Happy Ratters judges keep trials fair, safe, and fun — and you don't need to have judged anywhere before to become one. New judges start as provisional judges, working real trials alongside an experienced judge until they've met the requirements below and move to Full status.
New here?
Start the applicationWe're not accepting new judge applications right now.
Thanks so much for your interest in judging! We're catching up on the applications we already have. Please check back soon.
Already a provisional judge?
Fill out the application online. The exam is open book, so keep the rule book handy.
Fill out the application online once we're accepting them again (we've paused new ones for now). The exam is open book, so keep the rule book handy.
We read every application and exam carefully. If it looks like a good match, we'll give you a call to talk through next steps.
The fastest way to Full status: one clinic counts as two judging days. Watch the Happy Ratters and HR Hosts & Judges Facebook groups for the next one!
Host clubs find you on the judge listing and book your supervised days.
A few days after each trial, you'll receive a self-report form by email listing your judged runs. Check it and send it in. For a clinic, or a trial with no email, fill one in yourself. Follow your progress on your tracker.
Once you've met the requirements, we look over your reports and evaluations together. Full judges earn $2–3 per judged run. Provisional days are paid as agreed with the host club.
Upcoming judge clinic
December 4-6, 2026 · register by Nov 27 · Cassatt Canine Sports, Cassatt, SC
For provisional judges who have a Judge number. The clinic counts as two of your judging days, and everything you judge there counts toward your totals. Anyone can audit for free.
$50 working spot (12 spots) · auditing free
No host club or trials near you? Don't let that stop you. Send us a message and we'll find a way to get your judging days done.
You've judged in another dog sport or venue.
| Required | With a judge clinic | |
|---|---|---|
| Judging days | 4 | 2 + the clinic |
| Runs | 300 | 200 |
| Standard levels | All five | All five |
| Games | 8 | Any 4 |
Work under a Supervising or Full judge.
You haven't judged before.
| Required | With a judge clinic | |
|---|---|---|
| Judging days | 5 | 3 + the clinic |
| Runs | 300 | 200 |
| Standard levels | All five | All five |
| Games | 8 | Any 5 |
Work under a Supervising judge only.
The 8 games: Earn A Rat, Silent Hunt, A-MAZE-ing Rat, Ultimate Distance, Infestation and Rat Race, plus any 2 more. With a clinic, the clinic counts as two of your judging days, and everything you judge there counts toward your totals.
Evaluations, for everyone: every trial you judge from August 7, 2026 on needs an evaluation from the host club and one from your supervising judge, whether you're on the current or the grandfathered requirements. Your Self-Report asks them for you automatically (see Reports and evaluations).
Meeting the requirements is a milestone, not a finish line. When your days, runs and games are complete, we review your whole record: your self-reports and every evaluation from your host clubs and supervising judges. Often that's all it takes. Sometimes we'll ask for a few more supervised runs, so you can build experience in a particular area before moving up. And now and then, we may find that judging isn't the right fit. Whatever the outcome, we'll be in touch.
If you were a provisional judge before August 7, 2026, you're grandfathered under the earlier requirements instead:
How your trials are counted:
Your tracker shows which requirements apply to you.
A couple of days after each trial, we email you a trial self-report with the classes and runs already filled in from Secreterrier, the host club's own records. Add your supervising judge and a few answers, and send it. It's reviewed with your evaluations, and each approved report turns green on your tracker. Clinics, and any trial that doesn't arrive, you report yourself.
Submit a Self-ReportYour club's contact is emailed a link to the Host Club Evaluation, which the provisional judge never sees. When the runs came from Secreterrier, your own records, there's nothing to check; otherwise it first asks whether the reported runs are right, and lets you correct them.
You're emailed a link to the Supervising Judge Evaluation, which the provisional judge never sees either. Ran a judge clinic? You'll get a one-click email to confirm who attended.
Didn't get an email? Check your spam folder, or get in touch and choose the Website topic.
