Barn Hunt
Barn Hunt is a new sport created by the The Barn Hunt Association and is a sanctioned dog sport. It is based on the traditional roles of many breeds in ridding farms, barns and homes of destructive vermin. Barn Hunt is open to any dog, whether large or small, of any breed or mix. Titles and placements are earned at different levels from Instinct through Master, Championships and Games.
The Rats
Barn Hunt is committed to creating a safe and fun sport for dogs. The rats used in Barn Hunt are well taken care of and are beloved family pets. They jump eagerly into their safe, comfortable, well ventilated tubes along with their bedding. The rats like interacting with the dogs. The safety of our rats is taken very seriously! No rats are injured in this sport!
The Hunt
The course for Barn Hunt consists of Hay Bales. Tubes are hidden within the course and can be anywhere. Tubes can be placed on the ground, under the bales, between the bales, or on top of the bales. The tubes are then covered up with straw so that the dog must search to find them. Some tubes have rats, others tubes are empty. The dog must locate the tubes with the rats.
Training
The handler and dog both go into the ring and it is up to your dog to search and find the hidden tubes with rats in them. With training, handlers learn to how to read their dog to know when the dog has alerted them to a live rat tube. Every dog is different with letting you know they have found a rat. Some will show excitement and bark, others will pause intently and stare, some will lay down next to the tube. In training you will learn how to read your dog and be able to notify the judge when your dog has found a rat.
In order for your dog to earn titles in this sport, your dog will be required to climb up on at least one bale of hay and complete a tunnel. A tunnel consists of hay bales piled one on top of the other, whereas a tunnel underneath is created. As the dog's skill level increases, courses become more difficult. Tunnels will have more twists and turns, the amount of rats to find increases and the courses become larger with hay bales higher. At each level the hidden rat tubes will become increasingly harder to find with more live rat tubes and also empty rat tubes hidden within the course.
Oops, not hidden in there...
The Fun
Barn Hunt is a fun and exciting sport for any dog, whether large or small, of any breed or mix. It is also a great sport for older dogs and people as well. It is fun to watch the dogs natural instinct kick into gear.
Barn Hunt classes are on-going, so if you are interested send us an email. We hope to see you and your dog Barn Hunting soon!
