Mantrailing
Mantrailing is a canine sport of tracking and air scenting in order to find a missing person.​
Every person gives off their own unique scent. As we go about our day, tiny particles - like skin cells, hormones, bacteria and sweat - constantly fall from our bodies. These scent particles drift through the air, move with the wind, sit on surfaces, and eventually settle onto the environment around us.
​
In mantrailing, we start by giving the dog a scent article that belongs to the person they’ll be searching for. Once the dog has taken in that scent, they use the trail left behind to track and locate the specific individual.
​
Although scent tracking is a vital skill used by search and rescue teams, police, and military forces, it’s also incredibly accessible as a hobby. Mantrailing offers a brilliant way to give dogs mental stimulation, build confidence, and strengthen the bond between dog and handler.
How do I get started?
Book onto one of our introductory workshops to start off - the intro workshops are 3 hours & we go through line skills, introduction to scent & start you and your dog off with some super fun, easy trails!
Following our initial workshop or introductory course, you can then join our WhatsApp group and come along to our trail sessions to build upon your skills. Session locations will vary with some woodland and some urban areas as we progress and want to challenge you and your dog more and more!
The 3 hour Beginners Workshop is £75
Mantrailing 4 Week Course is £150
Trail sessions following are 2 hours and £30 per session
Workshop Location: All Seasons Dog Park - Canine Kingdom, Eridge Road, Boars Head.
4 Week Course Location: Bedgebury National Forest
What you will need to bring:
-
A comfortable harness for your dog to pull (no Julius K9 harnesses or no pull harnesses please)
-
A longline (5-10m is good)
-
Your dogs flat collar
-
A scent article in a zip locked bag (a t-shirt, glove, hat, sock, etc, that smells like you)
-
4x Tupperware containers containing your dogs FAVOURITE food - usually wet food is good or cat food.
-
Normal dog treats
-
Water & a dog bowl for when your dog is resting in the car.
Upcoming Workshop Dates:
(FULLY BOOKED) Sunday 8th Feburary 2026 - Intro Workshop, 10am at Canine Kingdom, Eridge Road, Tunbridge Wells
​
(FULLY BOOKED) Sunday 1st March 2026 - Intro Workshop. 10am at Canine Kingdom, Eridge Road, Tunbridge Wells​​​
​​
SATURDAY 11th April 2026 - 9:30am-12:30pm - Intro workshop at Canine Kingdom, Tunbridge Wells
Mantrailing Level 1 Course
On our 4 week Introductory course at Bedgebury Pinetum & Forest, you will learn to trail in fields, woodlands and across tarmac and more urban environment all rolled into 1 course. We aim to introduce different surfaces and trailing experiences throughout this course so your dog learns how to interpret scent and work through challenges.
Wednesday 11th March 2026 - 4 week introduction to mantrailing, each session is 1.5 hours long.
Location: Bedgebury Pinetum & Forest​