Yesterday Revs finished his “RATN” (Novice Barn Hunt) title - TopicsExpress

Yesterday Revs finished his “RATN” (Novice Barn Hunt) title and earned his first Open leg. He also had the fastest time in Large Dog Instinct. If anyone doubts that Siberians are versatile dogs, please indulge me in a brag. I took Revs for Barn Hunt practice last Wednesday evening – we drove out to a farm, down a gravel road, and walked past sheep pastures to practice in a real barn. Revs had to quickly search out the hidden containers with live rats and not be distracted by the “decoy” containers with rat litter or all the legitimate barn aromas. We did three practice runs, then I brushed out his coat, cleaned his feet and toenails with disinfectant wipes, sprayed him down with diluted Listerine and toweled him off, and drove like a maniac to Ronald McDonald House. In the space of less than an hour, Revs went from rat hunting to allowing small children to climb all over him. Identical twin girls that were just barely walking held tight to his fur for balance. A seven-year old boy fell over him. The dog that shortly before had been racing around a barn and intently digging between hay bales stood calmly among a crowd of children, sometimes sitting and giving high fives. To reassure anyone who might be concerned about rat safety – the rats in Barn Hunt are in aerated dog-safe containers made from 4” PVC pipe. These pet rats are frequently rotated during the trial or practice. Most of the time they hang out in their cages, well removed from the dogs, and seem perfectly at ease. One “Rat Wrangler” takes her rats out for a cuddle – they sit on her shoulder. Looks like the rats are pretty versatile too!