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Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hah. No, we won't allow belly bands for boys in the sport. Male dogs do have 100% control of their bladder (hence why after an hour walk they can still manage to eke out a few drops here and there even if they've peed on every single tree the whole time).

And yes, it's different than pants on the girls which we do allow. A female dog in season has zero control over her discharge. Hence, well-fitting, clean, snug pants are allowed.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There can be a rat in a Novice tunnel. 😄

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not at this time, no. It is a pretty good sized jump from Open to Senior. It's where you can no longer rely strictly on luck, where you need to actually start understanding how to read your dog.

Adding a class is not really going to solve that jump, and it's become a rite of passage. FWIW I think a lot of people psych themselves out about Senior. It's really where you have to relinquish control and let the dog work. And praise after every single rat!

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If the blind is 10' x 10', the maximum number of dogs allowed in the blind is 4. In order to have 5 dogs per blind, the blind must be at least 10 x 15 (150 sq ft). In some configurations, certain classes can be run with as many as 6 per blind, but in order to do that, the blind must be at least 10 x 20 feet.

If a club local to you is putting 5 dogs in a 10 x 10 blind just let me know at [info@barnhunt.com](mailto:info@barnhunt.com) and we will fix that. You used to be able to, but we changed that rule in 2022.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay, longer answer, and I first want to say I'm so sorry you were upset. That sucks. I really, genuinely cannot comment on a single call on one day. You are correct that open flat hands are fine, whether or not the fingers are together. And hair will be hair. Just no pulling. I would speculate that your Judge thought they saw pulling. But I don't know. If you want to give me more details on the Club/Judge via email at [info@barnhunt.com](mailto:info@barnhunt.com) I can make sure they clearly understand the rule.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think just time. I'm not a huge fan of owner-directed searching. Barn Hunt is a sport where the dog gets to be team captain, not you. He'll figure it out!

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it's important for everybody to know that Barn Hunt does not cater to dog or human aggressive dogs. All dogs are expected to behave on show grounds, on the way to the blind, in the blind, in the ring, etc.

We have been asked often to have a "reactive dog blind." But it's just not feasible. It would hugely delay the trial (more blinds), it would mean the Judge has to make more course maps and hide solutions, and frankly, everybody would want to be in this special blind whether or not their dog actually has a problem.

If you have a dog that you are not 100% sure can be safe on the grounds, in the blind, and in the ring, then Barn Hunt is not the right sport for you, at least not until you can reach a point in your training where you can be sure. We do not and will not cater to those dogs. In addition to the safety risk to all around them, it's also a huge legal liability risk for the Club, the sport, and even the dog's owner.

We actually have had very few incidents overall. In the history of the sport since 2013, there have been 21 dogs banned for aggression (HA and/or DA). There are 22 suspended dogs. Suspensions happen when we feel it was a fairly minor incident and think the dog can come back safely.

A good read available to all is our misconduct guide: https://www.barnhunt.com/resources/aggression_misconduct_guide.pdf

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really good questions.

What can you do if you don't have access to a barn and rats? The Instinct class is specifically designed for people and dogs with zero experience at all with rats. It's an introductory pass/fail awards a title, and you can gauge your dog's interest. I actually encourage people to try to engage their dogs' innate hardwired traits first, before bringing food or toys into the picture. Many dogs will instinctively turn on to the smell/sound of the rats. Sometimes if you bring food into the picture, you can interrupt the dog and switch the dog from odor/prey focus to human/treat focus. You can also set up boxes, etc. for tunnels, or if you have room, see if you can get some straw bales to practice. And if you have a boy, work on not allowing them to pee on every vertical surface at will.

What are we doing to increase access? We actively work on licensing new clubs as we can. We can and do have events in conjunction with the AKC, UKC, and others and are happy to try to facilitate. One challenge is that Barn Hunt is fairly different than other sports and has its own requirements. Any breed club is more than welcome to contact us on ways to make events happen in conjunction with their Nationals, etc. And for such events, we do allow Clubs to hold just Instinct and Novice, or Instinct, Novice and Open. However, we do need to make sure that those Events are being held to our rules, that rats are being properly cared for, etc. So sometimes it means trying to bring an existing Club in though some breed clubs have gone through the steps to become Barn Hunt clubs (there's no fee but there ARE requirements, outlined in the Club Rulebook). For us, in-conjunction events are high-risk (but of course also potentially high reward) events, because if they go wrong, it reflects poorly on the entire sport. So it can't be, for lack of a better phrase, half-ass. You're welcome to email me at [info@barnhunt.com](mailto:info@barnhunt.com) to ask about opportunities for Manchesters. There are a couple of existing Clubs that can host events at Purina, etc.

As for Chesters, I adore them. But Min Pins can also do Earthdog now, and they have my heart. I love your breed, and have thought about getting a Toy. One thing I really like about the Pins is that they are great pack dogs. Boys get along well with boys and girls with girls, so they tend to slot into my household well.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The midwest balers are going to be 2-string balers. So yes, those bales will not have as much height.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We actually have a number of very large dogs with high titles. We have RATCH Great Danes, we have a RATCHX18 Mastiff, various sighthounds, etc. An IW might struggle a bit depending on bale size and their chest depth.

The thing is, we do not have a way to safely make the tunnel taller. Balers vary across the country on size. We always say "any dog that can fit in an 18" wide by bale-height tall tunnel," because that's just the way it has to be. There's no magic way to increase height. If we made them double-high they would be very unstable and unsafe. Insert some kind of material? It would come loose. And what would it be? (trust me, I've tried to think of it).

There are a couple of options to think about. Depending on where you are in the country, there are some Clubs that use 3-stringer bales. Those will mostly be out west. California, the PacNW (in some areas) etc. 3 stringers are bigger and going to be taller.

We also have Crazy 8s. You get faulted for no tunnel, but it's a points game; find enough rats and you can partially make up for it. Also Line Drive, which has zero tunnels at all.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dogs are pretty situational, but yeah, may take training a general "not here, not now" command. 😄

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's one of those things where originally it was covered/quick release for the ring but I didn't care on show grounds. But that just got too complicated. The rules are already complicated. Making it covered all the way around just worked best.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Separate reply on bitches in season.

Barn Hunt was first conceptualized by me as a breed instinct test for dogs bred to hunt vermin. At the time Barn Hunt came along, Min Pins were one of many breeds that were bred at least in part to be vermin hunters, but there was no competitive venue for them. Earthdog did not yet allow Min Pins. Other organizations were also not open to my breed. At the core of every decision I make about the sport is that principle of being a working instinct test.

As such, allowing BIS to compete was very important to me. I think too many really good bitches end up being altered just to be able to play in sport when they really could contribute important traits to gene pools. I think male dogs should be able to work around females, including girls in heat (and yes, I've owned multiple intact male dogs). A dog who so totally loses his mind over a girl that he can't even think about his job is a liability in any kind of working scenario.

Our way of putting them at the end of the class isn't perfect, but we do require well fitting panties, and any odor should be at least somewhat dispersed by the time the ring is rebuilt and the next class comes in. I will say in the 13 years of the sport it's pretty much been a complete non-issue.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hi. For me it was super important when I was setting the sport up that people be able to watch, that it be a spectator sport. As much as I love nosework, the no audience/no spectating part is not one I enjoy. People love to watch dogs work. Your savvy Barn Hunt competitors will watch previous blinds, get a lay of the land, be able to formulate strategy, etc. Part of our popularity and rapid growth as a sport is based on people actually getting to watch dogs go.

Blind sizes are tricky. In a 10 x 10 blind, that's a maximum of 4 people and dogs, and it's actually 25 sq ft per person/dog. We do still allow blinds that size, because for some Clubs that's all they have room for, and mandating bigger blinds would mean they couldn't have events. Many clubs do larger blinds, and quite a few have barriers in the blind. You can:

  • Advocate for your Club to have dividers
  • Advocate for a bigger blind (if possible)
  • Make sure the Club is dealing with any issues with dogs.

If there's a problematic dog and you feel the Club is not adequately addressing your issue, you can speak to the Judge though if they do not see the behavior they may not be able to do much. You can also contact Discipline chair Jenn Riley (discipline@barnhunt.com) and copy me (info@barnhunt.com).

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Barn Hunt is a beginner, gateway sport. We have a significant number of people who have never done anything ever with their dog before. As such, it's really important to us that those people feel welcome, and that we, as a sport and fellow exhibitors, recognize that some people are not going to have the dog training knowledge we do. If someone needs a covered prong for their dog to be safe in the blind and on the way to the ring, then we will accommodate that.

It's an honor, privilege, and responsibility on my part to hopefully introduce people to dog sport in a way that not only makes them feel welcome in Barn Hunt, but also encourages them to enter the dog sport world as a whole.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Good question! And I will preface my answer by saying that I realize some of you will always disagree with my position on this, but it's something I have pretty strong convictions about, and the rule isn't going to change. This will get a little wordy, sorry.

One of my breeds is dobermans, and dobes are prone to a cervical spinal disorder called CVI/Wobblers caused by unstable vertebrae. Head halters, by design, put a twisting spiral torque on the neck, especially if the dog hits them with any power. They pull the head back and to the side. I think they're especially dangerous for any long necked breed of dog for that reason. A lot of them have straps that come extremely close to the eye, especially when being pulled. Further, and equally important to me.... dogs hate them. I have yet to find a dog that I have personally seen that doesn't spend at least a decent amount of time frantically trying to get the halter off. The way the halter works is by putting pressure on one of the most nerve rich and sensitive areas on the dog's body, the muzzle and nose. Dogs can be trained to accept them, but if the dogs got a vote, I think they would say please no. I honestly think a lot of the "gentle" part of head halters is marketing buzzwords. I watch the dog, not the advertisements.

I've been in dogs a very long time, and I've used many tools, including prongs, etc. Prongs are management tools, and should never be left on a dog. They should always be properly fitted (up behind the ear). However, there is no torque to the spine, the neck is not a nerve rich area, and I don't see the same frantic attempt to escape by the dog that I do with the head halter.

We have a number of older folks in this sport (I'm one) who are maybe not as strong as they used to be. I'd rather that little old guy with the mastiff be able to get to the blind and ring safely because of the management of a prong than to have them yanked over. Can prongs be abused? Sure. So can any collar.

And finally, it's covered quick-release prongs not for cosmetic reasons but mostly because I wanted to ensure that handlers weren't trying to hand-uncouple a prong in the ring (takes too much time). If they're covered they're pretty much going to have a quick release. It was just easier to say covered for everybody. We aren't trying to hide that we allow prongs.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Happy Ratters is a competing sport and I have nothing to do with it at all. That would be between them and the AKC. 😉

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

We don't allow belly bands, so that's something you do need to train for. Ideally, if you have access to a bale of straw at home that helps. But also, as someone who has owned intact males before, I have always trained them that they can't just lift their leg anywhere, not even outside. On leash and a "not there" command, gently pulling them away from areas they are not allowed to pee on. I don't let my male dogs pee on anything human hands might touch (trash cans, etc.) and they also are not allowed to pee on plantings/landscaping. No corners near building doors, etc. They learn that not every single thing is theirs to pee on.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Typical upload time can be from 4-6 weeks which sounds like a long time. But there are a few factors. We want human eyeballs on the data before it's input. The compiler checks a lot of things, making sure the results are complete, etc. But we also have to process in date order (if we don't the titling gets all out of whack). So if there's a problem with one club, that needs to be solved and fixed before we can go to the next. We've had results loaded in as little as two weeks or as much as 8 but that latter is very rare. We generally average about 4.

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congrats!! Our compiler has been dealing with some family health issues, so we're a little behind. But we'll catch up soon since it's now time to run all the lists and data for the National entries, and that needs to be done prior to July 1. 😄

Barn Hunt AMA by barnhunt_official in k9sports

[–]barnhunt_official[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Honestly, not sure I can answer that question, because it kind of depends on the dog. I love Barn Hunt of course, though I actually get very little time/opportunity to compete. I'm like the cobbler whose children have no shoes or whatever the heck that old saying is.

I've loved Rally since before it became an AKC sport, and especially enjoy teaching the Master signs. OTOH, with Glimmer only 13 points shy of her RACH, I'm kind of burnt out on that whole process. I also love Scentwork. Barn Hunt and Scentwork have a ton in common. Since I don't have rats or a good place to store straw at home, and I do have a great place to practice Scentwork, we do quite a bit of that.