Your+Dog++May+2019

(avery) #1
30 Your Dog May 2019

For more information
on Mantrailing, and
to i nd a qualii ed
trainer or events in
your area, visit http://www.
mantrailinguk.com or
http://www.mantrailing
scentdogs.co.uk

Dogs use their highly
sophisticated sense of smell.

ABOUT MANTRAILING
Mantrailing in this country is a fun,
recreational activity and there are
a couple of organisations, such as
Mantrailing UK and Mantrailing Scent
Dogs, which run training programmes
and events around the country.
Lisa Gorenl o started Mantrailing
UK two years ago, having come to
the UK from Germany, where she
was a qualii ed instructor with
Mantrailing International.
“Initially, I just gathered a few people
together and had a trail layer to follow
and everyone enjoyed it, so more and
more people got involved,” said Lisa.
“I incorporated mantrailing into my
dog training business, but now I just
focus on Mantrailing UK.
“It is proving to be very popular
because any dog can do it. We have
blind dogs doing it, and even
a three-legged dog, as well as retired
sports dogs, and reactive dogs.
“All dogs are worked individually on
a long line and harness, and it’s great for
the owners of reactive dogs who don’t
normally relax at all when they are out
and about. This activity allows them and
their dogs to have fun together.
“It is great to see how quickly a dog
succeeds, and how much they enjoy
working, which is a great motivation.
“At Mantrailing UK, we currently have
17 accredited instructors around the
country, and six of them are based in
South Wales, where we started.
“People of all i tness levels and ages
can do mantrailing, because you literally
go as fast or as slowly as you want to go.
It is purely a recreational activity in this
country, so the dogs are not operational
in the sense of looking for real lost
people, or criminals on the run, but we
do set up real-life scenarios, in dif erent
environments, so it’s great fun.
“Costs vary slightly depending on
instructors, but generally it costs about
£65 for an introductory course, which is
for two-and-a-half to three hours.
“We also run weekly training sessions,
which are between £15 and £20 for
two-and-a-half hours, and our
two-and-a-half day workshops cost
£165 and are based all over the UK.”

increased the bond between us. The dogs
i nd it quite tiring, because they are using
their noses and their brains so much, so
when we get home they crash out!”

Q Do you practise at home?
A “No. It is dii cult to do on your own
because you need a trail layer and if you use
the same person all the time the dogs only

Mantrailing is
a low-impact sport,
meaning there is less
pressure and stress on
your dog’s joints than in
some other sports.

DID YOU KNOW?

“I saw her growing


in coni dence before


my eyes...”


learn to trail that person. However, there
are mantrailing events popping up all over
the country and after you have done the
introductory course, you can train with any
qualii ed mantrailing instructor, so there are
lots of opportunities to have fun.”

Q Are you working towards a goal?
A “After I did the introductory course,
I completed a more in-depth
two-and-a-half-day course, and recently
I did a week long intensive instructor’s
course, which was brilliant. This involved
theory and practical work, and I had to
do a written and practical test and then
wait nervously for the results.
To my delight, I passed,
and so now I am a qualii ed
Mantrailing UK instructor and
from April of this year I began
running my own mantrailing
group called The Dogz Noze,
which I’m very excited about.”

In mantrailing, dogs follow
a scent to discover the trail layer.

Steph working with Iti, whose coni dence has
been boosted by taking part in the sport.

24-26 Mantrailing CS(SW)ok.indd 30 26/03/2019 09:30

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