Meet Michael McManus

A much sought-after speaker, trial official and instructor, people look to Michael due to his extensive expertise and excellent approach that enable dog and handler teams to better achieve their Scent Work training goals.

ACCOLADES

Certified Nose Work Instructor since 2013
Certified in Applied Animal Ethology
CATT
NACSW Certifying Official
NACSW Judge
K9 Scent Games Judge
USCSS Judge
DogJutsu Founder
Tutor at EIC
Co-Owner and Head Trainer of Ready Sit Go Dog Training

Bio

Michael McManus has been working with dogs for 16 years, focusing on K9 Nose Work®, Treibball and Herding. His Siberian Husky, Lumi, did very well in Nose Work coming in 1st place in their NW1, 1st place in two of their NW3s, and 2nd place in the 3rd NW3, and earning numerous placements in elements. They achieved their NW3 Elite title and then focused on competitive obedience. Michael was among the first to title dogs not owned by himself in Nose Work.

He has titled a Basenji, a Flat Coated Retriever, a Border Collie, a Doberman, a Spanish Water Dog, a Bloodhound, a Golden Retriever, a German Shorthaired Pointer, a Labrador Retriever, a Basset Hound, an English Bulldog, and a Belgian Malinois in sanctioned trials.

Currently, Michael is trialing his Lab in Elite (1st place overall and Pronounced overall in their first Elite trial) and his English Bulldog in NW2. He is also an NACSW Certifying Official, Camp Instructor (including the 2021 and 2022 virtual nose work camps) and teaches seminars around the country.

Michael attended the first Treibball Training Academy at the American Treibball Association headquarters in Colorado in 2011 and has been teaching clinics and classes ever since.

In 2017, Michael founded PUSH Treibball in order to bring fun, fast-paced treibball competitions to more dogs around the country. You can learn more at www.pushtreibball.com.

Michael is also a Tutor and Approved Regional Education Provider for the Ethology Institute Cambridge: https://ethology.eu/

Michael is on a continuous path of learning and has studied with some of the best in the field of behavior and training including, Dr. Roger Abrantes, Dr. Ian Dunbar, John Rogerson, Scott Glen, Amy Herot, Ron Gaunt, Jill-Marie O'Brien and others.

CONTACT MICHAEL

Email - Website

LEARN WITH MICHAEL

Below you will find the online courses, seminars, webinars, eBooks, video reviews and private video consultation services Michael offers through Scent Work University.

27 products

Trial Prep Program

Training Blank Areas Webinar Instructor Michael and Natalie McManus While blank searches are usually considered an “NW3” concept, they can be important at every level of the dog’s development. Worried about messing up your dog with blank searches? Learn how to use blank area in training and better read your dog in competition with this webinar.

General Scent Work

How Would You Train It Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Tony Gravley, Michael McManus, Natalie McManus, Nancy Reyes Our roundtable will be posed with three common issues handlers may encounter when training or trialing in Scent Work. Learn how they would design a training plan, react to subsequent issues and more in this exciting event.

Handler Skills

Language of Nose Work: Reading Your Dog Webinar Instructor Michael McManus and Natalie McManus Learning how to read our dogs is a necessary skill for every Scent Work handler to master. See how you can go about doing this in this webinar.

Trial Prep Program

Failure is a Growth Opportunity Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Tony Gravley, Jill Kovacevich, Michael McManus, Nancy Reyes, Aleks Woodroffe Failure is a necessary feature of the learning process. Yet, we in the sniffing community seemingly shy away and treat failure as a "bad" or "scary" thing! Our speakers will share how we can more leverage failure to further grow as dog trainers, handlers and dog owners.

NACSW Program

Instructors: How Best to Prep NACSW Clients Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Tony Gravley, Michael McManus, Natalie McManus, Khara Schuetzner Both instructors and clients will benefit from this exciting roundtable. Our panelists will discuss ways instructors can best help their client prepare to succeed in the various levels of NACSW trials.

Scent Work for Everyone

More Than Payment: Strategic Treat Delivery for Nose Work Dogs Webinar Instructor Michael McManus Treat delivery is more than just paying your dog, it’s a powerful training tool that shapes confidence, independence, and search behavior. This webinar is designed to help handlers move from habitual reinforcement to thoughtful, intentional reinforcement choices.

Trial Prep Program

Secret Sauce: Competitive Effectiveness Virtual Event Instructor Ana Cilursu, Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Judith Guthrie, Jill Kovacevich, Michael McManus What does it take to be effective and competitive in all levels of Scent Work competitions? How do those who compete regularly choose what to focus on? What strategic choices do they make to ensure their success? Learn this and much more from our talented panelist of speakers!

Foundation Sniffing Program

Foundation: The Four Pillars of Nose Work Webinar Instructor Michael McManus Without a solid foundation, you and your dog will falter in your Scent Work training and trialing goals. Learn what the four pillars of a solid foundation in Nose Work are in this webinar.

Trial Prep

Mastering Multiple Hides Webinar Instructor Michael McManus Do you want a step-by-step guide to how we teach our own dogs to do multiple hides? Learn how to take the conflict out of multiple hides, starting with building stickiness, and then following a procedure that introduces each new concept slowly and clearly.

Scent Work Skills

How Would You Train It: Vol 2 Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Judith Guthrie, Jill Kovacevich, Michael McManus Hear from our experienced panel of speakers on how they would tackle three distinct scenarios. The discussion will include potential training solutions, ways to determine if progress was being made, whether modifications were warranted, which ones and why and so much more.

Trial Prep

Scent Work Toolbox: Choosing the Best Tool Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Holly Bushard, Judith Guthrie, Jill Kovacevich, Michael McManus, Khara Schuetzner There are countless tools when it comes to training and trialing in Scent Work. In this virtual event, our panelists will discuss which tool would be used in when, what their thought process is, how to tell if a given tool or approach is working, what adjustments may need to be made and when to change tact.

Trial Prep Program

Coach's View: Common Issues and How to Help a Team on Trial Day Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Tony Gravley, Judith Guthrie and Michael McManus Learn some of the common pressing issues teams experience at trial and how instructors provide the coaching and support on trial day to get them through.

Trial Prep

Why Games in Nose Work are Serious Business Webinar Instructor Michael McManus and Natalie McManus Games are an amazing catalyst for learning. Michael and Natalie will discuss how we can use them in Nose Work to incentivize important skills and strategies for dogs and handlers (especially handlers)!

Trial Prep Program

Conquering Competition Stress Webinar Instructor Michael McManus Does your dog perform great at home and at class, but under-perform at trial? Do you struggle to reproduce the problems you have at trial in training? Perhaps the real issues is your inability to cope and deal with competition stress. In this webinar, Michael will walk you through how you can turn competition stress from a negative to a positive.

Foundation Sniffing Program

Perfect Patterns: Vehicles Course Instructor Michael McManus This is a comprehensive course for anyone interested in learning how to train vehicle searches for nosework competitions or enrichment.

Advanced Topics Program

Training to Plan; Planning to Train Webinar Instructor Michael McManus Being thoughtful trainers is something all Scent Work handlers should strive for. In this webinar, we discuss how to go about building a training plan with our dog.

Treibball Program

Intro to Treibball: Balancing Skills Course Instructor Michael McManus Develop the foundation you and your dog will need to succeed in Treibball while avoiding common issues and pitfalls. Build skills with focus, clarity and fun!

Advanced Topics Program

Passive Alerts: How, Why and Possible Pitfalls Webinar Instructor Michael McManus Many people want a trained final response on their Scent Work dog. In this webinar, Michael discusses what passive alerts really are, how you can go about training them and possible pitfalls to be aware of should you do so.

Trial Prep Program

Trial Teamwork: The Handler's Role Webinar Instructor Michael McManus and Natalie McManus Do you know your role as the handler at trial? We sometimes think of ourselves as just a ride and a treat dispenser, but the handler's role is so much deeper and more important than that!

Instructor Program

Teaching Mixed-Level Classes Seminar Module Instructor Michael McManus and Natalie McManus After teaching single level classes for years, Michael and Natalie shifted to offering mixed-level classes and never looked back. Learn about their journey and how they make it all work in this module.

Live Virtual Event

Coach's View: How to be a Better Coach Virtual Event Date June 12th at 4:30PM PT / 7:30PM ET (5:30PM MT / 6:30PM CT) Instructor Anita Ambani, Judith Guthrie, Michael McManus, Khara Schuetzner Teaching group dog training classes or providing private consultations stand in stark contrast to coaching clients who are competing at trial. This is especially true when trying to support a team on trial day. Learn from our panelists how to bolster your coaching skills with this exciting roundtable event.

Trial Prep Program

Why Stress is Good Webinar Instructor Michael McManus and Natalie McManus Dogs and handlers encounter stress both within and outside their searches. Learn how to better cope with this stress using targeted exercises meant for both ends of leash in this webinar.

Zoom Consultation

Scent Work Zoom Consultation: Michael McManus Instructor Michael McManus Are you a brand new team looking to build a solid foundation? Perhaps an experienced team seeking ways to develop more resilience or maybe an instructor interested in improving your own program. Working with Michel is a great option for you!

Treibball Program

Intro to Treibball: Advanced Balancing Course Instructor Michael McManus Take your balancing skills to the next level, working with multiple balls, working around obstacles, practicing balancing games and much more!

Trial Program

Improving Scent Work Trials for Everyone Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Michele Ellertson, Tony Gravley, Michael McManus and Lori Timberlake In this roundtable, our panel of speakers discuss what works at Scent Work trials right now, potential pain points and issues, common pitfalls and actionable suggestions helpful for trial hosts, trial officials and competitors alike.

Treibball Program

Intro to Treibball: Pushing Course Instructor Michael McManus Now that your dog understands the key skill of Treibball, balancing, it is officially time to get them moving the ball in more and more complicated ways. So let's get PUSHING!

Video Review

Scent Work Video Review: Michael McManus Instructor Michael McManus With Michael's extensive knowledge and expertise, submitting a training or trialing video for him to review is an excellent option for all teams, particularly those intersted in trialing.