Trailing Dog Handler & Instructor

Step into an extraordinary world where your dog's natural talents transform into remarkable skills. Our City & Guilds assured Mantrailing programme combines the excitement of search and rescue techniques with innovative training methods, including our groundbreaking HydroTrailing system.

Imagine training dogs and handlers and watching their eyes light up as they master the art of following human scent through city streets and country paths. From your first successful run-off to the joy of that final indication, you'll learn to guide both dogs and handlers through this fascinating journey of discovery.

On this programme, you'll learn to create exciting, confidence-building experiences that keep clients coming back for more. Our comprehensive approach teaches you to understand the science of human scent, master trail strategies, and develop training scenarios that challenge and engage both dogs and handlers.

This isn't just another training course - it's your gateway to offering unique, exciting, and professionally credentialed services that set you apart in the dog training world.

Mantrailing…

The Mantrailing Dog Programme 2026

The complete programme costs £3499 (VAT included). Easy payment schemes are available, allowing you to spread the costs over 18 months. Save 10 % when paying in full.

Monday 16th - Friday 20th March 2026

Week One

Week Two

Monday 18th - Friday 22nd May 2026

Monday 21st - Friday 25th September 2026

Week Three

The key highlights of our programme

  • Dive into the fascinating world of scent detection as we unveil the secrets of professional mantrailing. Your journey begins with our innovative HydroTrailing™ system - a revolutionary approach that makes learning natural and rewarding for every dog.

    During this transformative week, you'll discover how to:
    • Awaken your dog's natural trailing instincts
    • Master our exclusive HydroTrailing™ methodology
    • Build rock-solid indication behaviours
    • Create powerful scent-reward connections, with run-offs
    • Work confidently with decoys
    • Understand the science of generalisation

  • Take your mantrailing skills to the next level as we prepare you for internationally recognized standards. This week raises the bar with training inspired by the prestigious International Rescue Organisation's (IRO) basic testing protocols - the gold standard in professional trailing.

    Challenge your teams with:
    • Advanced trails extending beyond a mile
    • 45-minute aged scent work
    • Complex decoy scenarios
    • Professional non-contact indications
    • Real-world environmental challenges

    Thanks to special permission from the IRO, we've incorporated their assessment principles into our training, giving you insight into professional-level standards. While our focus remains on recreational and professional pet dog training, these challenging scenarios help build incredibly reliable and confident trailing dogs.

  • Transform your mantrailing expertise into engaging, profitable programmes that clients love. This final week is where your journey shifts from mastering skills to sharing knowledge, as you learn to create dynamic training experiences that keep clients coming back for more.

    Develop your instructor toolkit with:
    • Professional course design strategies
    • Engaging teaching techniques
    • Effective adult learning principles
    • Safety protocols that build confidence
    • Business development skills
    • Progressive training plans

Our Training Location

Location: Statfold Barn Railway. Ashby Rd, Tamworth B79 0BU.

The postcode/SatNav may take you away from ‘Statfold Barn Railway. We also have ‘What Three Words’ that can help, holds.soup.code for the front entrance and hails.games.reason for the entrance to the classroom where there is plenty of parking outside.

Timings: 09:00 – 16:00:  Tea, Coffee and ‘Posh Biscuits’ provided.

Accommodation: Our training venue offers camping, caravan and motorhome hook-up with large exercise areas for your dog . This accommodation is available at an additional cost, via our venue managers, info@statfold.com

The booking secures a place for yourself and one dog. However, some people choose to bring two dogs, but these need to be rotated within your allocated ‘training/search slot’.

The first day of all our courses are predominantly classroom-based theory lessons, plenty of breaks will be given for you to exercise your dogs, and all our parking is within a private, safe and secure area.

Full joining instructions will be sent upon booking.