Town & County Kennel Club

2507 Fox Creek Rd.

Bloomington, IL 61701
​ ttp://www.tckc.org/documents/events/TS1_Premium_November_2019.pdf
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Racheal
Jeanie
Kristi
Dogs (Ember and Gus)

Barn hunt competition for Ember and Gus, both are puppies. This was their first barn hunt and
they were trying to get their instinct and novice titles.

November 22 starting at 3
November 23-24 starting at 8:30

Cost: $18 for instinct test

$25 for all other test

Barn hunt competition is a way for a dog that traditionally has been used to hunt vermin show
off their rat hunting skills. Any type of dog can participate in this fun dog sport. Each barn hunt
competition has placements, titles and championships. Each level is in a fenced area with hay
bales laying around and stacked, plus there are tunnels made from the hay bales. A rat is
placed in a PVC tube with holes and hidden somewhere in the hay.
The dog needs to find the rat, climb and go through a tunnel. This is a team sport. The handler
needs to know their dog well so they know when the dog has found the rat and to give the dog
signals to complete the course. When it’s time for a dog to compete, the dog and handler line
up with the other dogs they are competing against. They are then taken to a blind spot (which is
a covered area) where they can’t see anyone competing on the course. This way the handler
doesn’t know where the rat is being hidden. The course is timed. The dogs are tested on
speed, agility, and the ability to keep their footing. As a dog moves up a level, the course
becomes more difficult with more tunnels, more rats, and empty containers they need to ignore.
The barn hunt is different than other dog shows, it is a fun sport that all dogs can compete in.

Prepare: Each dog needs to be registered with the Barn Hunt Association
Practice climbing, go through tunnels and finding rats. There are practice courses in
Chicago that you can go to.

Supplies: Crates for dogs when not competing, leash, treats, copy of vaccinations, water,
food, and first aid supplies.
Reflection: I think the barn hunt is my favorite dog show so far. I was fascinated by how the
dogs would figure out what was a real rat and what was a false trail. The arena helpers would
move hay and straw that had the rats scent on it to other places around the arena to confuse
the dogs. In the future I would like to take one of my dogs and see how they do as they hunt
and track squirrels in our yard currently. Ember and Gus received their instinct and novice titles
and Gus got first place and Ember got fourth place.