Earthdog trial

An earthdog trial tests Dachshunds and small terriers for their working abilities and instinct. Earthdog den trials involve underground tunnels that dogs must negotiate, whilst scenting a rat, the “quarry”. The dog must follow the scent to the quarry and then "work" the quarry. Depending on the sanctioning organization, “working” means barking, scratching, staring, pawing or such at it, although the quarry is protected at all times.

Two major organizations sanction earthdog in the United States, the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the American Working Terrier Association (AWTA).

American Kennel Club (AKC) earthdog tests

AKC earthdog tests are intended as noncompetitive venues in which the handlers of Dachshunds and small terriers may gauge their dog’s natural hunting aptitude when presented with an underground hunting situation. The hunting encounter is controlled and neither dog nor quarry, a rat, are in any real danger.

According to the AKC General Regulations for Earthdog Tests, the noncompetitive program begins with a basic introduction to den work and quarry, progressing through gradual steps to the point where the dog can demonstrate that it is willing to perform the required tasks, including seeking its quarry and working it underground.

AKC eligibility

Dogs that are registered with the AKC and are six months of age or older may participate in AKC earthdog tests. They do not need to be intact, and purebred dogs that have been assigned “Indefinite Listing Privilege” (ILP) numbers, may also participate. In comparison to the American Working Terrier Association (AWTA) tests, fewer breeds are permitted in AKC tests, with mixed breeds being excluded altogether. The following breeds are classified as eligible to participate in AKC Earthdog tests:

The AKC earthdog program

AKC earthdog tests differ from AWTA trials in that the AKC program is broken down into several more steps of increasing difficulty:

Introduction To Quarry (IQ I and IQ II)

Dogs that have never competed at an earthdog trial will need to be introduced to the quarry. Dogs have different levels of prey drive and some need more encouragement than others. The Introduction to Quarry is simply designed to acquaint a dog with "going to ground", following a scent trail and “working a rat". At this stage, the dog is asked to negotiate a 10-foot tunnel with a single right-angle turn. At the end of the tunnel is a rat in a cage, which is placed behind dowel bars. The handler may talk to their dog and encourage the dog to “work” the rat. The judge may also move the rat cage about or make noises to “incite the dog's instincts". (AKC General Regulations for Earthdog Test.)

Junior Earthdog

Junior Earthdog (JE) is the first level of competition in which a title may be earned. In JE the tunnel is 30 feet long and has at least three right-angle turns. The dog has only 30 seconds to traverse the tunnel and reach the quarry. The dog must also work the quarry for 60 seconds and then allow the handler to remove it when the time has elapsed. To earn the JE certificate, the dog must successfully perform the JE test twice under two different judges.

Senior Earthdog (SE)

Master Earthdog (ME)

American Working Terrier Association earthdog den trials

The AWTA predates the AKC earthdog program and was founded to promote and test the working abilities of terriers and dachshunds. To quote from their website:

"AWTA hopes to encourage breeders to retain the hunting instincts which make these breeds so characteristically ‘terrier.’ Without the opportunity to test the instincts so vital to these breeds, dachshunds and terriers would cease to be the working dogs they were meant to be - something already too common with many terrier breeds selected for showing alone."

The AWTA awards “Certificates of Gameness” to terriers and Dachshunds who achieve a score of 100% in the AWTA open class. To qualify in the open class, a dog must be released near the trial's 30-foot earth tunnel opening, find its way into the tunnel, reach the quarry that's in a cage at the end of the tunnel, and behind dowel bars, all within 30 seconds (50% of marks) and then “work” the rat continuously for a full 60 seconds (remaining 50%). Timing starts from the moment the dog is released by the handler. The dog may enter the tunnel and come out or walk around the tunnel but it must get to the rat within the time allotted. However, once it reaches the rat, it cannot leave it, since it will not qualify if it leaves the rat before the 60 seconds are up.

The following breeds are recognized (and therefore able to compete) in AWTA den trials:

Other small terrier breeds may compete in the miscellaneous class.

External links

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