This something you will see every single trail, as well as in daily life. It’s an intrinsic part of learning for both dogs and handlers, it’s putting into words the moment where the dogs are learning how to solve this, vs trying things to see what happens. 

You’re putting words to the moment where the dog goes from:

“I know how to solve this”
to
“I’ll try something else then…”

…and that’s where a lot of mantrailing problems are born because we are encouraging problem solving, which we want, but not always in the way we want because we aren’t aware of it or planning ahead. 

What is “Win–Stay, Lose–Shift”?

The win–stay, lose–shift strategy comes from learning theory and behavioral ecology.

It describes a very simple rule animals use when solving problems:

• If a behaviour works (win) → repeat it (stay)
• If a behaviour does not work (lose) → try something different (shift)

It’s an adaptive survival strategy seen across species because it is efficient. The animal doesn’t waste time overthinking. It simply follows reinforcement history, and if there is not enough history or too much history this effects the outcome. 

Dogs do this constantly in training, searching, hunting, and trailing.

They are not thinking: “This is a contaminated track with cross-tracks and aged scent.”

They are thinking: “Last time this behaviour paid. This time it didn’t. I’ll try a different one.”

That’s win–stay, lose–shift in action in mantrailing. 

What this looks like on a trail

A dog starts a trail using the strategy that has paid off before:

• Head down
• Following ground disturbance
• Pulling forward with commitment
• Working methodically

But then something happens:

• The scent picture changes
• The trail crosses harder ground
• The dog overshoots a turn
• The handler stops the dog
• The dog works correctly but doesn’t find the person quickly

From the dog’s perspective: “I did the thing that usually works… and nothing happened.”

That’s a lose. So the dog shifts. And what do they shift to?

Not better mantrailing in most cases. We become unable to read their behaviour on and off the trail.

They shift to any other strategy that has ever worked.

You start seeing:

• Casting wider and wider
• Air-scenting
• Speeding up
• Zig-zagging
• Searching for people instead of trailing a person
• Looking back to the handler
• Trying to go to obvious looking humans

This is not them just guessing it is strategy in play, the dog is following a very sensible learning rule.

Researchers have tested this rule in dogs using simple choice tasks.

In these studies:

• Dogs choose between options (e.g., under which cup a treat might be hidden).
• When their choice is rewarded, they tend to repeat it next time (“win–stay”).
• When a choice isn’t rewarded, they tend to try something different (“lose–shift”).

This pattern is seen in puppies and adult dogs, suggesting that win–stay, lose–shift is a basic learning rule dogs naturally use.

Reference Paper Evidence for Win–Stay, Lose–Shift in Puppies and Adult Dogs – https://cognitivesciencesociety.org/cogsci20/papers/0717/0717.pdf

Why this happens so often in mantrailing?

Mantrailing is full of delayed reinforcement. The dog can work correctly for minutes without feedback. They can make the right decision at a junction and nothing happens. They can be in scent and not get the “win” for a long time.

So from a learning perspective, mantrailing often looks like: Lots of “lose” before a single “win”.

That’s a problem. 

Because the dog starts thinking: “The trailing behaviour itself is unreliable as a way to get rewarded.”

So they begin experimenting.

Handlers then say: “My dog is trying everything except trailing.” because we all know we’ve been there in that. Looking at the dog thinking what is happening here why have we got a shift in behaviour, especially when they were correct for so long. They go into lose–shift mode.

Why tracking often produces fast results where mantrailing failed

Tracking, especially in structured tracking work, is almost a perfect win–stay environment.

The dog experiences:

• Continuous scent under their nose
• Clear, consistent feedback from the ground
• Frequent micro-successes
• Predictable scent picture
• Very little ambiguity

So the dog learns: “Head down, methodical, slow, ground-committed behaviour = always works.” because they hit articles which give reward feedback, as well as not hunting for a large jackpot at the end. Instead they are looking for the reward to come from the trail itself. 

That becomes deeply reinforced as the winning strategy. They stay with it. They don’t need to shift because they are constantly “winning”. When these dogs go back to mantrailing, something interesting happens:

They now bring that win–stay strategy with them.

Instead of: “This isn’t working, I’ll try something else”

They think: “This has worked hundreds of times. I’ll stay with it longer.”

Tracking has changed their problem-solving persistence. Not because tracking is “better”.But because tracking gave them so many wins in the exact behaviour we want in mantrailing:

• Patience
• Commitment to ground scent
• Working through difficulty without panic
• Not switching strategies too fast

But the dog is simply following learning theory perfectly.

Why understanding this changes how you train

When you understand win–stay, lose–shift, your goal in early and remedial mantrailing become to create as many wins for correct trailing behaviour as possible, using the correct reinforcement. 

Not harder trails.Not more variables.Not more challenges. More clear success while the dog is doing the exact behaviour you want to keep.

Because once that behaviour has enough reinforcement history, the dog will: Stay with it when things get hard instead of shifting to nonsense.

The big insight for handlers

When a dog starts trying lots of different strategies on a trail, it is not because: “They don’t understand mantrailing.”

It’s because: “They no longer believe that trailing itself is the best way to solve the problem.”

Tracking rebuilds that belief very quickly because it removes ambiguity and floods the dog with wins for the right behaviour. Then, when they return to mantrailing, they are far more likely to: Win–stay instead of lose–shift.

And suddenly the handler says: “Mantrailing is working again.”

But what really changed was the dog’s learning history, not the dog’s ability.

Dogs don’t abandon trailing because they’re confused.

They abandon it because, from their learning history, trying something else makes more sense.

This is the topic of of the March Mantrailing Membership Webinar – check it out here

As mantrailing handlers, our job isn’t just to hold the line and follow behind. Our real skill lies in observing, interpreting, and responding to the information our dog is constantly giving us. Behaviour on the trail is communication, and learning to read it accurately can be the difference between supporting the trail or unknowingly sabotaging it.

This is where understanding behaviour indicators and using effective video analysis become powerful tools for handler development.

What Are We Really Training in Mantrailing?

At its core, mantrailing is about teaching the dog to:

• Match a specific human scent from an article
• Follow that individual trail
• Stay committed to the task despite distractions, contamination, or environmental challenges

The behaviours we want to reinforce include:

• Purposeful on trail behaviour
• Sustained focus on scent
• Staying on the scent and making decisions without guessing
  

The key is knowing what they’re telling us and how to respond.

Behaviour Is Learned Through Consequence

Dogs learn through reinforcement, what works, works. Even if we don’t reinforce it on purpose, cue the dog which knows you’re about to leave the room when you stand up in one way vs when you’re going to the toilet vs the WALK walk, when they get super excited! 

Why? Because one of those experiences has far more reinforcement attached to it.

The same applies on the trail.

Your dog doesn’t just follow scent, they follow with purpose and a plan, shaped by:

• What you reinforce through the set up of the trail
• How you handle the line
• How you respond to uncertainty
• When you step in (and when you don’t)
  

Your behaviour as a handler directly influences theirs.

Key Behaviour Indicators Every Mantrailing Handler Should Learn to Read

1. Line Tension: The Conversation You’re Holding

The long line is not just a safety tool, it’s a feedback loop.

• Steady, consistent tension = Confidence in scent, commitment to direction
• Light but purposeful tension = Lower concentration scent, careful processing
• Slack line with wandering movement = Uncertainty, loss of primary scent, or decision making

The long line often mirrors the dog’s certainty. If you’re not paying attention to it, you’re missing half the conversation. Especially when reviewing videos back, you can see the line tension change on videos when it dips or suddenly becomes taunt.  

2. Head Carriage: Where Is the Scent Coming From?

Head position can tells us how the dog is sourcing scent, not whether they’re right or wrong.

• Low nose (ground to knee height) = Ground scent, pooling scent, heavier contamination
• Mid-level nose (knee to waist height) = Lifted trail scent, drifted scent
• High nose (chest to head height) = Airborne scent, wind movement, shifting scent picture

This isn’t “good vs bad”, it’s context. Head carriage helps you understand scent availability in that moment, and can indicate if the dog is on the trail or hunting for it.

3. Tail Carriage and Wag: Emotional and Cognitive State

The tail provides insight into:

• Arousal
• Confidence
• Emotional load
• Information processing

Tail position:

• Low or tucked = uncertainty, conflict, stress
• Mid-level/neutral  = functional working state
• High/flagging = high arousal, strong scent, proximity to subject

Tail wag matters too:

• Fast, tight wag = intensity, high arousal, possible frustration
• Slow, loose wag = confidence, emotional stability

Always read the tail with the whole dog:

• Spine tension
• Breathing
• Speed
• Line tension

Breed, structure, and docking all affect tail expression, so you need to know your breed and how they communicate as well as how that individual communicates. If your instructor is not learning about your dog and their traits, then you need to question why. 

4. Rhythm and Gait: Follow the Changes, Not the Absolutes

Movement tells a story over time.

• Consistent rhythm = following scent
• Stop–go–stop = contamination, cross-tracks, decision-making
• Sudden acceleration = increased scent concentration
• Sudden slow-down = loss, transition, or scent change

It’s not the behaviour itself, it’s the change that we are watching for and aiming to read. This is a broad category and you need to really hone in your dogs emotional change, as well as their behaviour on the scent. Knowing where the trails are and where the trail was set will help you identify the behaviour you are seeing in conjunction with the trail.

Don’t jump to testing you and your dog if you cannot read the dog when you know where the trail is.

I even look for the handler coming into and out of frame, if my paced stayed the same and they come into frame on the camera suddenly then the pace changed on the dog. 

Positive vs “Negative” Behaviour: Reframing the Way We Learn

We tend to fixate on obvious changes, the moments where things look like they go wrong. We can’t help it, we are a species which look for change rather than the things which are “normal”. So we tend to get hung up on what we believe is “negative” behaviour when our dogs are trailing, and really don’t focus on the positive behaviour when the dog is actually on the trail. Which seems mad, but many teams cannot read the on trail behaviour indicators as well as off trail behaviour. 

But what if the real learning lies in understanding:

• What on trail behaviour looks like for your dog
• How subtle changes build before a problem shows up

If you don’t know your dog’s normal working picture, you won’t recognise meaningful deviations from it. Which is why video analysis is so important, even if you are an experienced team. Because on the trail we won’t have a short amount of time to process, record and take in the behaviour change before we are on to the next part of the trail. It can be split second learning, which isn’t east for anyone. 

Why Video Analysis Is One of the Most Powerful Learning Tools

Video allows us to:

• Slow things down
• Remove emotional pressure
• Re-watch moments we missed in real time

The most effective way to analyse trail footage is:

1. Watch once for the overall flow
2. Watch again focusing on specific behaviour indicators
3. Observe both dog and handler together

Patterns become clearer. Small tells become obvious. Handler habits emerge.

Video analysis helps handlers:

• Improve timing
• Reduce unnecessary interference
• Build confidence in reading behaviour
• Develop a deeper understanding of scent work

It turns experience into intentional learning. We actually spot things and learn them, not just assume on something. I see a marked difference in the handlers once they start to take time to review their videos. 

I didn’t get as good as I am by just doing, I took time to review videos, spot mistakes and be critical of myself without letting that energy go down the line to the dogs. Because in the moment I cannot learn with emotion, but when home and a large gin in hand I can review, analyse and really take in the learning that happened at the time. 

Final Thoughts

Mantrailing isn’t just about where the dog goes, it’s about how they get there.

Learning to read behaviour indicators is a skill that takes time, practice, and reflection. Video analysis accelerates that learning by giving you the chance to truly see what your dog is communicating.

The better we get at reading our dogs, the better partners we become on the trail.

If you want to develop this skill further, structured video analysis and guided learning can make all the difference.

Check out the recording of the Video Analysis Workshop in the Mantrailing Membership as a paid for webinar, or join me for one in person. 

Proximity behaviour is a perfect example: it can be exciting to watch, but also confusing, chaotic, and even unsafe if misunderstood.

Letting dogs drag you into bushes, or even across roads isn’t a safe way to handle as the dogs pursue their reward.

At Trailing K9s, we specialise in helping handlers learn these skills through our mantrailing workshops and online learning resources. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into proximity behaviour: what it is, why it happens, and how you can manage it more effectively when training your mantrailing dog.

What Is Proximity Behaviour in Mantrailing?

Proximity behaviour occurs when your dog picks up a high concentration of human scent in the environment and concludes that the trail layer (the person being trailed) is nearby.

The crucial point: proximity doesn’t always mean the person is right there. It means the scent is strong enough for the dog to believe it is and rush to get to what they perceive is the reward aka the trail layer at the end of the trail.

Common signs of proximity behaviour include:

• Tightening of the line with increased tension
• The head lifting up into the air
• Erratic searching or scanning
• Frantic sniffing, with intensity increasing
• General “chaos mode” where everything speeds up and becomes more powerful

Rather than calming down, dogs usually get wilder when proximity kicks in. In enthuasitc or large dogs this can become dangerous flailing at the end of the lead.

Why Proximity Behaviour Can Be Problematic

While it’s positive that your dog is in scent, proximity behaviour can lead to difficulties:

• Guessing instead of trailing: Dogs may abandon the actual trail to rush towards where they think the person is.
  
• Safety risks: Powerful dogs in a heightened state can drag handlers or even cause injury.
  
• Loss of focus: Dogs can become reward obsessed, especially if trained in poorly sports where the trail layer is very visible.
  
• Wasted time: Chaotic behaviour can add minutes to a trail when a calmer, nose-driven approach would find the person more quickly.
  
• It looks like success: People think the dog finding the person is the only measure of success in mantrailing, but in reality the journey and dogs understanding of the game are the biggest successes in mantrailing. 
  
• It’s stressful; The dog is so hellbent on getting to the end of the trail they aren’t thinking, their arousal is high and they are no longer optimally learning but flying through the trail to find a single reward.
  

This is why reading proximity behaviour is one of the most important skills we teach in mantrailing workshops and in our online courses.

A Real-Life Example

While running a workshop recently, I worked with a German Shepherd who taught us an important lesson about scent movement.

The trail layer had been hidden in a bush. What I hadn’t realised was that a ditch nearby was funnelling odour down towards the path. The dog hit this plume, became convinced the person was “up there,” and tried to launch itself into the bush. It took me and the handler by surprise, and I had to launch on the end of the line to prevent injury. 

This behaviour was:

• Accurate in one sense: the scent was there.
• Dangerous in another sense: the intensity could have dragged both dog and handler into unsafe ground.

The example highlights how human scent doesn’t stay still. It moves with wind, damp, thermal layers, and terrain features like ditches. Proximity isn’t wrong, it just doesn’t always mean what handlers think it does. We have to factor this in, and make sure trails are set up for success, not to rush to the end. 

The A–Z vs. A–B–C Approach to Mantrailing

This is where training philosophy comes in.

• A–Z mindset: The dog races from the start to the finish for a quick reward. They don’t follow the trail, instead they guess where the scent might be working wildly and
  
• A–B–C–D mindset: The dog works methodically, problem-solving along the way, staying in scent until the conclusion, and they tend to focus on following the scent and finding reward in the following, as well as getting to the end of the trail.

Dogs conditioned for the A–Z mindset are more prone to chaotic proximity behaviour. Dogs trained with the A–B–C approach stay calmer, focused, and safer.

At Trailing K9s, our mantrailing workshops and online training are designed to build that A–B–C journey mindset, because that’s where the true magic of mantrailing lies. Building strong foundations and teaching dogs how to follow a trail rather than rush to the end. 

How to Manage Proximity Behaviour

You can’t prevent proximity behaviour, it is communication behaviour we want the dog to display, but you can teach your dog to work through it more effectively and safely. Here are some strategies:

• Careful trail layer placement: Use cover, wind direction, and visibility to your advantage. Think about where the person is being hidden, not picking the easiest option but the best option for the scent movement.
• Articles instead of people: A scent article can create a plume without the full excitement of a person, as it is smaller and the dog can be rewarded from the handler.
• Handler energy: Slow your dog down with line handling, add weight in the line, steady control, and no rushing forward. Just because the dog picks up speed doesn’t mean you need too.
• Varied training setups: Use aged trails, hidden trail layers, or even remove the person at times to develop thoughtful trailing.

• Add tracking into the learning: Tracking teaches your dog to value the ground scent and rewards from the ground, instead of only being rewarded at the end.
• Awareness of memory: Dogs remember where they’ve found people before. Factor this into your trail set up.

Learning Online vs. In-Person Workshops

If you’re struggling to read your dog’s behaviour, you’re not alone. Proximity is one of the trickiest aspects of mantrailing to understand, because it can look like crittering and hunting for the trail. 

That’s why we offer two ways to learn with Trailing K9s:

• In-person mantrailing workshops: Hands on coaching, tailored setups, and real-time feedback.
  
• Learning online: The mantrailing membership offers webinars, video analysis, and written resources that let you study dog body language and scent theory at your own pace.

Both approaches complement each other, giving you the skills to build a confident, safe, and skilled mantrailing partnership. You can’t learn everything online, and in person can be so fast paced that you tend to not log half of what is happening.

Proximity Behaviour Progression

Proximity behaviour is exciting to see, but without careful handling it can quickly become chaotic. By understanding what proximity really means and learning to manage it, you can transform your dog’s mantrailing from a reward-driven race into a thoughtful journey.

Are you so focused on reaching the end of the trail that you overlook the important role of reading your dog’s behavior? Many handlers rush to the finish line, and want to get the reward as much as the dog, as they feel like their dog’s success is dictated by finding the person, rather than working out the problem. 

This approach and mindset of rushing to the end of the trail can actually hinder your dog’s learning process and affect your teamwork.

In this blog, we’ll explore why it’s crucial to focus on the journey as a handler in mantrailing. 

The Role of the Handler

As humans, we don’t rely much on our sense of smell. Sure, we might catch a whiff of a bag of chips from a distance, but we mainly use our eyes to navigate the world. Dogs, on the other hand, have an extraordinary sense of smell that far surpasses our own.

They can detect things we can’t even imagine. Dogs’ noses are so powerful that they can help detect narcotics, explosives, missing people, and even track criminals. Their sense of smell is why we use them in mantrailing.

When it comes to trailing, your dog is following scent molecules, mostly from bacteria on a person’s body. The challenge, then, is for you as the handler to support your dog in a way that lets them do what they do best.

Your Role as the Teacher in Mantrailing

In mantrailing, you work alongside an instructor to teach your dog how to follow a trail. The goal is to help your dog understand that their job is to find the hidden person, but many handlers rush through the process, reinforcing the dog’s urge to cut corners instead of focusing on the trail.

In other dog sports like agility and obedience, there is a focus on breaking down the learning steps into bite sized chunks and looking to build understanding of the dog. In mantrailing we tend to lean towards wanting to only know about where the trail layer is, rather than where the trail layer went, and it’s this mindset that hinders many handlers. 

As a teacher, your responsibility is to foster your dog’s confidence in their natural scenting abilities, making the process of trailing fun and rewarding. The key is to build positive experiences right from the start. You’re not just teaching your dog what to do; you’re teaching them how to do it. This involves bite size steps toward that goal, and looking at how your dog learns.

Your instructor helps you understand the steps along the way, breaking down the exercises and guiding you as you work together to build your dog’s skills. Over time, you’ll learn to read your dog’s cues and offer guidance without over-managing them. 

Teaching your dog the game is only half of the journey, becoming a team is the other half. 

Timing is Crucial in Dog Training

Timing plays a huge role in mantrailing. Dogs learn by association, so when they make the right choices, you need to reward them at the right moment. If your dog only gets rewarded at the end of the trail, they might develop “superstitions,” like pulling to reach the reward.

Effective timing helps the dog understand what behavior is desired. Rewarding them for staying on trail or making correct choices encourages them to focus on the scent, not the destination.

You can do this via quick verbal reward when they make a correct decision such as coming away from a critter, or make a correct choice at a junction when they had a hard time working out the problem. It is ok to reward the dog on the trail, and it is something I encourage handers to do when the dog has had to work out a difficult problem unaided. For me I want the dogs to feel supported when making choices, like we would if the dog chose to sit by a curb or go in its bed un cued, we would reward this correct behaviour. 

Your Role as the Handler in Mantrailing

Becoming an effective handler requires practice. The goal is to handle the leash in a way that doesn’t interfere with your dog’s natural instincts or distract them from the trail. This is where the real art of mantrailing comes in.

To become proficient in line handling, you’ll need to learn how to read your dog’s behaviour, both on and off the trail. The better you know your dog, the easier it will be to support them in their work.

Practice makes perfect, and with time, you’ll become an expert in understanding their behaviour on the trail. By building a bank of knowledge of your dog’s behaviour on and off the trail will help you read them, and let them work in their individual way to solve the puzzle. 

Top Tips for Handlers:

1. Guide, don’t control: Your job is to guide your dog by reading their behavior and offering support when necessary. Avoid walking them down the trail, let them work it out. Remain passive and don’t rush to step in and offer support.
2. Master line handling: Good line handling ensures your dog remains focused and confident, allowing them to trust their instincts while you stay calm and supportive. Selecting the right long line is important to help you build a smooth tension in the line. 
3. Know your dog: Becoming an expert in your dog’s behavior takes time and practice. But the better you understand them, the more successful your training will be.
4. Work known trails: It can be tempting as a handler to jump ahead to working single blind trials (Where the handler doesn’t know where the trail layer is) instead of sticking to known trails (Where the handler does know where the trail layer is) for a good period of time in order to learn about your dogs behaviour.
5. Work blind trails: Once you start to know your dog’s behaviour, you can start to work blind trails with an instructor who can support you.  It is important that you have an instructor who can set up the right trails for you to work, so the dog has success and will step in when needed to help so the dog doesn’t lose its confidence. 

The Support Role in Mantrailing

As you build your skills as a handler, your dog will learn to problem-solve on their own. Each time your dog completes a trail without your direct intervention, their confidence grows.

In this role, you’ll be there to support your dog when needed, whether that means stepping in to avoid an accident or offering guidance to keep them safe. However, the goal is always to build the dog’s independence and confidence in solving the problem themselves.

Not every dog will thrive in the same way. Some dogs will always want a little more support, while others will love the challenge of figuring it out on their own. Mantrailing, like any sport, is individualized based on the dog’s personality and abilities.

Focus on the Journey, Not Just the Destination

One of the most important things you can do for your dog in mantrailing is to focus on the scent and not the finish line. The reward should come from working the trail, not just reaching the end. By teaching your dog to value the process, you’re setting them up for success in the long run.

Many handlers make the mistake of focusing too much on getting to the end of the trail quickly, but this can lead to dogs rushing and losing focus. Dogs that rush through the trail without paying attention to the scent can become dangerous to themselves and their handlers.

Why the End of the Trail Shouldn’t Be the Focus:

• The rush to finish: When dogs learn that the reward comes at the end of the trail, they may start rushing or pulling, which makes them harder to handle and can cause mistakes.
• Random indications: If dogs become desperate for the reward, they might start indicating random people along the way, confusing scent for something else.
• The hazard of rushing: A dog that rushes through the trail may miss key scent cues and potentially put themselves or others in danger.
• Building value in scent: If we don’t build a value in follow the scent trail, we are missing out on a huge part of the dogs natural ability, they can follow scents naturally so why aren’t we reinforcing that? But instead ignoring it favoring the end of the trail.  By building value in the scent and problem solving on the trail, the dog gets even more reward for its effort, as we reinforce the sniffing as rewarding. 

How to Build Focus on the Scent, Not the End

The key is to use intermittent reinforcement to build your dog’s patience. Occasionally reward them for staying on the trail and focusing on the scent. Verbal praise works wonders, let them know when they’re making good choices!

Mantrailing isn’t about the reward at the end; it’s about building a positive association with the scent itself. Tracking, for example, is all about the scent and not the person at the end. Encouraging your dog to focus on the trail and problem-solving will help them enjoy the process and stay focused.

Your Communication to the Trail Layer

I don’t think we can talk about being a good handler, without talking about being a good trail layer. As they go hand in hand. Either end of the lead can ruin a good trail.

Being clear with your trail layer is essential. When you communicate with them, you ensure that the reward system aligns with your dog’s training. If your dog needs to find food on the ground one piece at a time, let your trail layer know. Small details can make a big difference in your dog’s success.

Also, be mindful of how your dog interacts with the trail layer. If your dog is nervous or excitable, make sure the trail layer knows not to engage with them unless you say so. This consistency builds confidence in your dog.

You are never just a handler, but also a trail layer. You get to be part of other dogs’ successes, as well as your own. So listening is as much as communicating what you need to others. 

Conclusion

While it’s tempting to focus on the end of the trail, true success in mantrailing comes from focusing on the journey itself, the scent, the choices, and the problem-solving. By learning to read your dog’s behavior and reinforcing the right actions, you’ll both grow in confidence and proficiency.

So, slow down, stay present, and let your dog do what they do best!

Are they on the scent? Are they off-trail? Do they need help or encouragement? 

These questions are at the core of every handler’s journey in mantrailing.

Decoding your dog’s body language can transform your relationship on the trail, improve your teamwork, and lead to more successful trails. It’s what I harp on about on every session and workshop.

In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to understand your dog’s behaviour during mantrailing, helping you both become a more intuitive and effective team.

How Do I Know If My Dog Is Mantrailing?

When your dog is mantrailing, you’ll notice a consistent set of behaviours that signal they’re on the trail. Here’s what to look out for:

• Head Down & Consistent Pull on the Lead: This is often the first sign that your dog is tracking a scent. The lead remains tight, and you can feel the tension shift with their movements. For some breeds this is stronger than others. I am looking at you Spaniel owners.
• Increased Sniffing: A dog actively on the trail will be intently sniffing the ground. Their nose will stay low and close to the surface as they track the scent. They look like the “traditional” dog you would think about when talking about mantrailing. 

• Head Lifts: If your dog raises their head, it could indicate they’re trying to catch a scent from the air or navigating a change in the trail. You can see this mid trail depending on the wind direction, but you tend to see it on junctions and decision points. 
• Tail Wagging with Purpose: A focused, purposeful wagging of the tail means your dog is on task, not distracted. The tail wag usually indicates they know they are on trail and aiming to get their reward. 
• Change in Gait: Watch for any change in how your dog walks, like slowing down or altering their stride. This often happens when they’re honing in on a strong scent. Some dogs will get stronger and pull more, while others may slow down and really focus on the trail.
• Focus and Alertness: A dog that’s deeply focused on the task at hand will block out distractions and become hyper focused on the trail. 
• Lead Tension: If you feel a slight increase in tension on the lead, this often signals that your dog is coming to the proximity of the trail layer.

Understanding “Negative” Behaviour:

A “negative” doesn’t mean your dog is wrong on the trail or misbehaving. It simply indicates they’ve lost the trail or encountered a change in scent concentration.

I tend to call this decision behaviour rather than “negative” as you dog is deciding where the trail is.

Your dog might display a certain set of behaviours when they hit a “negative,” such as lifting their head or turning back. By learning your dog’s unique negative cues, you’ll be able to guide them back on trail when they lose it if they need the help.

How Do I Know If My Dog Is Following Air Scent?

Air scenting occurs when your dog catches a scent that has moved with the wind, making it less concentrated than ground scent. Here’s how to spot it:

• Erratic Pulling and Zig-Zagging: Your dog may start pulling in different directions, nose in the air, trying to catch the drifting scent.
• Head Up and Nose in the Air: When your dog’s nose is elevated, they are often following scent in the air, not necessarily on the ground.
• Cutting Across the Trail: Your dog may jump sections of the trail as they follow airborne scent, often leading them off-course.

The Challenges of Air Scenting:

Air scenting can be tricky for both dogs and handlers. If your dog switches to air scent, they might go off the trail for a longer distance, making it difficult to recover the trail and get back on it if needed.  Recovering the trail can be much harder in these situations because the scent is weaker and harder to pinpoint, they are following a decreased concentration of scent and can start to hunt for the trail.

How Can I Get My Dog to Be More Accurate When Mantrailing?

Building accuracy in mantrailing starts with understanding the difference between tracking and mantrailing:

• Tracking vs Mantrailing:
  Tracking focuses on the scent on the ground, while mantrailing involves following a mixture of ground scent and air scent. Teaching your dog to stay focused on ground scent can help improve accuracy and reduce distractions.
  
• The Power of Ground Disturbance:
  Tracking helps your dog focus on ground disturbance, such as footprints, crushed vegetation, or soil changes. This type of scent is often easier to follow and understand, both for you and your dog, on any surface.
  
• The Focus on Clear Scent:
  By helping your dog understand the goal of the game through training, rather than trial and error can really help them be calmer and more accurate. Tracking allows us to break down the training into bite sized chunks and actually read our dogs behaviour on and off the trail.

Training for Accuracy:
By reinforcing ground scenting in training, you can help your dog become more consistent in their trail-following skills. If your dog starts following the trail on air scent leaving the trail a long distance behind, gently guide them back to the trail aiming for them to value using ground scent.

Following air scent with the mantrailing isn’t bad, we don’t want to stop the dog doing natural behaviour based on their learning and breed. But like any training we want to make things easier on the dog and handler by adding reinforcement in the correct place, and teaching the dog how to do something in a safe and calm way.

In the same way as we teach a sit at the side of the road for clarity to avoid them pulling under a car, we can guide our dogs to use ground scent more accurately and follow the trail more calmly for their safety.

But you do not also have to add tracking to your training plan, in the same way you do not need to teach your dog to sit at the side of the road. It is your choice.

5 Tips to Help You Read Your Dog While Mantrailing

1. Record Your Trails:
   Record your trailing sessions to review your dog’s behaviour. Watching back can reveal small cues you may have missed in the moment.
   
2. Blueline Trailing or Known Trailing:
   Work with known trails so you can observe your dog’s reactions and behaviour, without worrying about where the trail leads.
   
3. Set Up for Success:
   Don’t set trails to test your dog when you’re still learning to read their body language. Set up situations where you can succeed together.
   
4. Focus on One Body Part at a Time:
   Instead of trying to observe your dog’s whole body at once, focus on one part, like their head or tail, for a few trails to get a better understanding of how they’re working.
   
5. Understand Scent Movement:
   Learn how scent moves through the environment, as this will help you interpret when your dog is on the trail or off track.

Terms got you in confused? Then check out the Trailing Terms Booklet

Understanding Dog Body Language During Mantrailing

Knowing how to read your dog’s body language is essential for effective mantrailing. Here are a few more key things to keep in mind:

• Reinforce Foundations:
  Constantly revisit foundational skills like line handling to help you stay focused on your dog’s behaviour.
  
• Log Your Behaviour:
  Keep a log of your dog’s behaviour during each session. This will help you track patterns over time and adjust your approach accordingly.
  
• Breed Traits:
  Different dog breeds have different ways of handling scent. Understanding your dog’s breed can provide key insights into how they follow scent and how best to support them.
  

Conclusion
Reading your dog’s body language on the trail is a skill that takes time, practice, and patience. By understanding the subtle signs of behaviour like head carriage, tail position, and gait, you’ll be better equipped to guide your dog through the trail and become a more cohesive team. As you continue training, trust your dog’s instincts and their ability to problem-solve, and you’ll both find greater success in mantrailing together.

If you are wanting to geek out further on dog behaviour while mantrailing, and really learn to read your dogs behaviour on and off the trail then come join me on the mantrailing membership. It is jam packed with webinars, chats with industry experts and breakdowns of dog behaviour on the trail in real time. Designed to help the human half of the team thrive.

But I firmly believe if you want a better mantrailing dog, you need to look at tracking in many cases. 

The difference between tracking and mantrailing isn’t that huge, but tracking is about teaching the dog what we want. Whereas mantrailing is more free and dog led. 

You need to read my blog on the differences before reading further. You can find it here

We want them to follow the ground disturbance and human scent in tracking. The reward comes from the ground and the scent, not the person at the end. There is no reward in rushing and the prizes are for accuracy. 

Whereas mantrailing is about getting to the end following the human scent, which is a mixture of skin rafts bacteria and other scents, in whatever way works for the dog, we give very little help to the dog and allow them to work in a natural way to them. 

Basically tracking is more about following the human scent, whereas mantrailing is about getting to the human. They follow scent to do it, but often use law of averages and problem solving to get there too which can lead to some conflict with the handler. 

They follow both blown and ground scent, and use it in the way that works for them. There are no prizes for accuracy, but it is what the handler strives for. 

So how can tracking help my mantrailing dog? 

The training for tracking has more foundations and steps to it to allow the dogs to understand each step before you progress onto the next stage. You are teaching the dog how to work the human scent and ground disturbance over multiple surfaces and with varying ages and distractions. 

1. You can break the learning into stages:

In mantrailing there is only a few stages of learning for the dog, and they can be a bit loosey goosey for some dogs depending on the methods used. 

Where as in tracking there is a linear learning which starts with small tracks and builds up to turns, longer tracks, aged, articles being smaller or different types of fabric and then different surfaces. All these changes are learned at different stages when the dog understands the part before. Each dog learns at this own pace and plans are still tailored like in mantrailing, but these smaller stages bring more clarity for the dog and the handler. 

This allows for a solid understanding for the dog of the understanding of the game. Follow the human scent to the end, and there will be a reward there, but is not always a person. 

It is also lower arousal for the dogs, so they are calmer when learning and therefore learn better. It puts them in a better emotional state.

2. You can power up your trails with articles:

Tracking also brings in the use of articles for the dogs to find. The articles are objects touched by the tack layer and the dogs gain rewards from these objects. These can be viewed not just as a complexity to add to the track for the dogs to indicate on, but as an important “keep going” marker for the dogs as when they hit these articles they know they are on the track and reward will come, so they keep striving forward to find more. 

In mantrailing there is only reward at the end of the trail, and many dogs can get disheartened and struggle when the trails become harder to follow and have more problems in them. We as the handler can help by geeing them on, but there is no reward from the scent on route. 

3. It builds accuracy on the trail:

Tracking teaches the dog how to follow the scent specifically instead of where is has blown to or could be moving on the air. Many breeds can become their own worse enemy through following blown scent hundreds of metres away from the actual source, where the person has walked. 

They then run out of scent and cannot recover the trail again. 

Gundog breeds and air scenting breeds can be typically undone by this skill which does serve them in their normal jobs such as quartering for game, but in mantrailing find it difficult as there are so many more obstacles in the way. 

By adding tracking into your dog’s tool box you teach them how to use the scent where the trail is and add the value of following the scent, over rushing to the end of the trail. 

You can read your dog on and off the trail better.

The dogs become so much easier to read in just a few sessions of tracking alongside mantrailing, as the behaviour on the track when the dog comes off the track is so easy to read. You suddenly see their head lift and the dog may even stop as they lose the scent, they then search for it and then pull into it when they hit the track again. 

Because the accuracy is rewarded by the scent itself and the articles, you as the handler have all the time to observe your dog and see its subtle changes in and out of scent. The dog usually becomes much slower as well, as they aren’t rushing to the end. 

4. You become part of the reward:

In mantrailing we are losing the joy of rewarding our dog together in a party, instead we leave it to the stranger in the bush at the end. The dog finds more value in finding a stranger than us, and as a behaviourist I find this alarming. 

I want the dog to follow the scent, alert to the person and then want to tell me all about it. 

We are working as a team to find the person, and by removing ourselves from the party we can actually damage our relationship. We can play in mantrailing, but so much emphasis is put on the trail layer we forget to be part of the party. 

In tracking we can follow the track and then play with the dog at the end. We do the learning together and are all the party at the end. 

Check out my free guide to rewarding your Mantrailing Dog

5. You can practise at home:

In mantrailing you need to have a willing victim to go hide for you and stay somewhere for a period of time, so often the trails are very fresh which can harder for the dog to follow. 

It is hard to get volunteers to go hide for any length of time, so weekly practices are hard.

Where as in tracking you can have someone walk a track and leave the area after, you don’t need them there, just to know where they have been and depending on the style of tracking you use a scent article to start from. 

You can also put out your own tracks and work them, meaning you don’t actually need anyone to help. Just to have a learning plan in your head. 

Conclusion

I believe that tracking, whatever the method used, can help mantrailing dogs become easier to read on the trail, and more accurate through teaching things more clearly for the dogs. 

I really urge any mantrailing student to take some time and learn tracking from one of the instructors across the UK who have been teaching it for years, using trusted and tested methods for fun. 

Working together as a team is the foundation of mantrailing as a sport in the UK, and we let the dogs figure out so much without us and wonder why they become hard to read and understand. We never taught them how to work out the problem, just to go and do it. 

With more structure and human learning alongside the dogs, we can become a better team. 

I will add though that mantrailing is not going to help you tracking dog become more accurate and if you want to compete in tracking, be cautious about mantrailing as you are teaching the dogs to cut corners. 

You can learn more about mantrailing and tracking over on Patreon, and joining Trailing K9s online.

Proximity, Hunting and Crittering can look very similar in the dogs behaviour and be hard to read when out on the trail.

The confusion between the three is not in their definition but the fact the behaviour can be the same for each one, because the dog is in the same emotional state. The state of searching for something be that the trail layer or an animal.

Proximity behaviour is where the dogs behaviour changes when encountering the scent pool of the trail layer. 

This is usually observed as an increase in tension on the line, head carriage going up and the dog becoming more erratic to get to the reward of the trail layer. 

Hunting in mantrailing is not for animals, but for the trail. A dog can be seen “hunting” for the trail when they stray far enough away from the trail scent that there isn’t enough to follow. 

They then will hunt for the trail scent in order to get to their reward at the end with the trail layer. 

This can be seen as an increase in movement of the head and tail, becoming almost erratic as well as an increase in pull similar to the proximity behaviour. 

Crittering in mantrailing is where the dog has left the trail laid by a human and is now following the trail of an animal. They may leave the trail fully or in some cases multitask and follow both scents until they can determine which will bring the reward first. 

This is seen as more energy movement in the body, head working closer to the ground or up in the air scanning the treeline, depending on which critter it is they are following. It can also have an increase of tension on the line similar to the proximity behaviour. 

Why are we talking about the dogs’ behaviour on a trail?

The whole premise of mantrailing is to read the dog’s behaviour when on and off the trail. 

We are reading how they are sorting human scent on the trail to find their person. 

When their emotion changes we should be able to see that change and in their behaviour. 

Mantrailing as a sport is about you and your dog building a better bond, as well as tiring the dog out just as much as agility or hoopers. 

Knowing if your dog has lost the trail and is hunting for it compared to crittering will potentially change your handler response. The same goes for knowing if your dog is in proximity or hunting for the trail will dictate the success of the trail. 

As handlers we want success as much as the dog, and helping them in the learning of the game is an integral part of the sport. 

What is the difference?

There is always a difference in behaviour between hunting, crittering and proximity. You as the handler have to start to notice the subtle differences, which soon become obvious differences. 

Every dog is individual and one of my most used phrases is “it depends on the dog” . Certain breeds work in a specific way, while some individual dogs do things in their own specific way. 

This is an overview of the common responses and differences between the three thought processes. 

Crittering Behaviour:

Generally when a dog has switched to crittering for an animal, which can be a squirrel, rabbit or cat you get an increase in the buzz of the dog. By this I mean the dog can be seen to shake their whole body and stand stock still, in some breeds this becomes a point. 

The sheer excitement of the animal increases the adrenaline in the dog’s brain, and they go into hunt mode getting ready to sprint at any moment towards the animal hidden in the undergrowth. 

They become over aroused.

Others stand and stare at the trees, forgetting their trail layer and hoping a squirrel will jump from the trees into their jaws. They can always dream it will happen. 

Knowing your dog and breed makes a huge difference when encountering animals. An example is the Spaniel will often dart about and become very buzzy when there is a bird about, they may not leave the trail and continue working forward but they are keeping half the brain on the trail and the other half on the bird, and then suddenly charge into a bush or down a track looking like they have made a very good decision to follow the trail layers scent, but when they have really switched fully to the birds scent. 

Lots of people find this change hard to read, as the emotional state is the same. Keep working to find the reward at the end, sometimes cheese in a pot other times a bird if allowed to keep working that way. 

Knowing the location of the trail, and working around areas with birds, cats, and any other animal your dog might find interest in is an important foundation learning in mantrailing. 

To combat this you need to set up trails which work past the distractions and make sure the trail layer is the biggest reward going, changing up the food reward or even having a family member as a trail layer can be a big difference, but I find a toy reward is a great option for dogs who critter as they get to “kill” something at the end and play with the trail layer. 

Building a higher value in the end of the trail, instead of the chance of hunting an animal on the trail. 

But this is not the same for all dogs, other dogs may encounter the trail of another animal crossing the trail layers trail and suddenly stick their nose to the ground and hunt about for the exit trail of the animal, leaving the trail layers trail behind. It looks very intense and like the dog is really solving a problem, but it is deciding where it can find the cat! 

This intense ground sniffing, followed by a strong pull or sudden stop can also indicate the dog has lost the trail and is now “hunting” for it. 

Hunting for the Trail:

Hunting for the trail is not the same as crittering, it is where the dog has lost the ground scent or enough concentration of air scent and is unable to follow the trail and is not hunting for it. 

This can be similar to crittering and proximity as the dog often becomes more erratic with its ground scenting, or suddenly throws their head in the air concentrating on trying to find more air scent, depending on how the dog follows scent when mantrailing. 

This sudden change in behaviour is often mistaken for proximity, due to the intense change. 

The issue arises for the handler if the dog keeps working forward intensely, as it can look like they are following a trail but they are hunting for the trail. The handler can’t read the change and follows the dog, and then the dog takes the handler following as they are correct and keeps hunting for the scent. 

It is a vicious cycle, and one that can only be broken by working known trails and seeing when the dog comes off the trail, and working out to find when the dog needs help from you as a handler or when to leave them work it out and make the choice to work back to the trail, rather then drive forward. 

The change in behaviour is often larger head swings in both the air, and closer to the ground depending on the dog’s way of trailing. As well as an increase in the pull on the line to almost a drag, with potentially sudden stops along the trail to pee or sniff other things. 

The intensity becomes displacement behaviour from the dog, who is no longer confident in their decision. 

Displacement behaviour is seen in all walks of dog life, as it is when normal behaviour becomes out of context due to stress or conflicting emotion, the normal behaviour is no longer normal. 

You will see male dogs suddenly start to need to pee, this is usually multiple times in a row. They may also start to sniff very closely on one thing and seem unusually focused on it, and almost be unable to be moved on. The dog can also start to jump at the handler or instructor looking for attention, but seemingly trying to communicate something. Usually  “I’m Lost!”. 

This change in behaviour can often be dismissed as messing about, when in fact it is communication to the handler there is no more trail to follow.  

Another version of it is Ghosting, where the dog looks like it is trailing but it is not on the trail or any blown scent. But in ghosting there is no change in behaviour when the dog comes off the trail or switches to another scent. It is very hard to read, but doesn’t happen often in most dogs. It is often around stressful trails and the dog will continue to trail to keep from decision making. 

Proximity Behaviour:

Proximity is where the dog comes into the proximity of the trail layer and gets excited to get their reward. 

The distance this behaviour can start, is dependant on the environment, wind and placement of the trail layer. The wind has the biggest effect by increasing the size or movement of the trail layers scent, also known as the scent pool, further away from where the trail layer is physically sitting. 

The emotional response for many dogs is that of excitement, arousal and desperation. The dog wants to get to the reward so much they plough forward and often drag the handler towards where the scent is coming from which often gets them to the reward, the big issue in reading the dog in this case is when the wind has blown the scent far away from the trail layer, and the dog starts to follow wisps of scent and drag the handler around erratically. 

Or the dog can hit the proximity of the trail layer, rush forward and actually lose the trail as the wind hos blown the scent pool from the trail layer in a different direction.

They may even start to just look around corners of buildings or head to known spaces the trail layer has been before. The dog becomes more erratic and then frustrated the reward isn’t coming fast enough. 

It can be mistaken for crittering and hunting as the dog can become so focused on finding the person they are no longer listening to the handler, and may even vocalise in frustration. 

The best way to combat this and build some clarity on when the dog is nearing the trail layer scent pool is to have the trail layer not hidden in the same places or always round the corner of a building, but instead have their scent covered with layers of clothing to dampen it and make sure they are not placed where the wind can pull the scent pool in different directions. 

Working the dog with the wind coming from behind them also stops them air scenting the trail layer and rushing in. 

Changing the reward to be with the handler can also reduce some urgency to get to the trail layer. 

Conclusion

The behaviour your dog displays in different contexts on the trail is individual to them, but you can learn your dog through planning training scenarios which work on certain aspects of problem solving to be able to read the dog. 

Setting up trails with the wind in the correct direction for the dog is important, as well as knowing how far the wind can potentially carry the scent in the context of that day. 

Filming your trails is important to learn your dogs on and off the trail behaviour, you need to know when the dog has left the trail in order to know what your plan of action is. 

Filming the trail can allow you to pinpoint exact behaviour change and notice patterns of behaviour.

I have talked about this subject with videos over on patreon. The videos are really useful to illustrate the information in the blog. You can check it out HERE

Learning you dogs behaviour is the goal of mantrailing, and your response or no response to crittering, hunting or proximity can only be confident if you have practiced and seen the same behaviour over and over to confirm that is what the dog is thinking when you see that behaviour. 

People right? 

Someone at the end of the trail, who usually has a lovely pot of tuna and a ball hidden on them somewhere. 

They are known as a trail layer or misper (missing person) and are the “man” in mantrailing.

What scent do people give off?

But what is the scent that they are following in order to find that person? 

We know it is a mixture of skin rafts and environmental scents, but it isn’t the skin rafts themselves but the bacteria on them which is multiplying or dying, depending on environmental factors, creating a gas. 

It is this gas which the bacteria give off we think the dogs are following. 

The dogs also follow ground disturbance which is more prominent in rural environments, and often discussed when talking about tracking. 

Everyone has a unique cocktail of bacteria which the dogs can follow. 

There is new research to also suggest that human breath plays a huge part in what the dogs are following, more so than just body odour. 

What scent are dogs following?

Dogs can differentiate between siblings, parents and children and people who live in the same household easily, so it stands to reason the bacterial cocktail on each person is specific to them. 

We use scent articles, objects touched or worn by the trail layer to indicate to the dogs that is the person they are finding.

Dogs use their superior sense of smell to follow the scent trails left behind by the trail layer, in any environment no matter the contamination. 

They can distinguish the direction of a trail by sniffing the time difference.

When dogs are detecting a scent they inhale sharply, or sniff, to create an eddy-current that carries the air further upward into their nose where they process the scent, and can follow it. 

So when you hear the dog blowing hard on a trail they are disturbing the ground to increase the scent particles in the air to inhale them.

Bacteria live on biofilms, which are our skin, in our mouth, and our intestines. Different parts of our bodies have different bacteria on which is why our feet can smell but not our heads, the bacteria is different. 

We have 10x more bacterial cells on us than actual cells in our body, so it is virtually impossible to not leave a scent at all, and it is why dogs are so efficient at following people.

As the bacteria reproduces and dies it creates a gas, which the dogs can detect and follow. The dogs sense of smell is so much better than ours, they use 35% of their brain to process scent where as we only use 5%. 

They are able to detect minute drops of scent in an environment and follow the direction it has come from. They can make the decision on which way the scent is coming from in as little as 2-5 steps made by the person, even if the trail is hours old. This is why we may perform the scent inventory, an investigation of the area prior to the start of the trail, to help them find the trail.

The bacteria will settle on the ground, vegetation, buildings and anywhere there is surface. But it will start to change depending on the temperature, chemicals in the environment and wind speed.    

The bacteria will multiply and become more “smelly” for the dog to follow up until a peak strength and then the scent will become weaker. The strength of the scent is depending on the environmental changes and how long it has been on the ground, as well as what chemicals the person may have been wearing and layers of clothing.

The science of the mantrailing dog

The recent study by Aviles-Rosa EO and the team from the University of Texas have published the paper “ Development of an automated human scent olfactometer and its use to evaluate detection dog perception of human scent” – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10906837/

This suggests that there could be a significant role played by our breath in what dogs are finding, when dogs were tested on indicating on just a persons breath they indicated 88% of the time correctly, compared to just 50% when presented with human scent without breath. 

Trail layers are always breathing so we cannot remove breath from the trail, but we can look at its uses to build success. 

We also know that dogs dealing with criminals and their apprehension can detect the adrenaline from those people. Adrenaline enters the bloodstream from a gland and helps people run faster, breath faster and “evade danger” or in this case being found by the police. 

In cases where someone is missing, search and rescue dogs won’t have the help of adrenaline as the person often isn’t running away or in the case of a dementia patient they may not even know they are lost. 

What environmental factors affect scent?

There are a lot of factors which go into the accuracy of the dog detecting a trail, and getting to the trail layer. 

These environmental factors can create scent pools and places where the dog has to work harder to stay on the trail. Even just starting the trail can be hard with lots of contamination, and this is why we do a scent inventory with some dogs, in order to help them get started correctly. 

Even scent articles have their own bacterial change as they are worn by the person usually and can be affected differently by the environment if sealed in a plastic bag or touched by someone else creating a contaminated scent article. 

Increasing or decreasing the heat will affect how the bacterias eco system grows or dies, and this can really affect how a mantrailing dog works. 

Heat can kill off bacteria, it’s why we cook meat as it kills bacteria which could harm us. It’s the same for bacteria on the trail, it can be killed off by heat and dogs may struggle to follow the trail on a hot day.  

Cold keeps the bacteria in one place which can make it easier for the dogs to follow the trail more accurately, but it also stops the bacteria from multiplying. Which is why we store perishable food in the cold, to stop the bacteria multiplying. 

Chemicals in the environment can also affect the bacterial change. But this is varied on the chemical. 

We also have an effect from our body heat and the things we wear such as anti perspirant are also part of the bacterial change on the trail. Our body heat can lift the trail off the ground and it takes time for it to settle down. 

But in all honestly we haven’t been able to prove what the dogs are actually following on the trail, we have only been able to test what they can detect. It doesn’t mean it is that. 

How do mantrailing dogs find people?

Unlike scent detection dogs, which find a single odour source which is constantly giving off scent in one place, the mantrailing dog has to follow the scent to find a person who could be on the move, in an environment which is ever changing. 

They use the huge olfactory part of their brain to sort, process and decide to follow the scent to the person with the reward. 

They find people because we build reward in following human scent. 

The sport of mantrailing is set up to teach dogs to find people using their nose, we pair the scent of people with reward and encourage the dogs to problem solve to find the rewarding person. Mantrailing dogs will use ground scent, ground disturbance, air scent and blown scent to achieve the goal of finding a person. 

We can also teach them to follow human scent efficiently through tracking, as they are following the scent closely on the ground and not following air scent as much as a pure mantrailing dog might do. 

Dogs will naturally follow the scent of animals or other dogs, because that is part of their survival to find food or a mate, but finding people has to be taught. 

We teach them if they follow the scent of the person who has left behind something they have touched or worn, known as a scent article. They get rewarded for finding the person with food or toys.

They learn to decode the freshest version of that persons scent, to find them and get their reward. They can follow older trails left by people, but this becomes harder as the bacteria dies off over time. The time it takes to die is dependent on many factors, and we have yet to prove or disprove how aged a trail is before a dog cannot follow it. 

We tap into a dogs natural genetics for a fun sport, the same way we tap into a dogs need to search in scent work or a dogs need to retrieve in gundog training. 

Following scents is rewarding to dogs, as it fulfils an intrinsic need for survival. They find joy in following scents of rabbits, squirrels and mice. In mantrailing we substitute the furry critter for a person with food.

You can hear me talk more about this in my seminar, which was recorded live and provided an in-depth dive into the topic of what dogs are following on the trail and how they process scent. 

But when does the intensity start to hinder your dogs mantrailing success by becoming arousal? 

Intensity is the trail layer getting the dogs attention prior to leaving to hide out of sight, this is by showing them the food or toy, calling the dog and then leaving swifty out of sight. The dogs natural prey drive and curiosity drive them forward to find the person with their goodies.

The description of intensity indicates that this is usually very exciting for the dog as we want the dog to really want to find the hidden person. 

Intensity can really hinder a dog’s progress as they quickly hit a point they cannot work effectively as they are too excited or stressed about finding their trail layer. 

We’ve all had sessions where the dog has seemed totally unable to focus or progress, and it feels like a set back. But really it is a mismatch of arousal and focus in the dog while problem solving.

What is Arousal in Mantrailing?

It is where the dog is so excited to find the trail layer that the dog is experiencing a physical and physiological response to the trail layer leaving, or to the ritual at the start of the trail. 

They act excited. Some dogs may show just an open mouth with the tongue lolling out, giving them that daft look.  Other dogs may be panting, jumping up, or crying incessantly.

Alternatively, a highly aroused dog may freeze and become fixated on the scent article or just getting started on the trail the person took ignoring the scent article completely. 

They are stressed. 

Sometimes in a good way, but other times in a bad way. 

The good type of stress is called eustress, which is positive stress with potentially negative implications. 

In human terms, we can feel this when in highly exciting situations like going to a concert, the body is stressed about the excitement. 

The emotional response to negative things and positive things is different, but the physiological response is the same. This stress hormone, cortisol, stays in the system for a long period of time which can impact other things. 

It is also a release for dopamine, the habit forming hormone.

How is the Arousal going to Affect my Mantrailing Dog?

In mantrailing we attract a lot of “high drive” breeds looking for a safe outlet for the chaos. As mantrailing is on lead, each dog is worked individually and it is a great way to tire the brain as well as the body.

If you do lots of intensity and fire the dog up too much, it will start to build the triggers for stress in the dog even before they have started to work and encounter any problems. 

Does your dog get way over excited with the starting ritual or even when you put the harness on? The dog is chomping at the bit to get started? 

This could be over arousal. 

Another example over arousal is the dogs which blow junctions on wisps of blown scent. The keen but inaccurate dog. They could also be “ghosting” (Looking like they are trailing but really they have lost the scent, or never had it to begin with) the trail as well as the dogs just tiring out really quickly. 

It’s usually when you see the dog pulling like a train, looking like it’s on the trail so well and perfectly, when in reality the dog lost the trail behind them. 

This is common behaviour in Spaniels, and one of the reasons people find them so hard to read when mantrailing. 

They become desperate to find the trail layer, and the stress gets worse and worse. 

This is usually where you start to reach the plateau of the dogs progression and start to hit the ceiling. 

This frustrates us as a handler, and creates tension as a team. 

Is Intensity Bad in the Mantrailing Dog?

Absolutely not. You need to build intensity to build reward in the trail layer, as well as the game. Intensity also builds a dopamine cycle in the dog, which produces the feel good feeling in the dog and the need to do it again. 

It is important to do for so many dogs, and many dogs need it to have fun mantrailing. It is part of the reason they get so hooked on it quickly, but there are times when the intensity will cause issues in some dogs. 

Building the intensity for the dogs should be very specific to that dog, some dogs need visuals on the trail layer to get started, others just naturally use their noses. 

Sometimes a toy as the reward builds too much arousal and anticipation for the dog, other times it is the perfect way for the handler to reward the dog at the end to reduce the tension and provide an outlet for the dog’s natural behaviour and reduce arousal.

Arousal vs Success?

So how do we use this arousal to build success in the mantrailing dog? Because for many dogs this arousal is the foundation of their career in mantrailing. 

The Yerkes-Dodson Law is the relationship between Arousal and Performance. As the dog’s arousal increases, so does their performance, until the optimum level is achieved. Peak arousal for success. 

Then after this point if the arousal increases, the performance will start to decrease.  This is usually where we do one too many intensity trails or over excite the dog on a trail. They always say stop on success and not chase for more reward. 

But as handlers we often chase the dopamine as much as dogs, and out success is interlinked in the dogs. So we do just one more and start to plummet the dog into over aroused. 

When the dog is at the peak arousal level the dog is able to tap into his natural drive and energy is focused and directed at performance, the mantrailing dog is on top of the world and is able to find the person with ease in most cases. The handler and dog are a team. It feels effortless. 

At this point, FOCUS is at it’s peak.

The curve can give us a helpful visual to understand where your dog might be on that scale. 

Some dogs are working up the left side for a long time and reach the peak over the course of months or years, they tend to stay there as well and fall back a little when there isn’t enough fun in the game. Usually when we provide harder starts and forget to revisit foundations like intensity starts or making sure the reward is the correct reward for the dog now. 

The dogs who tend to throw themselves off the cliff on the right handside are the ones I am more concerned with in this article. 

They are the dogs who get the game almost instantly and excel quickly. The dogs who you cannot put a foot wrong, they just get the game. They climb fast and crash hard, and tend to yoyo between success and failure. 

This dog is constantly in a high arousal state and its need to have success at all costs leads to the aforementioned issues. 

These dogs suddenly become desperate for success. 

Some of the methods would suggest returning to more intensity to build focus and increase reward in the trail layer. This for me is the wrong thing for these dogs who are constantly hour arousal. 

Often called high drive dogs, they are often just high arousal and actually need the game explaining to them in a lower arousal way. Exercises in searching skills away from mantrailing and working on tracking without a person at the end will build success in a lower arousal state, which will transfer to mantrailing. 

Just like learning to drive in a town, you become comfortable in the skill of driving before hitting a motorway. 

We can create exercises which compliment our dogs skills in mantrailing and build success in a lower arousal state. This is by essentially creating new habits for the dog as well as better emotional responses. 

Management is also key, which can be removing the scent inventory or reducing the triggers of stress pre mantrailing. 

Or adding obedience as part of the start of the trail to get the dog to focus and their brain to settle into the task. A sit before being harnessed or a stay before going can make the difference in a high arousal dog.

It is also by working with an instructor which understands high arousal dogs, and their “success” is not always dragging their handler through bushes to get to the trail layer. 

As a handler and instructor with both high arousal dogs and low arousal dogs, I am constantly assessing if my dogs are climbing the peak or ready to fall off it. This goes for all types of dog training I do with them, not just mantrailing.

From Manic Mantrailer to Methodical Mantrailer in some small changes.

Does your dog sound like a high arousal mantrailing dog? Then get on a workshop with me and find some more solutions to the issue. 

The video below will offer even more insight into the arousal in the mantrailing dog, and some solutions for your dog.

You’re missing out if you don’t have a game at the end of the trail, if you have a dog who values play.

Play in dogs is so often overlooked for the easier and seemingly less hassle food reward. 

When playing with your dog at the end of mantrailing can make a huge difference to their motivation. 

Why play with your dog?

There is nothing worse than completing a hard job and knowing you did a good job at it, and not getting recognition for it. While you were still paid your wage, it would have been nice to have something more than that. 

Wouldn’t it have been nice to have a present or even a party, we do it at Christmas so why not when we have done a good job? 

We deflate and lose motivation when the reward for work isn’t good enough, so of course dogs also feel this way. They can quickly lose focus on a task or become not interested in the jobs we ask them to do if we don’t provide them with the right reward. 

Food is easy and convenient, akin to money with us. We can all earn money at a normal job, but isn’t it nice to get something for your hard work like a medal after doing a run or a trophy for winning a sports game? 

We can add in the medal for our dogs by adding in a game at the end of the trail. 

Rewarding your dog with toy play can increase learning. The results of the study by  N, Affenzeller of the University of Lincoln showed that the dogs who got to play immediately after learning needed fewer repetitions of the task the next day, compared to the dogs who had rested instead.

The party at the end of the trail is as important as the trail itself for the dogs learning. If there isn’t enough reward the dog isn’t going to continue doing the task, in this case mantrailing. 

Playing with your dog releases endorphins, the happy hormone, and adds another layer to the feeling of elation and success the dogs feel at the end of the trail. This is not just for the dogs, but also for you as the same hormones make you feel happy and excited by your dog’s success. 

What kind of play is best?

Play is a need for all dogs, and the way it is presented is specific to each dog and the environmental factors.

Some breeds prefer to bite and rag the toy such as the Guardian Breeds of Terrier types, but the Terrier may also like to destroy a toy to get to the fluffy chaos inside. 

Chasing things is an enjoyment of many breeds so throwing a toy or dragging it across the ground are great fun and a perfect reward for many, especially sight hounds.

Spaniels and other gundog breeds could prefer a game of fetch at the end of the trail enjoying bringing the toy back to you, while others may prefer to hunt for it at the end. Finding their hidden person and then their ball is the ultimate reward for many hunting breeds. 

Mastiff or Bully breeds can prefer physical praise and reward. They are a tactile breed and the more the person scratches their bum and tells them they are super duper the more they want to find people. 

Play style is personal to that dog and finding what suits that dog is down to lots of playing at home, and working with your instructor to find the best reward when mantrailing. 

The dog can play with the trail layer or the handler or the instructor or all three. Who plays with the dog is important and totally individual. I have dogs who need the reward from the trail layer, and others who would never play with a trail layer. 

There are others who need everyone there to play with them and will sulk if the flankers or watchers of the trail don’t also join in the fun with them. The game in their mind is with everyone and they do not like party poopers. 

How do I start playing with my dog?

When I get in a new puppy or rescue dog. I don’t start with “normal” training straight away, I start with finding what game they value most and what toy really makes them excited. Why? So I can form a bond with them quickly and create value in interacting with me. Yes food can create this, but I have always always loved to use toys and games as the best way to bond to me and build our relationship together. 

Kincaid my Malinois x Labrador has two breeds in it which have conflicting play styles. The Malinios half likes to tug and toy and grip it, it can create a need to be possessive and overly focused on the toy. They tend to be hard mouthed and grip hard! Whereas the Labrador half wants to bring it to me and have me throw it again and is soft mouthed. We are finding a play style to suit her which involves playing tuggy and gripping, and also being able to throw the toy so she can bring it back. I find the bungee tugs the best for this as they are great to throw but she can get a good grip on them and bite them if she feels the need, she is currently only 14 weeks old but I can see the two breeds conflict already in her play style so I need to offer her both options. 

Whereas Grimm, my rescue German Shepherd will not play tuggy currently, he is very offended by the idea of tugging a toy and finds it extremely aversive. His previous life he was punished for picking things up so will not take toys or even food from my hand. So I looked at how he saw the world and interacted with toys and let him choose what works for him. He loves tiny toys, and as a 50kg and growing German Shepherd this was a worry, but he likes little things he can hold in his mouth and parade about that can’t be grabbed out of his mouth. When he gets something he now likes me to tell him he’s brilliant for finding the tiny toy and big him up to the world, but if I attempt to touch it is now poisoned and is spat out and ignored. He does not find play with people rewarding, but he finds parading with a toy rewarding. So we use the tiny fur chasers which he can carry in his mouth but the handle sticks out so I can make sure he’s not accidentally swallowing it. 

My Springers LOVE to play tuggy with something super bungee and fun. No one told them they were Springers and they identify as Malinios because the more you tug the happier they are. At the end of the trail if everyone there does not play tuggy with Captain then he is very upset and sulks! Play is a huge thing for him as its his one on one time, and when you live with 6 other dogs one on one time is precious. He gets to be centre of attention with everyone and he LOVES this. 

Every dog and handler team will have a style of play which works for them, not for what is convenient. If your dog needs you to dance about and be the best thing ever, then you better dance. 

You need to find out what suits your dog. Is it tugging play, or throwing? Should you get a squeaky toy or food dispenser?

I always remember my mentor in Security Dog training telling me “ I don’t care if you feel a fool, that dog needs the fool to feel like the task was worth it”, as I bounced about with a 60 kg Rottweiler after finishing some bite work. He wanted to be paid for his hard work in a way that he enjoyed, the fun from the handler and his favourite toy…. An old Tea Towel with a knot in it. He lived for this thing and the more you danced about and played the fool the better he became. Had I not danced he wouldn’t have had the reward which made him want to do the tasks again which were barking, guarding, tracking. 

What toys should I be looking at?

This is a bit of trial and error to your dog, but these days dog toys are designed for dogs not us. 

The toys are ergonomically designed for the dogs to be able to hold them in their mouth comfortably and carry them as long as you choose the right size for your dog. 

They are also designed with interaction in mind so you and the dog can play together, with comfortable handles and being pocket sized. 

You can easily make your own toys with old rags on rope or socks filled with socks tied in a knot, but these aren’t always safe if chewed up. 

My personal favourite is a fluffy tugger on a bungee. I can play tug with all breeds as mouth size isn’t an issue, the toys aren’t too heavy for smaller dogs and they fit in pockets really well. My only vice. The spit! But I can live with a  soggy toy and pocket if my dog gets to enjoy a game with me. 

I love the toys from Tug-E-Nuff as they are designed for dogs, not the humans who buy them. (Get 10% off with the code TrailingK9s)

I also spoke to Tug-E-Nuff about mantrailing and how their toys can be perfect for mantrailing dogs, you can read that article here.

They have the right colours and textures for dogs.

They design toys for dogs in all sports such as agility, flyball, obedience and mantrailing, Taking into account the variety of preferences out there in dogs.

Long gone are the days of just throwing a tennis ball in the field. You can now really provide an individual response to your dog to build up an exciting play time suited to them.

Here is a free guide on how to select the right toy for your dog at the end of your mantrailing session.

Does play have to be a toy?

Nope, if you have a dog who can’t tug due to injury or just doesn’t like it or you don’t feel up to it you can play in other ways. Play isn’t just physically playing with something, it is what feels fun to the dog. 

This could be bubbles which allow the dogs to pop them as their play reward, chasing them down and having the satisfaction of “hunting” the bubble. 

Food is not just something to be fed from the hand or dumped in a bowl. Throwing food at the end of the trail for the dog to find as a small hunting game can be the best bit of play for the dog. They find the trail layer, get their food reward and then you send them off hunting for bits of thrown high value food. It like getting a meal and someone giving you a desert for free! It’s double the yum! 

So should you play with you Mantrailing Dog at the end of the Trail?

YES. 

We are so busy chatting away about the trail and the progress the dog has made in that trail, that we forget they did all the hard work. Playing with them after finding their trail layer and actually rewarding them for a job well done is going to increase their motivation for the game for sure, but it also increases your bond together and their general happiness. 

Adding in a toy could be the icing on top your dog has been waiting for!

If you want to hear me talk about playing with your mantrailing dog then check out the video over on Tug-E-Nuff where I talk all about benefits of play in mantrailing.