Have a Cairn Terrier? You Should Try Barn Hunt!

If you have a Cairn Terrier and have never tried Barn Hunt, this is one dog sport I really encourage you to try. Not because your dog needs another title after their name. Because it is FUN.

Barn Hunt gives your Cairn an opportunity to do something they were quite literally bred to do, and you may be surprised by how much fun you have watching your dog have an absolute blast.

There is something really fulfilling about finding an activity your dog loves and doing it together.

What Is Barn Hunt?

Barn Hunt is a dog sport based on the traditional job of dogs who hunted rats and other vermin around farms and barns.

The rats used in Barn Hunt are safely protected inside specially designed tubes hidden among straw or hay bales. Your dog searches the course to find the correct rat tube while also completing a climb and going through a tunnel.

The search area is fenced, so you don't need a Cairn with a perfect off-leash recall to participate.

As your dog moves up through the levels, the courses get larger and more complicated, tunnels become more difficult and there are more rats to find.

For a Cairn, this can be an incredibly fun game.

You Don't Have to Be a “Dog Sport Person”

One of my favorite things about Barn Hunt is how accessible it is.

The Barn Hunt people I've met have generally been very welcoming to people who are new to dog sports. The atmosphere is usually pretty laid back, and most people are there for the same reason you are—to have fun with their dogs.

You also don't need a highly trained Cairn before you start.

Honestly, the Cairns figure out a lot of this themselves. They were bred to hunt.

Once they understand the game, watching them work can be hilarious. Our Cairns will bounce around the course, squeal when they locate a rat, dig at the tube and try to bite it.Hay will fly.

Your job becomes less about telling your dog what to do and more about learning to recognize what your dog is telling you.

How Do I Get Started in Barn Hunt?

I recommend finding a Barn Hunt club near you and going to some practices before entering your first trial.

For most of our Cairns, I would expect around 4–6 practice sessions to introduce them to the rats, tubes, tunnels and the general idea of searching a course.

At first, make finding a rat a BIG deal.

When your Cairn smells a tube containing a rat, praise them lavishly. Get excited with them. Let finding that smell become something the two of you celebrate together.

One of the biggest improvements I've seen in my own dogs came when I stopped taking the rat tube away too quickly.

Early on, I was very focused on: You found it! Good dog! Then I started giving the dogs more time to stay with the tube. Sniff it. Paw at it. Get excited about it.

That helped turn dogs that understood the exercise into dogs that genuinely wanted to hunt.

Once your Cairn understands what they're looking for, back off a little and let them work.

Practice the Tunnel

The one thing I do recommend specifically teaching is the tunnel.

A Cairn will usually figure out the hunting part pretty quickly, but going through a dark tunnel made out of hay bales isn't necessarily something they know they're supposed to do.

Teach your dog to tunnel on command before you really need it.

This becomes especially useful once your Cairn develops some serious enthusiasm for hunting. A dog actively looking for a rat can become considerably less interested in your suggestion that they stop what they're doing and please go through a tunnel.

With some of my dogs, I like getting the tunnel done fairly early in the run before they're completely absorbed in hunting.

Your First Barn Hunt Trial

I'll admit it: I got nervous at trials too.

Once the timer starts, it's easy to suddenly feel like everything needs to happen faster.

My best advice is: Slow and steady wins the race. Let your dog hunt. Don't interrupt them every few seconds trying to help. If they're actively searching, let them work. When they pause, that's a better opportunity to redirect them toward something you still need to accomplish.

And don't rush your rat call.

Trials are exciting. Your dog knows something fun is happening, and they may show interest in a litter tube or something else on the course. Give them enough time to investigate that you're confident about what they're telling you before you call the rat. Your Cairn has the nose. Your job is to learn to trust it.

Barn Hunt Is About More Than Titles

Titles are fun. Qualifying is fun. Moving up through the levels and watching the courses become more challenging is fun. But that's not the best reason I think Cairn owners should try Barn Hunt.

The best part is watching your dog discover something they absolutely love doing. You start recognizing the little changes in their behavior when they're getting close to a rat. They learn that when they show you what they've found, you listen. You celebrate together when they figure it out.

That's good for your relationship with your dog.

And sometimes it's just really fun to give your Cairn permission to be a Cairn.

Ready to Try Barn Hunt With Your Cairn?

Start with a practice rather than worrying about competing. Find a club near you, tell them you're new, and go see what your Cairn thinks. The Barn Hunt Association maintains a directory of clubs as well as an event calendar so you can find practices and trials in your area.