SAR - Operational Mantrailing

Becoming an operational Mantrailer takes a lot of commitment and the right dog!

Mantrailers are used all over the world by military forces, search and rescue teams, and the police. These dogs are specially trained to gather information and find missing people by following a specific scent provided by their handler. They’re scent-specific, meaning they track a particular scent trail, helping to determine or rule out a direction of travel. If the scent trail leads nowhere, or if the person has never been in that location, the dog will indicate a Negative Scent Identification (NSI)—this is part of their training.

Mantrailers can also tell if someone has been picked up by a vehicle and even pinpoint where that happened. They can track things like clothes, backpacks, or other personal items connected to the missing person. Often, Mantrailers work as part of a bigger team: while they give a direction of travel, air-scenting dogs can help by searching nearby areas for human scent. However, in the UK, anything found or provided by a Search and Rescue dog can't be used as evidence in court.

Here's a Mantrailing success story to check out:

Successful Find: 16th July 2018 The Pine Creek K-9 Search Unit was called to help find a missing 9-year-old girl in Brookville, PA. K-9 Benji and his handler, AJ Moore, were the first to arrive on the scene and began searching right away. Benji quickly led AJ and the search team straight to the girl, who was safe and unharmed despite the approaching storm and being scared.

The search involved over 50 people, including the local fire departments and volunteer groups. AJ Moore and K-9 Benji train using "The Kocher Method" and are certified yearly through INBTI. Read the news article here.

At Mantrailing Global we focus on Mantrailing for fun. Although we have adapted our method from operational techniques, we have tailored them to suit pet dogs and their owners in order to enjoy as a recreational activity to do together. We simulate a 'missing person' by safely hiding somebody out on a trail for the dog to find.

None of our Instructors or clients are trained to conduct real-life searches unless they are officially certified by a recognized authority.