Barn Hunt

There are a number of breeds that were historically bred exclusively for vermin control. The smaller Terrier breeds were traditionally used for "going to ground," which means they would pull vermin from their dens. These dogs show their working ability in Earthdog Tests, which are limited to breed, and shows are few and far between. There were also "above ground" vermin control dogs, these dogs would typically rid houses, barns, crop storage sheds, etc. from rats. For many years the above ground dogs did not have a specific test to test their working abilities, until Barn Hunt came about.

Barn Hunt allows for the dog's natural working abilities to shine! From the Barn Hunt Rules: "The purpose of Barn Hunt is to demonstrate a dog's vermin hunting ability in finding and marking rats in a "barn-like" setting, using straw/hay bales to introduce climbing and tunneling obstacles in the dog's path. The sport tests speed, agility, hunt drive, scenting ability, surefootedness, and control and responsiveness to handler direction...Barn Hunt is for any domestic dog and handler who wish to play the game, including...dogs of breeds or mixes of breeds with or without a vermin-hunting history." Barn Hunt is an independent dog sport association, but their titles are recognized by AKC and UKC. While PWDs do not have a documented history of vermin control, they are very successful in barn hunt. One can assume that one of their many tasks on fishing vessels would be vermin control.

Like most dog sports, Barn Hunt has tests that are of varying levels of difficulty. Here's a brief list of titles that can be obtained:

• Barn Hunt Instinct - RATI
• Barn Hunt Novice A - RATN
• Barn Hunt Novice B - RATNX
• Barn Hunt Open A - RATO
• Barn Hunt Novice B - RATOX
• Barn Hunt Senior A - RATS
• Barn Hunt Senior B - RATSX
• Barn Hunt Master A - RATM
• Barn Hunt Master B - RATMX
• Barn Hunt Master Champion - RATCH
• Barn Hunt Master Champion Excellent - RATCHX

Please see the Barn Hunt Association's website for more information.

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