In our previous post, we touched on the importance of foundations in mantrailing. If you want to develop a strong, reliable, and confident mantrailing dog, understanding the basics is essential. So, let’s get into the nitty-gritty!
Think of a towering skyscraper. For it to stand tall, sturdy, and unwavering, its foundations need to be solid from the very bottom to the top. Without these solid foundations, the skyscraper is at risk of collapsing. In mantrailing, as in dog training in general, the same principle applies. Without solid foundations, we end up with cracks in our training and, ultimately, an unreliable and unconfident dog – JENGA!
What Are Foundations in Mantrailing, and Why Do We Need Them?
Foundations in mantrailing are the core skills that set the stage for your dog’s success on the trail. These foundations are the building blocks that ensure your dog can not just handle but enjoy increasingly complex and challenging trails with confidence. Skipping these steps or rushing through them can lead to a host of issues later, so it’s crucial to understand why they matter.
Building Understanding and Motivation: Mantrailing is, after all, the best game in the world for our dogs! When we start training, our goal is to make the game clear, fun, and engaging. We want our dogs to understand that trailing is a thrilling adventure where the reward is finding their human target.
By beginning with this, we help our dogs grasp the basic concept: follow the scent, find the person, get rewarded. This understanding is the cornerstone of their motivation. Once they “get it,” they’re eager to play the game again and again. As we gradually add complexity, we keep the training fun and light, ensuring that our dogs remain motivated without feeling overwhelmed.
Developing Unwavering Focus: Once we’ve built that initial understanding and motivation, we want to build unwavering focus and confidence. In mantrailing, your dog’s priority should be finding their trail layer above all else, because that is the most rewarding to them. This means we should see them for the most part, ignoring other animals, interesting smells, and any distractions that might lead them off course.
Focus is cultivated through consistent training and positive reinforcement. We want our dogs to hone in on the scent they’re following and block out everything else. Once your dog has developed this kind of focus, they’re well on their way to becoming a rock star mantrailer.
The Length of the Trail: Not a Measure of Success
It’s easy to think that the longer the trail, the better your dog must be. However, in mantrailing, the length of the trail isn’t the true measure of success. The real test lies in how your dog handles the complexities and challenges along the way. A shorter, more complex trail can often be more challenging and revealing of your dog’s skills than a long and physically exhausting one.
For handlers, focusing on quality over quantity is key. Instead of pushing for longer trails, prioritize refining foundational skills, managing unexpected challenges, and building your dog’s confidence in diverse environments. This approach ensures your dog isn’t just covering distance but truly mastering the art of trailing.
We will explore this further in future posts.
The Intensity Start: Adjusting the Approach
A key aspect of our foundations is the use of intensity starts. As the name suggests, they’re intense and are designed to create a high-energy environment that boosts your dog’s drive and motivation right from the beginning of a trail. While intensity starts are sometimes overlooked, they are an essential tool when introducing new complexities into your trailing journey. Sure, your dog might excel with a scent article start, but what happens when there are decoys on the trail, an unexpected dog crosses their path, or they encounter something unfamiliar like a camo net? Intensity starts help your dog prioritize finding their trail layer over these unexpected distractions, all while maintaining their confidence when they are faced with something out of the ordinary.
If your dog tends to get overly excited or lose their proverbial s**t during an intensity start, don’t dismiss this tool altogether. Instead, consider adjusting the level of intensity. Not every intensity start needs to be a high-energy explosion. Sometimes, a gentle call or a simple shake of a treat pot can be enough to get your dog focused and ready without overwhelming them.
The key is to find the right balance that works for your dog. Skipping intensity starts entirely means you’re missing out on that prime opportunity to build your dog’s resilience and ability to manage their energy effectively. By introducing and adjusting the intensity, you can help your dog learn to harness their excitement in a productive way, enhancing their overall trailing performance. So please, if you’ve skipped this step, reconsider.
Proofing: Ensuring Confidence in Every Environment
Your dog is motivated, focused, and handling the basics like a pro—great! But don’t get too comfortable just yet. The next crucial step is proofing, which involves testing these skills in a variety of environments, with different people, and amid new distractions.
Just because your dog nailed the trail in the forest last week doesn’t mean they’ll perform the same way in a busy urban setting. Proofing is all about repeating these exercises in diverse settings until your dog is confident and consistent no matter where they are. This repetition ensures that your dog’s skills are not just situational but deeply ingrained, reliable and enjoyable for you and your dog.
Always Revisit Foundations: This is NOT Failure
So, your dog is rocking it with the basics and is confidently working scent article starts all the time. You might think you’re done with the foundations, right? WRONG! Even the most seasoned trailers need to revisit their foundations regularly.
Just like humans, dogs can hit a plateau in their training, or even seem to backslide a bit. Revisiting the basics keeps your dog engaged, focused, and, most importantly, having fun. Foundations should never lose their value—if your dog seems to be losing interest or motivation, it might be a sign that you’ve pushed too hard or skipped too many steps. Have fun with your Intensity and Delayed starts again. This shouldn’t be considered a back step!
You’ll never hear me say that a trail was “bad.” Yes, sometimes things don’t go as planned, but these moments aren’t failures—they’re learning opportunities. Each time something unexpected happens, it’s a chance to assess, adjust, and reinforce those all-important foundations.
Conclusion: Trust the Process and Keep Building
In mantrailing, as in life, the foundations are everything. They are the bedrock upon which success is built. By focusing on understanding, motivation, focus, and the appropriate use of intensity, you can shape a confident and reliable mantrailing dog. Remember to proof these skills across different environments and situations and never hesitate to throw that intensity in.
Training isn’t a straight path; it’s a journey with ups and downs, twists and turns. Embrace each learning opportunity and trust the process. With solid foundations in place, your dog’s mantrailing abilities will be strong, steady, and unwavering—ready to take on any challenge that comes their way. Keep building, keep learning, and most importantly, keep enjoying the journey with your dog.
Happy Mantrailing!
Danielle & Frank
The Frank 'n' Scents Mantrailing Team
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