-

Mantrailing for the Scent Driven Dog
By Gemma Johnstone
Jan 11, 2021




Though it’s been around in one form or another for hundreds of years, Mantrailing is still a helpful tool when hunting for missing persons, despite technological advances. Mantrailing dogs continue to prove their worth locating criminals, missing children, and people with Alzheimer’s, among others. In fact, these trained dogs’ trailing skills are so reliable that court proceedings accept their findings as evidence.

In recent years, the activity has been growing in popularity as a recreational and competitive dog sport. Increasingly, breeds other than Bloodhounds are also putting their scenting and trailing skills to the test. After all, a dog’s sense of smell is at least 40 times more sensitive than humans.

What Is Mantrailing?

Dogs learn to seek out an individual’s scent from skin rafts (dead or dying cells) that naturally shed from the body. Before the exercise begins, the dog will sniff an article that the person has touched. They then follow the trail on a long leash attached to a harness, aiming to locate that person.

Terri Heck and her husband Jim run Summit Search and Rescue in Pennsylvania, and they are also Mantrailing Judges for the American Bloodhound Club (ABC). They currently have two Bloodhounds, Briggs and Stratton, on their team. Seven-year-old seasoned detective K9 Briggs has worked hundreds of cases locating missing and wanted individuals. “The solid indications she has provided have led to numerous search warrants, arrests, and convictions,” explains Terri.

[SNIP]

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/mantrailing-for-the-scent-driven-dog/
===============