Tracking vs Trailing

What’s the Difference Between Tracking and Mantrailing?

There’s definitely a difference between tracking and Mantrailing!

Tracking, like what’s used in IPO training, is a learned skill that’s all about following ground disturbances. I’ve trained Rottweilers, Australian Shepherds, and my Malinois for IPO tracking which means showing them that ground disturbance (grass or ploughed field) is rewarding. It is preferable that the dog puts his/her nose in every single footstep. Tracking dogs are mainly judged on how intense they search the track ("deep nose" etc) and if they indicate all the articles that are on the track. He/she needs to stay on the track at all times and if not, will loose points at competition level. For more on IPO standards, check out the link here.

On the other hand, Mantrailing is a bit more flexible, using whatever means necessary to find their Trail Layer, whether that's through ground scent or air scent. When we’re trailing, we don’t expect the dog to be exactly 'on the trail' since, honestly, we don't know where exactly this trail is, simply because we can't see it...only the dog knows that! The dog may follow different from where we 'think' the trail is because of environmental factors and scent movement, and that’s okay. What matters is that the dog collects enough information to find the target as quickly as possible.

In Mantrailing, the handler’s role is to learn to read their dog and communicate as a team, interpreting the information the dog is collecting through their trailing behaviour. This connection isn’t as essential in tracking since the dog’s job is to stay focused on the precise path laid out for them. But in Mantrailing, the handler needs to trust the dog and go with their lead, relying on their dog’s incredible nose to do the detective work!

To this day it is not scientifically proven, what human scent released into the environment contribute to successful searches of individuals. It's only scientifically proven that a dog can identify DNA.