Earthdog Test Info

Earthdog test information

AKC Earthdog Titles

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.

Want more information about AKC Earthdog?

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.

What is the quarry you refer to?

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.

About Those Tunnels

A wooden tunnel used in a senior Earthdog trial is shown above ground, before being buried.

How do the tunnels get into the ground?

An Earthdog Test (also known as Terrier Test or Go-to-Ground Test) is an officially sanctioned American Kennel Club event that attempts to replicate the conditions a hunting terrier would encounter in the field.

In order to closely approximate an underground tunnel complex dug by a burrowing rodent in the wild, the sponsoring Earthdog Club digs a trench in the ground that is twelve inches deep, by twelve inches wide, by thirty feet long, and then places nine-inch square wooden tunnel liners in the trench.

The photo above shows what a Senior tunnel looks like before it is buried in the ground. 

GCh. Star Valley Baer Dude Impact is entering an Earthdog tunnel.

What does the dog do in an Earthdog Test?

The thirty-foot long tunnel must contain three right angle turns. At the end of the tunnel, wooden dowels prevent the dogs from reaching two live rats in the cage. The entire structure is covered with dirt, forming an underground maze which the dog must traverse in the dark.

Before the liners are placed in the trench, the ground along the entire length, or the liners themselves, are sprayed with rat scent. It is this smell that leads the dog to the quarry at the end of the tunnel. Once at the quarry, the dog must “work” the rats. Working is defined as barking, digging, scratching, lunging, or actively trying to get the quarry.

All tests and practices run by the Arizona Earthdog Club follow the AKC guidelines and rules for these events. The tunnels are of adequate size for the terrier and dachshund breeds that are qualified for this event.

The photo above shows

Dude (GCh. Star Valley Baer Dude Impact CM BN RA ME EE CA CGC NW1 NW2) entering a tunnel.

Dude was the first Russell Terrier to get his EE (Endurance Earthdog) title. Dude is owned by Kim Baer.

Arizona Earthdog Club

Arizona Earthdog Club's practice and tests are held in the Spring and the Fall in Northern Arizona.