Dutch Shepherd Forum

Anyone try barn hunt? I never seen many organized sport post on this forum. Ice does IPO, agility and now barn hunt. It really is allot of fun. I started doing it with my mixed breed (who is excellent at it) and decide to bring Ice to practice on day and he is really doing well! I attached some pics of him and his "sister"..

very cool. Id do it if i still had my barn !

Okay, I'm being dense: it's a barn hunt because it's in a barn, but the same principle applies to doing this in your backyard or house or the woods, right? Thor does object searches inside and outside (I don't have a barn) and some tracking. Is it the same, aside from bales of hay and those intoxicating livestock smells (if other than a hay barn)?

Ice looks as stunning as ever. We need more sport pictures of Ice!

I attended a seminar with Elli and she thought it was the dumbest thing. She'd rather sit on top of the hay bales and look for the barn cat. She seems to be too dignified to play haha.

I had one group of barn hunt classes at my place and Odin was into it, but we didn't stick with it. I didn't like how it transferred over to him working in nosework and while I tried to have him on a passive alert for the rats, instead of the active alert they prefer with terriers, I just don't like the idea of him purposely searching out rats in his free time and housing the rats here was a big pain, especially in the winter. I'm just a little too paranoid about Lepto from the rats to continue with it.

I do have a lot of friends into barn hunt and I think it's a good sport just to get some dogs out there doing something. I don't want this to sound like a downer post at all, just my experience. Perhaps it would've been different for us if I wasn't also planning on trialing in nosework and handler discrimination for obedience.

LyonsFamily wrote:I attended a seminar with Elli and she thought it was the dumbest thing. She'd rather sit on top of the hay bales and look for the barn cat. She seems to be too dignified to play haha.

Thalie would join Elli, no way Thalie is doing this LOL. Sadie would love this though. But her attention span is still like a nat, she would be going in every different direction with each new smell.

I have wanted to try this with both Tyson and my schnauzer...they are both mighty mouse hunters. Unfortunately, there isn't a barn hunt group in my area.

So I must be honest - rats gross me out!!!! Which is why I am so happy that I found a lady to work with just 30 minutes from home. She is a super lady and has helped me out allot for a very reasonable fee.
It does not have to be in a barn. It must use the straw bales though. The rats are safely contained in PVC tubes so there is not actual contact. All of the rules and regulations are on the website www.barnhunt.com I will be trialing with both Ice and Diamond at the end of Aug. I have trouble reading my little mixed breed (Diamond) so I sometimes miss her alert. Ice is much easier - he barks!!
Both doggies are really enjoying it, which makes me enjoy it too.

OMG, at least 2 of mine - Sakima and Tracer - would be apoplectic with way too much excitement.