is low impact which is suitable for puppies and dogs of all ages

2. Dogs are on lead, so no embarrassing incidents

3. It’s easy to practice at home, Not much equipment needed

4. Always in small groups.

5. Dogs are worked one at a time so no issues for those that are dog nervous

6. We train in new places every week

7. It’s a great way to build confidence in nervous dogs

8. It helps calm overexcited dogs as they need to concentrate more

9. Fantastic way to build the bond and understanding between dog and handler

Have you heard of Mantrailing before?

Do you think it is only for really sporty dogs and super fit owners?

So here is the truth behind Mantrailing:

It is an exciting new trailing sport where your dog learns to track
missing/hidden people based on their unique smell!

Any dog can do this, from small to massive, from young to old, and any breed
too!

Even reactive dogs, as we only work one dog at a time and specifically
choose the person they are finding to match the dogs personality, it can help
improve their confidence immensely.

But I’m not fit enough to do that! We match the length and type of trail to
meet your requirements. Trust me I’m no athlete!

My dog has rubbish recall! No worries all dogs are worked on leads so they
are under control at all times.

We teach you to work as a team with your dog and help you understand body
language and how dogs see our world.

Once you have the basics you can progress through
more exciting trails in differing environments, and join in with competitions
and fun days or for the more competitive work towards your level 1 certificate!

When it is not your turn to trail you have the
opportunity to watch other teams at work which is extremely beneficial for
progressing on your journey and understanding of dogs track scent, and the
effects of the environment on the trail, after all you are learning too.
it is low impact and highly addictive sport that requires concentration from
the dog and therefore really helps build focus and can give nervous dogs the
chance to build some real self confidence!

So come join us on this highly addictive adventure! Start soon and you may have
time to join in the Halloween ghost hunt!!

Take a look at our events page on http://www.facebook.com/doghampton

or sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss out!