Arizona Earthdog Club's practice and tests being held on November 18th and 19th 2023 - Jackpot Ranch

• Novice Earthdog - New class! Achieve two qualifying scores under two different judges.  The handler may carry the dog to the release point or may walk the dog on a lead to the release point, but the dog may not pass the release point prior to the start of the test. The dog must begin working the quarry within 2 minutes of being released, and must work the quarry for 30 seconds. 

• Junior Earthdog  -   Achieve two qualifying scores under two different judges.   The dog is released 10 feet from the tunnel entrance and must reach the quarry  in 30 seconds. After reaching the quarry, the dog must work for 60 seconds. The junior tunnel is 30 feet long with three  right angle turns. 

• Senior Earthdog -  Achieve three qualifying scores under two different judges.   Follow a 20 foot scent line to a tunnel entrance that the dog cannot see from ground level.  Track through a pitch-black, thirty-foot tunnel containing three 90-degree turns to the quarry.   Once at the quarry, work for 90 seconds.  After working the quarry for 90 seconds, and after the quarry is removed from the tunnel, leave the tunnel when called by the handler. Return to the handler within 90 seconds.  

• Master Earthdog -   Achieve four qualifying scores under three different judges. Two dogs are drawn at random.  As a brace, the dogs hunt for the tunnel entrance from a distance of 100 to 300 yards. They must actively indicate where the entrance is located. One at a time, the dogs move through the tunnel passing obstacles that simulate roots and constrictions in the tunnel. The dog has 90 seconds to get to the quarry. The dog must work the quarry for 90 seconds and not be distracted by the judge scraping on the top of the tunnel.  The dog must allow itself to be removed from the den by its handler within 15 seconds. While one dog is working, the other dog is staked out and must wait its turn with a minimum amount of noise while its brace-mate works the quarry. Once Master Earthdog status is achieved, the dog may continue to compete at all three levels at Earthdog tests.   

• Endurance Earthdog -  This title is new as of 2010, and is earned when a dog, on 5 occasions, passes both the Senior and Master classes at the same event. Your dog may earn additional Endurance titles after the first Endurance title is completed. 

• Intro to Quarry -  A non-title event called Introduction to Quarry is intended for young or inexperienced dogs to gain experience with the sport.  
  The Intro tunnel is ten feet long with one right angle turn.  The dog has two minutes to reach the quarry and must work the quarry for 30 seconds.
   

 More detail can be found in   Earthdog Ins and Outs by Jo Ann Frier-Murza which includes comprehensive information on the sport, the tunnels and set-up, and the types of dogs that may compete in Earthdog Tests. 

Here is an article from AKC that gives a good overview of the sport: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/earthdog-101-tap-into-your-small-terriers-or-dachshunds-heritage/

Information about our current Earthdog Tests being held in November  2023 can be found on the Events page.

Most AKC Earthdog Tests use tame rats that are "standing in" for the natural earthdog quarry: foxes.  The rats are not harmed – they are kept safe behind the dowels at the end of the tunnel. The rats sometimes sleep or even mate through the entire process. 

The length of time the dog must work the quarry varies with the title being pursued, and a handler is on hand to make sure the rats are cared for in accordance with AKC Guidelines.