Handler FAQs

Your dog must be at least six months old and have a Happy Ratters registration number. Read the premium carefully, enter the appropriate beginner class, and bring a permitted collar or plan to run your dog without one.

The premium is the information packet a host club publishes for each trial: the classes and levels offered, the judge, entry fees and deadlines, how to enter, and any venue rules or local restrictions. Trials on the Upcoming Trials page show a Premium link once their host club has uploaded one.

Any breed or mix may compete once the dog is over six months old and registered. Three-legged, deaf, vision-impaired, and wheelchair-using dogs are welcome, with safety accommodations available.

Registration is completed through Secreterrier by connecting your dog’s profile to Happy Ratters (HR). Once connected, purchase the HR number before entering a trial.

Most dogs begin Standard classes at Ratter. A dog with a Barn Hunt Novice title or higher may start at Happy Ratter, while a Barn Hunt Open title or higher allows a start at Expert; every Games class still begins at its first level.

Standard classes combine rat finds with a bridge and burrow, with difficulty increasing from Ratter through Extraordinaire. Games use distinct setups and objectives, and each game has its own progression and scoring rules.

Handlers may compete from age five. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and young competitors can also register for the Junior Handler program.

Start with the Happy Ratters club directory and contact a nearby host about practices or upcoming trials. Trial premiums explain the classes offered, entry process, venue rules, and any local restrictions.

Enter with your dog on leash and wait together in the marked start box. The gate closes behind you and stays closed until your dog is leashed again after the run.

Time begins when all four of your dog’s feet leave the start area. Your dog must leave before you or at the same time, except in Earn-A-Rat where the handler may lead out.

Formal blinds are not required. Give dogs enough space apart in the designated staging area, and stay close enough to be ready when your turn is called.

A host may fit you in after the in-season-dog group only when there are extenuating circumstances and the ring has not been reset. Once setup for the next class begins, the previous course will not be rebuilt.

Before you begin, the judge should remind you how many rats are expected and point out the bridge and burrow when the class uses them. Extraordinaire, Extreme, and some games keep the rat count unknown.

Each dog may have up to six runs per day across Standard classes and Games. A dog cannot be entered twice in the same offered class, though two separately offered trials of that class may each be entered once.

Yes, handlers may run multiple dogs at the same level. The rat locations must be changed between dogs belonging to the same handler.

Clearly call “Rat” when your dog’s behavior tells you where a rat is hidden, then wait for the judge to confirm. A judge may credit a clear change of behavior even when the dog is not directly on top of the tube.

Yes—treats may be given in the start box, at a confirmed rat, after a bridge or burrow, or once your dog reaches you after being called. Keep food put away until the reward moment, deliver it hand-to-mouth, and never use it to lure.

Yes, a quiet toy can be used at the same approved reward moments and may be thrown. Squeaky toys are not allowed, and using any toy as a lure earns a fault.

A wrong call is a false alert and normally costs 10 points. In some games with stricter rules, a false alert can end the run, so check that game’s section before competing.

Keep your dog restrained or under reliable control and at least four feet from the tube while the steward removes it. Once the judge confirms the find, you may hold a permitted collar with all four paws grounded; small dogs may be held if you stay in place until they are back down.

Only certain classes allow an item to be moved, and you must ask the judge first. Moving something without permission is a fault; Ratter, Happy Ratter, Champion, and Extraordinaire do not normally allow moves.

All four paws must touch or pass onto the bridge, though they need not be there at the same instant. For a burrow, all four paws must enter; your dog may turn around and come back out rather than traveling through.

The timer calls “time,” and your run ends. You keep points earned under that class’s rules, but Standard runs score no points if no rat was found.

Your dog may run without a collar or in a flat buckle or snap-clip collar with no hanging tags or plates. Martingales, choke collars, slip leads, prong/pinch collars, and electronic collars are not permitted for the run; some are also prohibited in staging.

Dogs must be leashed when entering and leaving the ring, even if carried. Most competition runs are off leash, but outdoor classes and Rat Trap may allow a flat collar or harness with a lead for safety.

Harness exceptions support dogs using wheelchairs, dogs needing balance help, and blind dogs needing safe guidance. A harness and lead may also be allowed in designated outdoor classes and Rat Trap.

A muzzle is allowed to protect rats when a dog tends to pick up or retrieve tubes. It cannot be used to conceal aggression, and a muzzled dog is still faulted for roughing a tube.

A GoPro-style device is allowed if firmly attached, with nothing loose or bouncing, and ready before you enter. Its video cannot challenge scoring, though it may help resolve timing if the official timer fails.

No. Handlers may not use a watch, phone, countdown timer, or similar device to self-time while competing; rely on the official timer and any warning provided for the class.

A fault is usually a 10-point deduction for actions such as a false alert, dropped food, luring, unauthorized physical help, moving an item without permission, or roughing a tube. Judges do not apply two faults to the same single action.

Examples include elimination or vomiting in the ring, distress, poor sportsmanship, continued rough handling of a tube, or aggressive contact. The team leaves the search area, and serious contact may also remove the dog from the trial.

Dogs progress through Ratter (RAT), Happy Ratter (HRAT), Expert (XRAT), Champion (CHR), and Extraordinaire (REX). The first four titles require 300 points at that level; REX requires 500 points.

You may remain at a completed level and compete in its metallic division, except that teams continuing at the Extraordinaire level enter XREX. You may also drop to a lower level, but a dog competes in only one Standard level per trial.

They recognize cumulative points earned in a completed level: bronze at 1,000, silver at 2,000, gold at 3,000, and platinum at 5,000. The award letter is added to the title abbreviation, such as RATB or HRATG.

Tell the judge at the end of the run. The achievement can then be marked on the score sheet so the score table can prepare the appropriate title ribbon or medallion.

After earning REX, a team must complete 30 qualifying XREX scores of 100 or 130 points or higher, with at least 10 at 130 or higher under current scoring. XREX allows no faults—the run ends at the first one, though earned points are retained.

Complete a Standard title plus five Games at the matching level to earn Versatility. Completing the Standard title plus seven matching Games earns Ultimate Versatility.

No. Every dog starts at the beginning level of each Game and works upward, even if the dog has titles in another organization or advanced Standard titles.

A judge may award 10 points for strong independent hunting, responsive teamwork, visible improvement, enthusiasm, or a memorable bit of fun. Extraordinaire and certain advanced Games also offer larger time-based bonuses for a correct “clear” call.

Usually yes: she runs at the end of the class and must wear panties, with squatting treated as an NQ. A host may prohibit dogs in heat only when that restriction is clearly stated in the premium.

Wheelchairs, balance or guidance harnesses, protective goggles or haloes, and booties on slippery floors may be used when appropriate. Tell the judge before the run; safety comes first, and the judge decides whether the course can be navigated safely.

Tell the judge before starting that your dog has no useful vision. You may tap course objects to orient the dog, and a handled harness, goggles, or a halo may be used for safety.

No sick dog or dog medically unsuitable for competition may run. Recently sutured wounds are excluded when removal is scheduled more than three days after the trial; limited shirt exceptions for nearly healed issues are decided case by case by the judge.

Official mistakes are corrected in the team’s favor. Depending on when a timer problem is found, the run may restart with prior work credited, or the handler may choose maximum class time or a rerun.

Aggression toward people or dogs is not tolerated; actual contact, repeated lunging, or excessive barking or growling can mean an NQ and removal from the trial. Harmful contact requires an incident report and Happy Ratters review.

Handlers ages 5–17 may request a Junior Handler number and earn points in any Standard class or Game while running any dog. Include both the handler’s JH number and the dog’s registration number on entries, and have an adult accompany the junior at the event. Apply for a Junior Handler number →