I’ve got one goal this year: try new things with my dog. Specifically, I plan to research one activity or sport per month that people like you and me can do with their dogs. We started with ‘ratting.’

Yes, ratting. It’s a nose work dog sport involving a scavenger hunt-like course, and the prize is a rat. A real live rat – that stays safe and lives to see another ratting adventure. Actually, several pet rats are used and traded out throughout the hour we spent each week learning about this dog sport.

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Imagine combining PVC tubes, several live rats, and a crazy spaniel into one dog activity. Specifically, my dog and I gave ‘Urban Rat Race’ classes a try; urban rat racing is a variation of ratting unique to Oxford Dog Sports based in Ontario, Canada. Only Oxford Dog Sports and associated instructors can offer specifically ‘Urban Rat Race’ classes, which differ from other ratting styles slightly because urban ratting doesn’t involve a barn, field, or outdoor environment.

The following is what I learned about Ratting with Dogs … after four weeks of classes.

First: What is Ratting with Dogs?

Essentially, ratting is considered a dog sport that tests a dog’s natural ability to sniff out and alert to the presence of a rat. The rat is safely stowed in a PVC tube (with air holes) that’s then hidden among obstacles, such as enclosed containers, boxes, or hay or straw bales. Urban Rat Race, specifically, is a clever name given to indoor ratting – no barns or straw in sight.

Both traditional ratting and urban ratting are like scent-based treasure hunting – a game of hide and seek with prey as the prize. (Except, the prize is not impacted or injured during the activity, even once it is ‘found’). Excitement, energy, and problem-solving are all part of the challenging, and they just happen to be my dog’s primary skill set.

Sure, certain working breeds like terriers or spaniels (my dog is ‘double spanielled,’ as I like to say, because she’s both a Spring and a Cocker spaniel) might logically excel at this sport, considering their ancient breeding. Terriers, particularly, are genetically designed to hunt rodents. The entire concept hearkens back to farm days when it was the canine’s job to keep vermin out of the barn, fields, and grain, helping to preserve the food supply and reduce the spread of rodent-born diseases. (Today, barn cats usually serve that role).

But according to Rats!, a Canada-wide canine rat sports organization founded in 2015, any dog breed, including mixed breeds, can be trained to do rat sports and similar scent games. A dog’s nose – any dog nose – is profoundly adept at smelling, no matter what the breed.

Dogs have 300 million olfactory receptors (humans have 6 million). The part of the canine brain dedicated to smells is 40 times bigger than ours. Essentially, the canine experiences the world primarily through scent, and exactly how is fascinating. Learn more about the amazing canine appendage by reading Inside of the Dog by Alexandra Horowitz (affiliate ad link).

Second: What are the Rules at a Ratting Competition?

Competitively, ratting is more complex than it first appears. Rats!, for instance, has a 75-page rule book detailing the particulars of competition trials. Serious participants, clearly, don’t take this fun and games lightly. But for the beginner, here are the highlights:

• Your dog enters the enclosure and must find the tube containing the real rat. (Other tubes have rat scents in them). The dog identifies a rat by ‘alerting.’
• Alerting can include barking, pointing, or sitting.
• The handler is with the dog but can not touch the dog (until it alerts), and the dog is off leash.
• The handler decides when the dog alerts by yelling ‘rat!’ There is a judge.
• The event is timed, and there’s a time limit.
• Peeing or pooping in the ring – by your dog (I shouldn’t have to clarify that) disqualifies you both. Fun fact: this is what got my previous dog kicked out of even trying ratting in a barn full of hay bales.

Today, however, we are not competing. Not even close.

Today, I signed up my dog and I for ‘Urban Rat Race‘ beginner level with Oxford Dog Sports. This means we meet one hour per week for four weeks to get acquainted with this activity.

Third: What is Urban Ratting for Dogs?

Urban ratting, or specifically, Urban Rat Race, is a version of ratting or dog scent work where dogs and handlers compete to identify which tubes contain rats, after they find the tubes, indoors. Find all rats in the shortest time, while accumulating the least amount of ‘faults’ for misidentifying tubes.

However, before even considering attempting any competition, we must learn how to do it. Off to rookie Urban Rat Race class we go. The class is offered by Oxford Dog Sports – a company offering classes across Southern Ontario in many dog sports. In fact, Oxford Dog Sports owns the ‘Urban Rat Race’ trademark. While other organizations and groups can host ratting events, only Oxford Dog Sports offers Urban Rat Race classes and competitions in Canada.

The Urban Rat Race classes we attend happen to be in a church gym in a town near our home – so we’re starting there.

How did my dog do? In short, she loved it – almost too much.

Welcome to Four Classes of Urban Rat Racing

Class one: We begin in the first class by introducing the dogs to the scent of the rat in a cage … my dog lost her mind at the sight of a real rat. Visualize dog sledding dogs frantically ready to pull forward at the beginning of a race. When she regained her composure, we then introduced the PVC tubes attached to wooden boards, sniffing them to get the scent of the rat. Well, my dog did. I watched.

My pup took to this immediately, and her ‘tell’ or ‘alert’ was obvious: she bit the edge of the tube and rolled on the ground. It was an energetic hour where my spaniel volleyed between anxiously waiting her turn, transfixed on the rats, then losing her mind trying to find them.

Class two: We are introduced to several tubes, all anchored to wooden blocks and placed in a row. One tube had a rat in it – the others didn’t. I didn’t know which one contained the rat … but my dog was about to tell me. We started at the first line. My chosen command was ‘find rat.’ Then my spaniel, quivering with anticipation, rushed forward sniffing each tub fast. Wiggle butt vibrating and legs moving.

What I didn’t anticipate was that I was going to have to keep up with her. Dodging from tube to tube, getting a bit tangled in the leash, I had to dance along beside her. She was supposed to ‘tell’ me which tube contained the rat. Maybe she spent more time at one tube, maybe she bit it, maybe pawed it – I had to figure out what behaviour was different when she stopped beside the rat-filled tube.

During our first few rounds, I was right – I picked up on her enthusiastic, obvious cues were biting, pawing and rolling. She was not demure. Toward the end of the hour, her ‘tells’ became less obvious as she tired (a bit). Apparently, this is how ratting goes: the ‘tells’ can change. My dog picked it up quickly. I have more to learn.

Learning Communication Cues

Urban Rat Race isn’t only about my dog sniffing out the rodent, but me hustling too, and learning her communication methods.

During the final two classes, we had to wait our turn to give the full course a try. The course was tubes randomly patterned across the floor. Two other dogs shared our class time: a well-trained border collie more intent on looking at her mom than the rat tubes, and a two-year-old Irish Wolfhound whose laid-back temperament made him a great show dog. Ratter, not so much. He, frankly, couldn’t be less interested in finding rats. He was the yin to my dog’s yang.

My dog had the patience of a petulant child and whimpered while waiting for her turn. “Keen” is how the instructor described her behavior. ‘Over the top’ was my analysis. Ratting is in my spaniel’s blood, apparently. I, however, need to work on my speed, enthusiasm, and canine communication skills.

Ratting competitions might be in our future, now that we both understand the assignment. However, we’ll need more training. Advanced classes (there is a level two) are about training me how to read the commands she’s giving me, rather than the other way around. For now, we tried something new. Next step: I will research our next activity. Finally, in case you’re concerned: yes, all rats used in our class – Leonardo, Donatello, Rafael, and Michelangelo – made it home safely.

If you’re interested in trying a scent-based sport like Ratting with your dog, contact Oxford Dog Sports or RATS! Canada for opportunities or classes near you.

Next, I’m researching agility. (I already know my pup loves dock diving, so that will definitely be a summer activity on our list).

Writer bio: Sherri Telenko has been a professional writer for decades and a travel writer for the last two. She’s a member of TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) and Dog Writers Association of America and travels almost weekly with her canine companion, Victoria. Contact Sherri at dogtrotting.net here. All written content is original, written by a person, and based on experience and research. Please subscribe!