- Location
- South Wales
Brilliant! Well done Homer (it's the waiting patiently that Pongo finds hardest.). We're off to do some more tomorrow, hope it's not too hot...!
Mantrailing
- Thread starter edzbird
- Start date
- Location
- SW London UK
It was quite hot. Luckily most of it was in shady woods. J x
- Location
- SW London UK
We went to our first of a six week block of man trailing sessions. Homer had great fun! Although showing his true self rather than his best behaviour like he did on the trial day. We took him to a grassy area next to some woodland where he decided to do his own investigating and refused to come back when I called him so I had to go and get him back. He did do really well in finding the missing person, even though he decided to go for a dip in the pond on the way
Only Homer would do that!.
Only Homer would do that!.
- Location
- SW London UK
They gave us a long line to practice with but we need to get a man trailing or canicross harness. Any suggestions?
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Sounds like a great day. All the best ones have a little independent streak 
- Location
- Isle of Man
Go Homer! Love it that he had a dip in the pond, shows he was having a fun day. We're going next Sunday - told to bring enough food for 7 trails! I have bought a nice, rubberised long lead. We use Scooby's old Perfect Fit harness. Do you have to get a specific harnesss ? - I just googled them, quite dear! I think if I keep the Perfect Fit for Mantrailing only it should be fine.
- Location
- South Wales
I use Pongos perfect fit harness. It works fine.
- Location
- SW London UK
Mantrailing tomorrow...
We have practiced a few times with a long line on his usual evening poop plod walk and all went reasonably well and we didn’t take out too many pedestrians or cyclists on the path.
I’ve told Homer and cooked the sausages, I just wonder what he’s planning to do to keep me on my toes tomorrow.
We have practiced a few times with a long line on his usual evening poop plod walk and all went reasonably well and we didn’t take out too many pedestrians or cyclists on the path.
I’ve told Homer and cooked the sausages, I just wonder what he’s planning to do to keep me on my toes tomorrow.
- Location
- SW London UK
We had a good session this morning, not much to report apart from Hubby putting the wrong place in the car sat nav for me so I got a little lost on the way but found the right place eventually. Homer did some good runs and we learnt that the missing person should just walk away from Homer without making it too exciting or Homer will just run and I can’t keep up with him.
Then I followed another lady working her dog and we got stuck going through head night bracken but the dog knew exactly where to go.
Then I followed another lady working her dog and we got stuck going through head night bracken but the dog knew exactly where to go.
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
Sounds like fun 
- Location
- Isle of Man
That sounds like tough terrain.
- Location
- SW London UK
We weren’t meant to go through the bracken but the trail had been set three hours before and had shifted. And we got a little lost following the gps track. The dog was much more advanced than Homer and had been doing mantrailing for over a year. We found the missing person in the end - and a lovely Surrey house we’d all love to live in.
- Location
- SW London UK
We have had some good mantrailing sessions with Homer identifying the scent he needs to follow.
Today wasn’t as good and a bit of a challenge as it was pouring down all morning. After a sort of successful first trail he completely lost focus on the second. Just being silly and wanting to run through the farmer fuels and the farmyard instead in the opposite direction to the trail. He ran off through brambles and saplings, I had to let go of the long line then he got himself in a complete tangle so I had to unclip his long line, then he ran around doing victory laps for nothing at all. And of course wallowing in the muddiest puddle available!
We kept the rest of the trails very short and back to basics.
Back home showered and bathed and Hubby had a croque monsieur heated and ready for my lunch.
Today wasn’t as good and a bit of a challenge as it was pouring down all morning. After a sort of successful first trail he completely lost focus on the second. Just being silly and wanting to run through the farmer fuels and the farmyard instead in the opposite direction to the trail. He ran off through brambles and saplings, I had to let go of the long line then he got himself in a complete tangle so I had to unclip his long line, then he ran around doing victory laps for nothing at all. And of course wallowing in the muddiest puddle available!
We kept the rest of the trails very short and back to basics.
Back home showered and bathed and Hubby had a croque monsieur heated and ready for my lunch.
- Location
- SW London UK
I’m sitting with a cup of tea and Homer curled up next to me after a stressful morning mantrailing.
As a end of term finale the trainers organised a long walk with the trail laid in stages and each dig taking a turn with a coffee stop half way and then another ling trail back to the car park. It was a lovely idea as we could all walk along together with our dogs behind the dog doing the trail.
But half way along there was shooting... quite close by.
Unfortunately the shooting started just as we had stopped to change over lead dogs so had to hang around for a while. Homer is better if we can keep him focussed and moving forward. If we stop he wants to back up the way we came. The shooting didn’t last long and we got Homer moving again.
Homer was due to do the next trail but he was still not calm so Fletch ( a gorgeous collie) did his trail for him, and Homer did the next one that was meant to be for Fletch who is much more advanced than Homer.
Homer was amazing and did the trail so well in very difficult conditions with lots of distractions at the start as we were right next to the trailer for the gun dogs who had all just come back and were running around. I was still feeling quite anxious myself and tried to make Homer go on the wrong path. Homer got really frustrated at me and only after trying a few times did we realise he was right and there was no scent to follow that way. I had thought that he wasn’t taking scent properly and too heightened to work. Once we got in the correct path and he got the scent he was spot on all the way. This was my fault as I was too eager for him to be focussed on the work and not on the noises.
There was more shooting again later on but fortunately this time we could keep moving but H did not want to stop for coffee. He was trying to back out of his harness and jumping backwards pulling away from everyone. So coffee break was cut short and I went off with the trainer who was laying the next trails and then took a short cut back to the car park where we both just sat for a while. So I missed the nice coffee and chat as they are all a lovely group and very understanding.
While we were sitting calming down waiting for the others I was sitting on the open boot with Homer a smartly dressed lady with a perfectly groomed retriever came to get in the land rover right next to us. With me and the car to protect and me not quite having my wits about me as they came toward their car H leaped out over me and barked at the lady. She was obviously taken aback, anyone would be, but I made it worse by trying to apologise and said “it’s because you are parked right next to us” which made it worse as it wasn’t her fault she’d parked next to our car.
Poor H is quite tired, so am I.
As a end of term finale the trainers organised a long walk with the trail laid in stages and each dig taking a turn with a coffee stop half way and then another ling trail back to the car park. It was a lovely idea as we could all walk along together with our dogs behind the dog doing the trail.
But half way along there was shooting... quite close by.
Unfortunately the shooting started just as we had stopped to change over lead dogs so had to hang around for a while. Homer is better if we can keep him focussed and moving forward. If we stop he wants to back up the way we came. The shooting didn’t last long and we got Homer moving again.
Homer was due to do the next trail but he was still not calm so Fletch ( a gorgeous collie) did his trail for him, and Homer did the next one that was meant to be for Fletch who is much more advanced than Homer.
Homer was amazing and did the trail so well in very difficult conditions with lots of distractions at the start as we were right next to the trailer for the gun dogs who had all just come back and were running around. I was still feeling quite anxious myself and tried to make Homer go on the wrong path. Homer got really frustrated at me and only after trying a few times did we realise he was right and there was no scent to follow that way. I had thought that he wasn’t taking scent properly and too heightened to work. Once we got in the correct path and he got the scent he was spot on all the way. This was my fault as I was too eager for him to be focussed on the work and not on the noises.
There was more shooting again later on but fortunately this time we could keep moving but H did not want to stop for coffee. He was trying to back out of his harness and jumping backwards pulling away from everyone. So coffee break was cut short and I went off with the trainer who was laying the next trails and then took a short cut back to the car park where we both just sat for a while. So I missed the nice coffee and chat as they are all a lovely group and very understanding.
While we were sitting calming down waiting for the others I was sitting on the open boot with Homer a smartly dressed lady with a perfectly groomed retriever came to get in the land rover right next to us. With me and the car to protect and me not quite having my wits about me as they came toward their car H leaped out over me and barked at the lady. She was obviously taken aback, anyone would be, but I made it worse by trying to apologise and said “it’s because you are parked right next to us” which made it worse as it wasn’t her fault she’d parked next to our car.
Poor H is quite tired, so am I.
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
@JES72 -- so sorry your morning was more stressful than you anticipated. It is a pity that you missed your chat -- it's always nice I think to mix training our dogs with some good socialiastion for ourselves!!
But I think that on reflection there are always positives to take away, and you say he did well in the challeniging conditions, so
But I think that on reflection there are always positives to take away, and you say he did well in the challeniging conditions, so
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
Oh, @JES72 i can feel your frustration in your post, and I understand how it must have stressed you out, but it also sounds like you did really well! Homer was choosing the correct trail after a massive trigger, so you may not have trusted that because you thought he would be more affected... that shows love and compassion on your part. It’s easy to do the “shoulda woulda coulda”, but the fact is, you were trying to do the best by your boy. He just happened in this situation to be one step ahead. And, isn’t that BRILLIANT?!?!! Those of us who have (or have had) sensitive dogs know how you’re always trying to protect them. It becomes part of who you are. So the fact you didn’t listen when he was trying to tell you where the path was is only testament to what a caring friend you are to him.
I know you posted this because it was a difficult day for you both, and I’m not trying to minimise that. But all I see in your post is how you tried to do the right thing by your dog - and for the largest part succeeded! So I take my hat off to you. You might not think it, but you were awesome.
I know you posted this because it was a difficult day for you both, and I’m not trying to minimise that. But all I see in your post is how you tried to do the right thing by your dog - and for the largest part succeeded! So I take my hat off to you. You might not think it, but you were awesome.
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- Location
- SW London UK
Thank you. Xx
- Location
- SW London UK
Homer was ace today at mantrailin. He has gone through a patch of air scenting then pulling me straight through the brambles to get to the person as if life and death and treats depended on it. Today we was slower but really focussed on the scent trail. And even decided not to look in the pond for the missper!
- Location
- South Wales
Our trailing sessions have been stopped, of course. But yesterday Paul and I took Pongo trailing in the woods behind our house (Paul acted as the runner, he has never been to any of our trailing sessions but he was a good chap and followed instructions....).
Ohmydog, Pongo was so happy to be trailing again! He found it very confusing at first to be trailing someone he knows so well (his daddy) on his own home turf; so for example when he 'found' Paul at the end of the first, very easy trail, he just ignored him - he hadn't clocked that daddy would have the chikkinnabox for him, because daddy-doesn't-do-that. And then he couldn't really believe I was asking him to trail-on again when his daddy had wandered off a second time. But once he realised that this was the same game as ever, he was ON IT. Such a very very happy boy!
One thing I found was that I spent more time critiquing my own handling, because of course I wasn't getting feedback from Lyn-the-trainer. So, for example, there was a junction where Pongo lost the trail, and then went off in what turned out to be the wrong direction. When Paul told me at the end where he had actually run, I thought back very hard to what the Pongster had been doing - and, right enough, on reflection he had been giving me a negative in both "obvious" directions and had been exploring the third option, but I'd refused to believe him and assumed he was just having a distraction-sniff. (I was very proud of my puppy when he realised he'd gone wrong, stopped, THOUGHT, turned around and headed back to where he'd last had a good scent. He picked up a combination of air and ground scent in the end and found the right trail).
I do need to give Paul a little bit of feedback on laying a trail through whippy tree branches and down a precipitous slope...
.
Ohmydog, Pongo was so happy to be trailing again! He found it very confusing at first to be trailing someone he knows so well (his daddy) on his own home turf; so for example when he 'found' Paul at the end of the first, very easy trail, he just ignored him - he hadn't clocked that daddy would have the chikkinnabox for him, because daddy-doesn't-do-that. And then he couldn't really believe I was asking him to trail-on again when his daddy had wandered off a second time. But once he realised that this was the same game as ever, he was ON IT. Such a very very happy boy!
One thing I found was that I spent more time critiquing my own handling, because of course I wasn't getting feedback from Lyn-the-trainer. So, for example, there was a junction where Pongo lost the trail, and then went off in what turned out to be the wrong direction. When Paul told me at the end where he had actually run, I thought back very hard to what the Pongster had been doing - and, right enough, on reflection he had been giving me a negative in both "obvious" directions and had been exploring the third option, but I'd refused to believe him and assumed he was just having a distraction-sniff. (I was very proud of my puppy when he realised he'd gone wrong, stopped, THOUGHT, turned around and headed back to where he'd last had a good scent. He picked up a combination of air and ground scent in the end and found the right trail).
I do need to give Paul a little bit of feedback on laying a trail through whippy tree branches and down a precipitous slope...
.