Breckland Mantrailing & Scentwork - Norfolk

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Breckland Mantrailing & Scentwork - Norfolk

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26/08/2025

Looks like I've found my new office.

If you know you know 👀

21/08/2025

A huge congratulations to Helen and her German Shepherd, Saker, on passing their Stage 1 trailing assessment.

The assessment trail was a challenging one: 400m, aged 30 minutes, with two changes of direction in a double blind set up. Given Helen's experience with field trials and tracking, it's a testament to her dedication that she's applied that knowledge so successfully to trailing since making the switch about a year ago.

This is a result built on a great partnership and consistent training. Well done to you both.

A big thank you to David for laying the trail 👣

19/08/2025

Trailing and Tribulations: A Very Human Problem

Ever been out on a trail with your dog, perhaps on a rather wet and windy afternoon, and felt that knot of frustration tighten in your stomach? You know they're capable, you've seen them smash it before, but for some reason, today's just not going to plan. You can't see or smell the scent they're meant to be following, and it's easy to get wound up.

It’s in that moment that we often blame our dogs. "He's just not concentrating," we might grumble. "She's lost the plot."

But let's be honest with ourselves, shall we? The frustration we're feeling? It's entirely our own, not theirs.

Our dogs are brilliant. They live in the now. When they are working a scent, they are fully immersed in a complex, invisible world of molecules, air currents, and information that is simply beyond our comprehension. They don't have a concept of winning or losing. To them, it's a fascinating puzzle, a game to be solved. If they lose the trail, if they can't locate the target, they're not frustrated, they're just gathering more data to find it again or deciding a different smell is more appealing.

The true problem arises when our human expectations and anxieties start to trickle down the line. Our desire to have the "best" dog, our impatience, our ambition, it all manifests in a tense grip, a sharp sigh, a change in our pace, our concentration wavers. And our dogs, bless their cotton socks, are absolute masters at reading us, gosh they can tell what we are thinking before its thought.

They pick up on our frustration, and suddenly the pressure to "get it right" becomes more important than the job itself. They become confused, unsure, and start to offer behaviours they think will please us, rather than trusting their own noses.

The greatest challenge in nose work isn't the difficulty of the trail or the location of the target. It's the challenge of managing ourselves. We have to look in the mirror and realise that our biggest opponent isn't a tricky hide, a complex trail or a blustery day. It's our own human nature. When we can learn to trust our dogs and manage our own emotional baggage, we're not just training a dog, absolutely not, we're building a partnership based on trust and confidence. And that, I think we can all agree, is the best reward of all.

In a world full of social media highlights, it's easy to feel like everyone else's training is flawless. We see the perfect runs and the speedy finds, I am guilty of this too, but rarely the hours of patient repetition and minor setbacks. The truth is, success in this activity isn't about those flashy moments, it's about the consistent application of the fundamentals. The real measure of our skill is how well we've built the basic foundations, day in and day out. The most important thing we can do for our dogs is remove the pressure, embrace the journey, and simply enjoy the time we have with them.

So when you clip on the line or set up for the search, enjoy the moment, just like our dogs do

13/08/2025

I've returned from a trip to the Peak District, where I thought I'd escaped the heat, only to find our Great British summer has decided to stage yet another sweaty comeback. Just when we thought it was safe to get back to business, the heat has returned with a vengeance.

Safety first, always. With the comfort and well-being of our dogs and owners in mind, I've had to make the call to cancel some of this week's sessions. I know it's frustrating, especially given the stop-start nature of the last couple of months, but their health is our top priority.

For those of you affected, I have been in touch directly to let you know. I am now reviewing the weather forecast and will be in contact shortly to rearrange our sessions, so please bear with me.

22/07/2025

A big congratulations 🎊

Over the weekend, we celebrated the incredible success of two dedicated dog teams who completed their Stage 1 trailing assessment!

Gabriel & Parsley and Peter & Clem faced a 400m double-blind trail with two changes of direction and a 30-minute aging time, which showcased the skills of both the dogs and their handlers.

Navigating the open, undulating ground posed its challenges, but neither team backed down. Their hard work and determination truly shone through, and I couldn't be more impressed by the quality of the handlers putting into practice everything they’ve learned so far.

Congratulations to you! Your commitment to teamwork and training is amazing!

Thank you to Ann and Lizzie for laying the trail when it may or may not have been raining 😬

20/07/2025

The Big Trail weekend!

This weekend's we focussed on building distance with our big trails, ensuring each route was tailored to the dogs' abilities.

Distance training is crucial for a few reasons.
It enhances the dogs' endurance, improves their trailing skills, and helps them build confidence in navigating various terrains. Plus, longer trails allow them to engage their instincts and bond with us even more, and a final bonus, it counts towards getting you steps in 🤷

Well done everybody. Each and every dog this weekend exceeded my expectations and I am really impressed. 👊

14/07/2025

Yesterday’s training session was both challenging and rewarding for both dogs and handlers.

We used the cooler morning temperature to focus on their ability to adapt to scent drift across open ground. Watching them adjust to the wind shifts was a real eye-opener for the handlers!

We also pushed the dogs to identify where the trail layer entered and exited water, testing their trailing skills in dynamic environments. To finish, we added a water crossing at the end of the trail—providing both a challenge and a cool-down.

It was a great morning of learning, reinforcing key skills for both the dogs and handlers!

12/07/2025

We ventured out early today to beat the heat and didnt hang around like we were securing a sun lounger by the pool 🙃

We opted for a shorter trails while tackling some rather challenging terrain. Honestly, navigating through tall bracken and low-lying dead wood felt like an exercise in extreme hide-and-seek.

There was a noticeable improvement in line handling today which really showed.

I even got to handle my own dog today so win win all round.

Well done today.

08/07/2025

Today’s scentwork challenge.

Four dogs and their handlers joined forces to clear the building. The emphasis was not on time or speed but the quality of the search.

Before we began, each dog and handler planned and explained their individual search strategies, demonstrating the importance of communication and preparation in scent detection. It was really interesting to observe how each dog approached the challenge, using their unique problem-solving skills to navigate the environment.

I was particularly impressed with the solid indications displayed today—each dog showed remarkable confidence in their responses. The progress everyone has made is truly commendable!

It was also a pleasure to have Karen Irvine of Dog Training with Karen observing today having made the long trip down from Shetland. I hope you enjoyed it and it was great to catch up.

06/07/2025

Finally back to trailing this weekend after the heatwave scuppered our training plans and it was great to see you all!

Ok, let's talk about the terrain. This proved a challenge, especially the 7 foot tall bracken and at one point I thought we were in the middle of celebrity get me out of here. The surface contact odour at times proved overwhelming for some but they all found a way of working it out so well done.

This morning we worked on some urban trails and there was a lot of discussion around scent picture and how the wind proved a test today.

Thank you for everyone's enthusiasm, hard work and humour over the weekend 🙌

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Wymondham

Website

http://www.brecklandmantrailing.co.uk/

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