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Earthdog Training for Fox Terriers By Liz Battista  The Earthdog Test program was developed by the AKC in order to have a way to measure the hunting instincts of terriers (and Dachshunds, who were developed to hunt in a way similar to terriers.) Most of the small terrier breeds were originally developed to pursue their quarry to earth -- which means they were bred to chase after small animals, and to follow wherever that animal might go, in order to kill it -- and that usually meant following the varmint into a hole in the ground. Once he had "gone to ground" the terrier was pretty much on his own; he had to deal with whatever critter he chased down there without any help from anyone else. Explains the fox terrier's independent nature, doesn't it?  To test the terriers' hunting ability, AKC devised a program using an artificial den and three levels of competition, each more difficult than the last. Each test requires the dog to travel a set distance in a shallow trench dug into the ground and protected by a wooden liner (to prevent dirt collapsing on the dog) and then covered over with loose dirt. The liners are usually constructed using lengths of 2"x10" board, giving you an underground tunnel that is about 9"x9" square.  The dog navigates through the tunnel until he reaches a barrier of horizontal steel rods behind which is a pair of caged rats. The rats reside in a safe, well-constructed cage and never come into actual contact with the dogs -- no danger of nipped paws or noses! At the barrier, the dog is required to "work" the rats for a set period of time, which depends on the level of competition. "Work" means the dog must bark, or dig at the cage, or growl, or whine -- with fox terriers, it's often all of the above. Fox terriers have an advantage over many of the terrier breeds in learning the Earthdog Test "game" -- most fox terriers have plenty of "prey drive" and good hunting instincts. And most fox terriers remain small enough to fit through the 9"x9" tunnel rather easily. Even quite large fox terriers can fit into those tunnels; it's amazing what a fox terrier can do when it really wants to. Most of the training, which really isn't much, that you will need for Earthdog you can do at home. You can make tunnels of cardboard and borrow a rat to train with. It isn't quite the same as what you will encounter at a test, but it's a good start. And lots of fun for the dog! There probably isn't any other time you will actually be encouraging your fox terrier to bark and carry on! Heaven, from the dog's point of view! But first, see if you can find an Earthdog test in your area to go to and watch. Some clubs hold a training session after the actual test is over, so bring your dog along. At the very least, you'll get to see how the dens are made, and watch other dogs working. Earthdog tests are pretty friendly places, with everybody cheering for everyone else, and pretty willing to talk about the tests and the dogs with anybody there. Currently, the AKC offers three levels of competition for Earthdog titles, and additional tests are under development. The titles now available are Junior Earthdog (JE), Senior Earthdog (SE), and Master Earthdog(ME.) The Junior test has to be passed twice, the Senior test three times, and the Master test four times to earn the titles. To find out about Earthdog Tests near you, check with your local fox terrier club, and look on the AKC web page, too. This is still a very young sport, so if it interests you, be sure to ask around! There are other organizations offering something similar to the AKC Earthdog tests. The Jack Russell Terrier club has a testing system which, though it doesn't offer titles for other breeds, is a good place to practice. And the American Working Terrier Association (AWTA) offers tests from which the AWTA tests were developed. If you get the chance, check them out!
Books: Dig In! Earthdog Training Made Easy, by Migliorini Links: AKC Events AKC Earthdog Rules Direct Book Services AWTA Other Eartdog Events Message Boards: Dirt-dog AWTA | ||||||
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