I am Anneke Driessen.

I live with my husband and 4 dogs (Harrie, Lady, Sita, and Zaña) in a rural area. Dogs have been in my life from my very first steps in the world. I was always busy teaching my parents’ dogs things or having them jump obstacle courses.

After I had left home, I soon got a dog of my own. At that time, the opportunities for sports were not as extensive as they are now. I took classes at a dog club and did agility for fun.

My career in dog sports started with Snuffel, my long-haired Dutch Shepherd. I trained with her for the old IGP program; however, due to an incident on the training field, I never continued with her, partly because I was still very active in equestrian sports. When Snuffel passed away, I started looking for a dog to train with. In 2016, I started in search and rescue dog sports with Lady. Unfortunately, due to an injury, she could not be trained further in that discipline. Sita happened to pass by, and I continued the training in search and rescue dog work with her.

Search and Rescue

With Sita, my Belgian Malinois, I practice search and rescue dog sports according to the IGP-R program of thedogs in FCI.Sita has obtained certificates in area, rubble, and avalanche searching. With Sita, I took on the challenge of transitioning her to mantrailing. Quite a task for an airscent dog. These were my first introductions to mantrailing from the GAK9 perspective, at K9basic.

Lady, my Dutch Shepherd, is my scent dog, with whom I worked primarily for fun. From IGP tracking and tracking to mantrailing. Eventually(2025), I started working with her more because trailing gave her a lot of pleasure. By now, at the age of 10, she has completed her first levels in mantrailing (GAk9 Levels 1 Field, Rural, and Suburban). Zaña joined the pack in August 2025. Zaña is an outcross Dutch Shepherd x Peruvian Hairless. If proven suitable for breeding, she will be used to strengthen the Dutch Shepherd breed.

I embarked on our mantrailing adventure with her and started the GAK9 Sporttrailing trainer course. In addition to mantrailing, she is also allowed to search freely in the rubble.

Because I am always looking for the how and why, I started delving into dog behavior and how to train dogs, whether for tracking, searching, detection, or obedience. When it comes to dog training, I received pretty old-school instruction in the past. However, along the way you notice that the perspective on dog training changes. From tricks to teaching your dog skills and commands in a playful manner. With this game-based training, you build a strong bond with your dog and teach exercises in a fun way. Since I started mantrailing with Sita, this discipline has stolen my heart. I started my own business 5 years ago. The main goal was to stay active after my retirement. By now, my focus is entirely on mantrailing.

Name: Anneke Driessen-Smits
Address: Westdijk 20
3274KG Heinenoord
The Netherlands
Website: scent4fun.nl
email: [email protected]
telephone: +31652394183