Yorkies as Earthdogs (working terriers)
 

Hello All:

Sending this out as a general call to arms for whomever might be reading -

Do you or anyone you know train Yorkies in Earthdog? I'm looking for recruits. If my boy is the only Yorkie actively training, I'll be hard pressed to get Yorkies accepted by the AKC in Earthdog competition! Come on, I know you are out there! Talk to me!
Seriously, for those who are not doing Earthdog but would like to know more about how to get into it, please post me a message. I love all dog performance sports and dog showing so I'm happy to write back! :) :)

I've yet to hear of Yorkies as Earthdogs, perhaps you can be a pioneer for all Yorkie owners! :P

Welcome to YorkieTalk. :)

Yorkies as Earthdogs (working terriers)
 

Thanks Ed:

I hope that my post will catch the eye of someone out there searching the internet who wants to know if she can do earthdog with their Yorkie! A one man, er, woman crusade does not win the war! In order to persuade AKC that Yorkies are still terriers and capable of doing what terries were born to do, I need more than one working Yorkie as evidence! I know there are tons of high drive Yorkies out there who would love to play around in the dirt and bark at mice all day. ;)

For those who are interested, my research says that the American Working Terrier Association has a miscelaneous class that I beleive Yorkies can compete under:

Here's the link:
http://www.dirt-dog.com/awta/index.shtml

What is Earthdog? I have a feeling my Yorkie would be into it, from what you said about playing in the dirt and barking at mice all day. My little girl will sit at the window for hours on end, waiting for a squirrel to come by.. and then she will bark, whine, and jump at the window as if saying "Mom, LET ME AT HIM!!!" Sometimes I let her out, and she darts right after that squirrel. It's really cute to see their instincts kick in... she even tried to climb the tree after them! lol..

Well, from your post, I have a feeling you are right!

Here's what the AKC says about earthdog -
Getting Started in Earthdog Tests

The purpose of non-competitive earthdog tests is to offer breeders and owners of small Terriers and Dachshunds a standardized gauge to measure their dog's natural and trained hunting and working abilities when exposed to a hunting situation.

In Introduction to Quarry, no title is awarded and dogs with no training can participate. Two rats, safe in a cage, are placed in a long, narrow tunnel in the ground. Dogs must find the quarry within three minutes and then must show interest in catching it by digging, growling, or barking at it.

The earthdog program then progresses through gradual steps to require the dog to demonstrate that it is capable of being trained to follow game to ground and work its quarry. The three levels and their respective titles are:

• Junior Earthdog (JE)
• Senior Earthdog (SE)
• Master Earthdog (ME)

That seems really neat. I wonder if there are any events in NJ?

Earthdog for Yorkies and Earthdog in NJ
 

Wow! You’re in luck! NJ seems to be a big state in the Earthdog world. Bun and I went to The Village Green Earthdog Center in Crosswicks NJ last fall. We took the two “intro” course – Introduction to Quarry I and II. He had been seriously ill last summer and as a result, could not do dog agility so I needed to find an outlet for him that wasn’t as physically demanding. I was swelling with pride and happiness, watching my little Yorkie show the big terriers and hounds how it’s done. So, now I’m hooked!

The woman who runs the place is the author of the Earthdog “bible:” Earthdog Ins and Outs.
About the author:
Mrs. Frier-Murza has long been dedicated to seeing that owners appreciate the talents of their terriers and Dachshunds. A pioneer in the earthdog movement, she first began hunting with terriers in 1971. Jo Ann attended her first American Working Terrier Association trial in 1972, a year after it was founded, and promptly fell in love with the sport. Since then she has earned titles with Border and Bedlington Terriers, a Smooth Fox Terrier and a Miniature Wirehaired Dachshund.
Jo Ann has worked tirelessly promoting the sport of den trials. Since 1976, she has hosted at least one, and sometimes more, trials each year. In 1993, she was asked to work with the AKC advisory panel which developed the earthdog testing program. Since then, she has chaired, judged and hosted AKC trials. She is the founder of the New Jersey Beanfield Earthdogs Club and has been an officer or served on the board of the American Working Terrier Association, the Border Terrier Club of America, the Garden State All Terrier Club, the Princeton Dog Training Club and the Allgemeiner Schutzhund Club. Her dogs have competed in the show ring, obedience trials, earthdog and schutzhund events.
Jo Ann holds a Bachelor's Degree in Biology and a Master's Degree in Forest Zoology and Animal Behavior. She is also a Certified Public Manager and a graduate of the Ocean County Police Academy. A martial arts devotee, Jo Ann recently earned her black belt. She lives in New Jersey with husband Stephen and sons Jeffrey and Michael.

Here’s a link to the website:
Village Green Earthdog Center, Crosswicks, NJ

There’s also an active Earthdog club in NJ – NJ Beanfield Dogs – here’s that link:

Beanfield Earthdog Club

Here’s a great article I just found on earthdog trials.

About Earthdog Trials

We just got our first yorkie and I was wondering and looking for some activity that would be fun for him as well as the family. Agility was one and this might be another. Are there any good web pages or other books that I can look into? We are up in Burlington, Vermont so kind of long drive to NJ.

thanks

Agility is BIG in New England. Know of an agility facility in Brattelboro and there's a GREAT dog training facility in New Hampshire (All Dogs Gym), I suspect people at either facility may be able to point you to things closer to home. There's also another big agility facility right outside of Albany New York.

As for earthdog, I don't know of anything in VT specifically but I do know there are active clubs in Mass and CT and people at these clubs might know of things further up the coastline! Here are some New England contacts you could try:

Greater Boston Earthdog Club:
Gloria Connery
141 Charlton St.
Oxford, MA 01549
GloConn@aol.com

Northeast Border Terrier Club
Jean Clark
441 So. Sugar Hill Rd.
Weare, NH 03281
borderbrae@aol.com

Carol Perkins
53 Bell St.
Manchester, CT 06040
Foxhunt10@home.com

Here's another link to try as well:

http://www.norfolkterrier.org/articl...arthdog03.html

If nothing else, you could always contact the AKC and the American Working Terrier Association directly and get contacts through them.

Earthdog!
 

Hey! I have an earthdog! Who knew? I live out in the country, and my lil' yorkie catches mice, squirrels, etc. She is fast, good and quite obsessed about it! I always wanted a nice, ladylike yorkie, but not Chewie! She's a real tomboy! My other yorkie, Sierra, is the lil' lady...all prim and prissy.

Chewie helps my husband outside, when he has to do some digging, she is right there, doing digging of her own. lol :D

Chewie sound like a recruit! Where are you? Perhaps, you should consider signing her up today!

The History of Yorkies as Earthdogs
 

Cross Post-
Thought you all would like to learn a little about the little "killer" you share your live with:
While a popular image of a Yorkshire Terrier - or 'Yorkie' - is that of a pampered, well-groomed dog proudly parading at a dog show, the reality is somewhat different.

From Rat Catcher to Show Dog

The ancestors of Yorkies were small, fierce terriers, bred and used as rat catchers down mines. They were small enough to fit in miners' pockets and down rodent holes, yet big enough to take on the hunting of rabbits, badgers and foxes.

Ancestry

It was the onset of the Industrial Revolution that brought many people to Yorkshire in the 1730s; people came seeking work in the coal mines, textile mills and factories. Some came from as far as Scotland, bringing with them their dogs, mostly Clydesdale or Paisley Terriers1 - working dogs that were used for catching rodents and small mammals. Although there is no documented evidence, it is believed these terriers were crossbred with various other terriers, such as the English Black and Tan Toy Terrier, Skye Terrier and possibly the Maltese Terrier.

Huddersfield Ben

One of the most famous Yorkie ancestors was 'Huddersfield Ben' (1865-1871). He was a popular stud dog and a champion in rat catching contests. He was just as comfortable in the show ring (where he won over 70 prizes) as he was hunting and chasing rats (both down the mines and in contests).

Ben is reputed to have been the foundation sire of the Yorkshire Terrier breed, and had immense influence in setting the Yorkshire Terrier breed type. Ben was bred by Mr W Eastwood of Huddersfield, and owned by Mrs MA Foster of Bradford. He first entered the show ring in 1869, in Manchester, and was later shown at many venues including London's Crystal Palace. Sadly, Ben only lived for six years; he passed away after being run over by a carriage. The breed lived on, however, and Mrs Foster continued to show and win prizes for her Yorkies over the next 35 years.

Officially a Breed

The breed was given its official name in 1870. Prior to that, they had been known as Broken-haired Scotch Terriers. It has been alleged that the name was changed after reporter Angus Sutherland wrote in an article for The Field, in regards to a show at Westmoreland, stating 'They ought no longer to be called Scotch Terriers, but Yorkshire Terriers for having been so improved there.'

A year after the founding of the British Kennel Club, Yorkshire terriers were registered in the club's stud book in 1874. However, they were initially referred to as both Broken Haired Scottish Terriers and Yorkshire Terriers. It was not until 1886 that the Kennel Club officially recognized the Yorkshire Terrier as an individual breed. Interestingly, this British breed had first been recognized by the American Kennel Club the year prior.

Subsequently, the first Yorkshire Terrier breed club was formed in 1898 with the purpose of producing a Breed Standard to ensure standardisation. Records were kept in a stud book of show-winning dogs and their puppies, thereby making it possible to trace the breed lines. Information recorded before this is rather vague.

It took many years of selective breeding from the rough terriers of that era to produce today's elegant pampered pet dog. Those early breeders would be astonished at the present popularity of the line they were developing.

The Yorkie of Today

It's difficult to believe that before the 1930s, the Yorkshire Terrier usually weighed around 30 lbs, rather than the three to seven pounds of today's Kennel Club Standard for the Yorkshire Terrier. However, as the popularity of the Yorkie has expanded, the breed has started to become larger again; most of today's family pet Yorkies are somewhat bigger than the Breed Standard. In large part due to their size, Yorkshire Terriers are actually classified as toy dogs rather than terriers by the Kennel Club.

Yorkies have an inquisitive, mischievous streak, and are always ready for a game and some fun, which can make owning one an amusing experience. Beyond the world of dog shows, Yorkies have also made a name for themselves in agility trials and flyball competitions, which are more athletic in nature.

The Yorkshire Terrier is considered one of the most popular dog breeds throughout the world. Only 300 were registered with the British Kennel Club in 1932, and by 1957 that had risen to 2313. The number continued to grow, and by the 1970s Yorkies were the most popular breed of dog in Britain. The Yorkie's popularity in Britain reached its peak in 1990, when there were a staggering 22,665 registered with the British Kennel club. After this, the numbers started to decline. However, with 12,343 registrations in 1994, the Yorkshire Terrier was still listed as the seventh most popular breed.

This popularity has clearly continued into the 21st Century, as is evident by the amount of Yorkies seen running round parks and woods. On the other hand, the downside is that many are not truly purebred Yorkshire Terriers, but are delightful dogs with the Yorkie's characteristics.

Characteristics

The Yorkie may be small, but it is a terrier, with the requisite hunting instincts and behaviour traits. It has a loud bark, which is out of proportion to its size, and may account for their reputation for being 'yappy' dogs. However, like any other dog, they can be trained to cease barking on command.

Yorkies are sociable dogs, with a friendly disposition towards both humans and other dogs. They are not cowards, though, and will stand their ground and fiercely defend their territory when the need is perceived.

While the Yorkie is not necessarily the fastidious eater some believe, quality of food is preferable to quantity just as with any smaller dog. The Yorkshire Terrier also enjoys exercise, but is just as happy running around the garden as a run in the countryside. There, using the terrier instinct, it will chase prey - whether invisible or real.

AKC's response to Yorkies As Earthdogs - I don't agree!
 

While the Yorkshire Terrier may be an excellent ratter, and provided that service in the homes and mines, it does not appear to fit the definition of an Earthdog. "...the primary purpose of the Earthdog is to pursue quarry to ground, hold the quarry, and alert the hunter where to dig, or to bolt the quarry. "

Section 1. Purpose.
The purpose of non-competitive Earthdog tests is to offer breeders and owners of small Terriers and Dachshunds a standardized gauge to measure their dogs natural aptitude and trained hunting and working behaviors when exposed to an underground hunting situation.

Eligibility for Performance Events are based on the historical purpose of the dogs. The Earthdog breeds were bred to do earth work, not as ratters. If you review the information posted on the AKC web site concerning the Yorkshire Terrier, there is no indication that it was ever used as a hunting and earth dog. Eligibility decisions are based on the historical uses of the dogs, not on anecdotal information that individual might have bolted rabbits, etc.

If the Yorkshire Terrier Club would like to pursue the eligibility questions, they can contact: Gordon Heldebrant, Director Performance Events 919-816-3902 gxh@akc.org .

Well I don't agree but I need your help! Please write or call this number if you think Yorkies SHOULD be allowed to do Earthdog! :eek:

Thanks for posting that link! I have been wondering about Earthdog b/c I am wanting to take Bounce to the Earthdog fair in Atlanta this year. I know he'd have a blast chasing mice, but how do I get into this. He's never actually done it, but I know he'd love it!

:) Hello There Bouncer and mom:
As you can, I'm in the middle of a "battle" with AKC about Yorkies in earthdog competitions - they wont let them in. Fortunatly, there is the AWTA!

Ever since my old girl, Sandy got a gopher in our back yard last week I have realized how stong these little guys' instincts are. I've been thinking about getting Tia involved in this, but have no clue how to go about it, how much it costs, etc. It would be fun though and if nothing else I'd love to watch some Yorkies go to ground! :D

They won't let Yorkies in!?!?! That's insane ... the Yorkie is the earthdog!!!

The letter I posted was from AKC. Please see above. They wont let them in. Need more info on ratting competitions from the 19th century. Anyone here good at doing research?

Bit off subject -but bravo on all the wondeful info on your website!

Thanks so much! :) It's a work in progress - but anything you think is missing, PLEASE let me know ;)

Earthdog and Agility
 

I would love more information on Earthdog and Agility competitions. My little one is only 4 months, but I would like to start training her. What are the best things to do to start training? What doo Earthdog competitions entail?

Hello and welcome to Yorkie Talk.

At four months old, I would start with the basics. I prefer clicker training which is a great way to work with puppies as it teaches them to think and figure things out (important for both agility and earthdog trials!). The first command I’d teach any dog, no matter what the age, is the “attention” or “watch” command. Teaching a dog to hone in on you, solves a lot of problems (puppy eating shoe, owner says “watch,” puppy needs to look up at owner, drops shoe, owner gets shoe from puppy). But it is VITAL for agility that a dog learn to pay attention to his handler and for other dog sports at well (equally vital in competition obedience for example if you decide you’d like to do that). I put up a post, not too long ago, about teaching a hand touch using clicker training (I responded to a question about “what is clicker training”). That’s another good exercise to start with a very young puppy. There’s also a post under Yorkipower concerning training with a target stick. Targets sticks are great tools in training dogs! You can then use this training (watch, hand touch, touching a target stick to teach the come, down, sit, and stay command (read up on these commands because, believe it or not, there is more than one way for a dog to do a down. For agility, for example you want your dog to do the fastest down possible, which would be rolling in from front to back).

If you are serious about getting into dog sports and you are fortunate to start out with a puppy, I can’t recommend this book enough: Building Blocks for Performance. You can get it from http://www.dogwise.com . Another great book for building a performance dog is Susan Garret’s “Ruff Love” available from http://www.cleanrun.com (which is also a wonderful website to learn more about agility). I do not recommend reading “Ruff Love” without understanding the really technical aspects of clicker and motivational training first, however. There are two bibles, that if you are truly committed to getting into dog sports, are a MUST read (although they are very in depth!) The first is The Culture Clash and the second is Don’t Shoot The Dog. A less technical book that reads like an instruction manual for beginners to clicker training is Quick Clicks (this book has a detailed explanation on how to teach the watch command). I believe CleanRun magazine has back issues you can purchase. A few months ago, they did a special feature on training puppies which included teaching a watch command, incorporated into crate training. Go to http://www.cleanrun.com . Thought it was a great article! There were a ton of other tips in there too. Greg Derett has a two video series on foundation training for agility. The first one of the two, is a must have I wish I had existed when I got started. It’s technical too but really lays out what your dog needs to know and be able to do before she can ever see an agility obstacle. On the less technical side, there’s a great new electronic magazine geared specifically towards beginners and people who train agility on their own. It’s called agilityaction magazine http://www.agilityaction.com . You wont be able to start her on obstacles for quite some time as her growth plates must be closed and she needs to develop some attention and mental maturity but you can start working on fundamentals right away. I sell a book from Hobday that will also be of help to you – made especially for puppies (check out the link on my website on agility books). I’m also working on an article right now for the Yorkshire Terrier Magazine about the basics of agility. Hope to get it out soon . http://www.mightymitedoggear.com

From your comment, are you just interested in agility and earthdog or are you just interested in finding out what dog sports are out there that you and your pup could participate in? I have a short list under “Training” under the links page of my site but that’s probably not even complete! Off the top of my head: Agility, Obedience, Rally-O, Carting, Conformation, Tracking, Pet Therapy, Earthdog, Disc Dog, Trick Training . . . .

I am new to earthdog too but if you go to the first few threads on this post, you’ll see info on the American Working Terrier Association and some links to other websites explaining how it is done. Earthdog, interestingly enough, does not involve the intense training that agility does. It is based on your dogs instinct and getting her psyched up about the mouse.

What do you need ... I am flying home tomorrow and can probably get some done while I'm gone but will be back around the 26th and can devote as much time as you need! Let me know?

Thank you! ;)

Funny that your reply comes now because I JUST got an email from Bun's earthdog instructer in my office. Here's some excerpts from her letter. I think she really helped to pinpoint AKC's argument and what it is that we need to demonstrate in order to get their admission (if we still think it makes sense)I've also included my email to her so you have the context:

My letter:
Just following up with you regarding AKC's response to my letter. I did do some research on ratting competitions from the 19th and late 18th century. All I could find out about them is that the objective was to pit two or more terriers against a field of rats and see which one could kill the most. Not exactly what I had in mind. There was reference in that article as in a number of others I have seen that do talk about Yorkies being use for hunting, (Hudderfield Ben was used for "hunting") but all I can find is mention no hard facts. Since Yorkies are the descendants of terriers like the Clydesdale, Broken Coat, and Sky, I do not know how they can say Yorkies were not working terriers. The name "Yorkshire Terrier" was attached to a breed that already existed as the "Scotch Terrier." They were only "improved" in Yorkshire. Surely, the early "prototypes" would have been used for similar purposes as the breeds that went into the creation of the Yorkie breed type. Why else infuse those characteristics? The problem is I can only make inferences because no hard facts exist. How can I prove something without access to any evidence that could support my case?

Parts of her answer:

I adhere to the AKC's policy of opening hunting tests only to breeds which have a history of doing the particular job. In order to support your argument, I would have to have information that shows that Yorkshire Terriers were once used for traditional British earth work.
As Ms. Deithorn mentioned, earthdogs are dogs which go into the burrow of a wild animal and either bay, bolt, or kill it. In the history of England, the three natural quarry of the earthdog were red fox, otter, and badger. In Germany, the dachshund was used on red fox and badger. There was no other earth dwelling quarry that earthdogs pursued. Ferrets were used to go into rat and rabbit burrows in England.

The earthdog trial system was originally developed in Europe to help the hunters educate their hunting earthdogs before they took them hunting. They have been doing this kind of artificial activity for well over 100 years.

In Europe, the tests use red fox for quarry. In some systems, the fox is loose in the tunnels along with the dog. In all systems, the dog must dominate the fox to qualify. In Russia, the quarry is sometimes raccoon dog, which is an animal a little larger than a raccoon. In
Sweden, the quarry is a badger. The tests closely simulate the real situation in order to be valuable to the hunter and to evaluate the dog's potential as an earthdog.

When the tests were developed in the US in the early 70's, the original quarry was woodchuck, but it quickly became laboratory rats. This was due solely to legal considerations and persists as a flaw in the system. Lab rats are not dangerous to a dog and pose no sort of challenge to their safety. A working earthdog needs skills and physical attributes that can't be tested in our system. These qualities are important, because if he doesn't have the correct conformation, intelligence, and courage he will not survive the work.

Many breeds with a history of being ratters are not suited to being earthdogs, either because of their conformation or because of their disinterest in going to ground or marking a motionless quarry. This is natural, and they should be encouraged to be what they are, which is ratters. I have often encouraged people with ratting breeds to develop a test which is suitable for their breeds rather than expecting them to do something which is not their forte. I have even started this concept with my "Ratting for Ratings" test and "Search and Partnership" where the dogs find rats hiding in places that rats would hide. The skills needed for a good ratter are speed, hyper-alertness, flexibility, good nose, good eyes, good ears, strong jaw, high pain threshold, and determination. These are not all the same attributes needed in a good earthdog, so there is reason to celebrate them as unique to the ratting breeds.

When you come here in the spring, I will show you video of dogs ratting and also of dogs going to ground on earth quarry if you want to see them. They are two very different activities and maybe seeing dogs doing these things will help you understand the differences.

Meanwhile, your research into the history of your breed should lead you as far back as possible. The traditional earthdog breeds can be traced back to a time when they were used for pursuing earth quarry in their native countries. With alot of effort, you will be able to do this for Yorkies, too. I found the AKC library in New York to be my best resource when I was researching the breeds for my earthdog book. You would probably find some great information there.

This may entail getting to the AKC library in New York and some hands on research (yeah, between 2 and 4 AM?). From what I have been able to gather, the Yorkie's history is pretty sketchy. It makes sense that a barely illiterate coal miner from Northern England would not have spent much time documenting his breeding program. Yet, we need evidence that traces back as far as we can go as to the history of the Yorkshire Terrier and whether they were used for hunting.

The alternative, is something along the lines my instructer suggests of creating a program where Yorkie's hunting instincts for ratting could be tested. I just wouldn't want this to become a senseless bloodbath like the "ratting pits" of ages past nor would I want something that would put Yorkies in danger of picking up catagious diseases that rats harbor. The best lead I can think of is to do something like what they did for gaze hounds with lure coursing, creating a fake "Bunny."

What do you guys think? :animal-sm

update on Yorkie earthdogs!
 

We are going to try to create a "ratting" test for Yorkies (not to worry no rats will be harmed!). I am going to meet with the members of the Village Green Earthdog Center on May 1st to discuss this further and see what can be done (this is the brain child of the woman who runs the place, push by the whinning of yours truly regarding the prohibition of Yorkies in AKC earthdog). Will report soon!

If any of you have done earthdog please drop me a line in the Mighty Mite Forum! Would love to hear more!

:cool:

I live in East Tennessee....any luck for us? Sully is not even 8mo. yet so he's ready to learn as much as he can!

Question - can spayed or neutered yorkies participate?

Yorkies may only compete in American Working Terrier Association Earth Dog Trials under the Misc class at this time. Any terrier, regardless of whether it is intact or not, that can fit into a terrier tunnel and meets the guidelines set by the AWTA may compete.

Earthdog Seminar For Yorkies
 

We are trying to organize a Yorkie earthdog training day. If you are interested, please respond to this thread. FYI - this would be in the New York Metro Area.

It sounds pretty cool!

I would love to participate in a "working dog class" but alas, there isn't anyone within reasonable driving distance that I feel comfortable with. There is an agility trainer within a couple of miles, but they sound big dog/hard core.....so after reading their literature, I never pursued it.

Sure so wish there was someone experienced with Yorkies close by.....
Now I must go back and read all of the posts between the first and mine.