"Ratting for Ratings" is a hunting exercise, intended to introduce your dog to hunting especially by using their sense of smell.  The exercise also provides an opportunity for handlers to learn to read their dogs in a hunting situation.

Similar exercises have become popular across the country and some clubs have developed competitive courses where dogs are rated on their success.

The exercise is run with dogs on a 6 foot leash.  There will be several rat tubes hidden along the walkway.  Some have soiled bedding in them and some have soiled bedding and a live rat.  To complete the exercise, the dogs and handler must find the tubes and the correctly identify which one)s) have the live rat in them.

For years, there has been some confusion about the function of an earthdog which started when the artificial trials began using lab rats as quarry. Earthwork is accomplished underground in the tunnel or hiding place of the quarry. Clearly, the size of the quarry's tunnel is determined by the size of the quarry and the size of the working terrier has to fall into its parameters. Borders are the appropriate size to enter a fox, badger, or otter burrow. In the US, they may also enter raccoon spaces, and sometimes the dens of opossums and woodchucks. However, the den of a rat? It is much too small.

The techniques that are used by a rat hunting dog bear little resemblance to the techniques of an earthdog, but some of the body style and attitude are shared. Rats live in tight places and detest the daylight. They often live in colonies with many burrows and multiple occupancy. They hide, run deep, and then bolt when pressed. Dogs who hunt them must have excellent noses to follow their paths wherever they go, but at the same time their eyes, ears, and reflexes have to be sharp to notice the lightning fast bolter in time to catch it. The body must be supple and strong, for quick turns and sprints. They must have a death grip-and-shake to prevent bites and a constitution to ignore the painful bites when they do occur. All of this has nothing to do with getting underground, while all to do with good senses, prey drive, speed, and hardness. The handler-dog partnership is important, too, because the dog needs help to reach his quarry under moving barnyard rubbish, a woodpile, trash, or might need some digging help to open tunnels ahead of him.

For years, I have been thinking of a way to develop a test for this wonderful talent, which would challenge all dogs that were developed as all-purpose farm dogs or as ratters. Borders fit the bill perfectly as all-arounders and it would add to their repertoire of activities. Alas, I have not perfected such a test yet, but I have had an idea along the way that has proven useful in working with dogs who are learning to do earthdog tests, and it provides some basis for an educational dog game. It is one rudimentary step in the array of skills that represent a good ratting dog.

Here is something anyone can do to prepare their dog for the partnership work of Senior and Master Earthdog tests and it is a great way to learn to read your dog. For groups, it can be scored and offered as a test of dog, handler, and partnership skills. It requires absolutely no preparation on the part of the dog. Any dog with a good nose and prey drive will do this naturally.

THE VILLAGE GREEN FARM RAT CAPSULE

The key to this game is PVC plumbing tubes. If you cap a rat inside a tube with holes drilled in it, the tube becomes an instant "scent pump". It is amazing to see a dog react to this device. The dog detects the rat "scent cloud" easily and will work a spot for a long time to pinpoint the location of the tube. Once he finds the tube, he can bite and roll it without injuring himself or the rat.

My favorite combination of tubing is a 4" street elbow fitted with a grate and a cap. You can also use 3" or 4" diameter straight pipe with caps, Y joints, elbow joints, etc., to create simple or more complicated designs. The sections should be drilled with holes no larger than 3/8 inch., either randomly or in lines the length of the tube. With the longer, more complicated pieces, the dog will work to locate the exact spot where the rat is lying inside the pipe.

Once you have a one of these Village Green Farm Rat Capsules, your next job is to hide it in a place that a rat might use. I have hidden them under a pile of pallets (be sure to remove protruding nails), inside the bead of an old tire, under a brush pile, inside a hollow log or piece of sewer pipe, under a trash can raised onto bricks, or under a stack of cardboard boxes. The harder to get into, the better. The handler needs to have a job, too!

These pieces of pipe are favorite beds for rats in their cages, so let the rats live with their VGF Capsules in their regular cages all the time. They will use it as a hiding /sleeping place. When you want to have a "hunt" you just have to cap the end and you are ready to go. Even if you clean the outside of the tube, the scent will be especially strong. To add a dimension to your "hunt", hide a well-used, but empty tube somewhere in addition to your VGF Capsule. Your dog will know the difference, and you will learn to let your dog decide whether what he has found is "live" or "recently vacated", just like in a real hunt.

Your dog has a job to do with his nose and you will find your place in the partnership. From the beginning, let your dog do his job without directing him, and keep him on a 6-10 foot leash. Pretend you don't know where the rats are hidden--pretend you don't know which are live and which are empty. Make him responsible for his successes and mistakes. When he finds something, show your pleasure by helping him to get under the debris and get right onto the Capsule. If he's found a live one, he will want to bite and roll it, if it is empty, he will be less interested and should leave it easily. Your helpful enthusiasm is important, but save the praise for another time. He's doing this for himself, not for you! Superfluous praise leads to false marking. You are learning to listen to what he is saying. He doesn't need you to tell him how to find a rat.

Here at VGF, I have used these Capsules to help people preparing dogs for Master Earthdog testing, and the NJ Beanfield Earthdog Club has offered it as a scored game. On a woodland path, various Capsules were hidden in natural and man-made places where rats might naturally hide. Some of the Capsules were occupied, others were empty. A scent trail made by dragging a rat&cage led from the walking path to the hiding place. Each participant and leashed dog walked down the path with a judge. The handler was not allowed to direct his dog in any more than the most general way. If the dog found a Capsule, he earned 5 points. If the owner correctly identified whether it was empty or occupied, the owner earned 5 points. To elevate this into a competition, the time from start to finish can be recorded and the highest score with the fastest time is the winner.

I have been thinking that it might be possible to combine this game with a "mini lure course" where the "rat" would bolt from its cover and then scoot from hiding place to hiding place, offering a realistic challenge to the terrier's quick reflexes. When I have tried it or seen it tried, I have been disappointed. Terriers tend to notice details and will miss the "rat" because they get distracted by the string, pulleys, or the scent at the origin of the lure. In real life, dogs have little problem with a live bolt, but the artificial situation can't recreate the subtle cues the dogs seem to use when a live animal leaves its hiding place. In concept, it is a fabulous idea and would be a great addition to a full-fledged "Ratting for Ratings" test. I offer all of you the challenge of finding a way to do this that will work for the dogs!

We expect to offer a Capsule hunt at the 2004 Specialty in Gardner, MA. It will be something for any dog, experienced or not, to try out. Let's have some fun with this! RAT ON!

Dig 'em,