Going To Ground – Earthdog Style

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232 – August, 2023

By William Given

If you have a Dachshund or small terrier, you may have already discovered that they are prone to digging up the back yard or a garden bed. Maybe you have seen your dog chase a squirrel across the yard and up a tree, or it could be that they caught a mouse, chipmunk or some other rodent and left it partially eaten by the back door.

Your first thought just might have been to discourage this type of activity, but I want you to consider praising him for it the next time it happens. He is simply doing what comes to him naturally; it is part of what he was bred to do. He was bred to go to ground–to locate and kill vermin. It is that instinct and the abilities that Earthdog tests evaluate, but under controlled conditions.

Earthdog events are designed to test, under simulated conditions, if a dog has the instinct to hunt and how good a hunter he would be in reality. They are non-competitive events and are judged on a pass/fail basis. Each dog has to demonstrate the ability to traverse the tunnel, locate and work (not dispatch) the prey.

According to the American Kennel Club’s Regulations for Earthdog Test (Amended 10/2021), work is defined as digging, barking, growling, lunging or biting at the quarry, or any other action that, in the judge’s opinion, displays the dog’s willingness to engage the quarry. And, the designated quarry for Earthdog tests shall be two adult rats.

The History of “Going to Ground”

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232 – August, 2023

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