Description
Mantrailing is a type of sport training in which dogs learn to find people who are hidden by following their unique scent trail. It is different from tracking in that the dog is free to use all their senses to find the person who is always hidden at the end.
This is a 6-week class and is ONLY OPEN TO THOSE WHO HAVE ATTENED A 3 HOUR INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP TO MANTRAILING.
Each class will be approximately 90 minutes long
The approach is positive reward-based training and is accessible to most dogs regardless of age, breed or size. Mantrailing is a low impact sport. Dogs are worked one at a time and kept on a longline meaning that dogs with reactivity to dogs or a weak recall are also welcome. Suitable for seniors!
Equipment and Supplies:
- You will need a comfortable harness for you dog which attaches at the back.
- You will need a 20-30 foot longline although we will have loaners for the workshop.
- You will need a variety of your dog’s favorite foods for your dog in two small containers. And toys are good too if your dog is toy driven.
Logistics:
Dogs may settle in vehicles/crates in between their trails or during discussions or there may be indoor crating (depending on the number of attendees) The terrain will be mostly flat.
About Kamrin
Kamrin MacKnight has been involved with animals and training for most of her life, but became a dedicated trainer in 2002, after obtaining her rescue Shiba Inu, Take. Between them, Take and her Kai Ken, Sumi, earned various titles, including obedience, rally, freestyle (CFF and WCFO), tracking (AKC and ASCA; Take was the first and for a long time, only TDX Shiba), barn hunt, and NACSW nosework titles (Sumi may be the only NW3 Kai). Her current dogs are a Shikoku (Kuma), and a Hokkaido (Saya). Kuma and Saya have both been focused on NASDA events, with both earning spots in the Invitational in 2023 and 2024. They also have earned barn hunt and precision coursing titles, their CGC and TKN titles, and are well on their way in their nosework, tracking, trailing, and parkour careers. They’ll also be back in obedience, rally, freestyle, and other classes. Kuma has his UKC Championship and Saya is working toward hers. They both have their IABCA championship (puppy) titles.
Kamrin is an AKC and ASCA tracking judge, as well as one of two Maintrailing Global instructors and the only assessor in California. She is also a freestyle judge and instructor through Dogs Can Dance. She’s also a Certified Canine Fitness Instructor (CCFT), in the NASDA judge’s training program, and a PNWI through NACSW. She’s also working on her CCSC, through North Carolina State University. In addition, she’s an AKC CGC and Trick Dog Evaluator, Fetch Dog judge, and professional APDT and IAABC member. She’s an avid learner, taking numerous classes through the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, as well as many other programs (including Science Dog and Family Dog Mediation), and completing Karen Pryor’s Dog Trainer Professional program. She earned her Dip. Animal Behavior Technology, Canine Behavior Science and Technology, as well as her Dip. Advanced Canine Fitness and Nutrition, and Cert. Applied Animal Herbalism, each with distinction, through the Companion Animal Science Institute. She copy edited behavior books authored by James O’Heare. She’s also the President and membership chair of the Palo Alto Foothills Tracking Association and the Treasurer of the Hokkaido Association of North America.
When she’s not working with her dogs or dancing (she’s the Highland Artistic Director of the Red Thistle Scottish Dancers, and the President of Stockton Folk Dance Camp), Kamrin is an intellectual property attorney at a bay area biotechnology company. All of her degrees (except her JD), were earned with a focus on animals (B.S. in Animal Science; M.A. in Biological Science (Microbiology), with research on the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in felines and humans; and Ph.D. in Microbiology, with research involving marine mammals). She’s also very involved with complementary and alternative modalities, including flower essences (she’s a certified flower essence practitioner) and aromatherapy (earning her Diploma in Aromatic Science, Tisserand Institute).
