Mantrailing - what is it actually?

When mantrailing, dogs use their nose to find a specific person. Dogs that have been specially trained in this way are used in rescue teams - but the exciting search work is also popular as a dog sport. Man trailers are used, for example, in rescue teams - Image: Shutterstock / Tatagatta

The term "mantrailing" comes from the English and is composed of the words "man" for "person" and "trail" for "track". In contrast to a normal sniffer dog, a mantrailer is trained to differentiate between the smell characteristics of different people, so that he can concentrate on a single person when searching and can be used anywhere: in the forest, in the city center or in buildings. A dog is used, for example, to search for walkers who have lost their way or have had an accident, for criminals or disoriented people.

This is how mantrailing works

Before the dog goes on a search for traces, he picks up the smell of the person he is looking for via a worn piece of clothing or an everyday object that the person has used regularly. Secured with a dog harness and a long leash, he then goes to work with his owner. This dog must also be very attentive and know how to interpret the signals of its four-legged friend - in addition, it must adapt to the dog's pace and follow it over hill and dale. The search work therefore only works with good teamwork and an expertly trained dog.

Which dogs are suitable?

In principle, every dog ​​can be trained as a man trailer - however, some dog breeds are particularly well suited for this work of nose, thanks to their genetic makeup, for example bloodhounds, welding dogs and retrievers. Physical fitness and the joy of employment are also important prerequisites for training.

For dogs that do this job professionally in a rescue team, training usually begins very early. If you only want to do the search work as a hobby, you can start at any time and should contact a good, professional dog trainer for the training.

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