I attended a Barn Hunt judges seminar last weekend by Sharon Webb, one of the first BHA judges. The first day was judgey stuff and the second day was course building. There were some things I thought important to share.
Barn Hunt Association is wholly owned by Robin. She has advisors and she is the final word. Any issues can be brought up to her. (Personal comment - There's also the BHA Facebook page where you can ask questions she answers and review the prior questions.)
Robin opens the rule book for comment and changes every three years. The last comment period was 2018 and a comment period will begin this November.
The application of the Scruffing rule is an issue with handlers. The intent of the rule is for the handler to not grab the dog in a way that hurts or punishes the dog. It is currently inadequately defined and too many judges call scruffing even though you're not hurting the dog. Scruffing will be redefined to clarify to judges when to call it.
In the ring, the judge is to be friendly but formal. This is to avoid the appearance of favoritism.
Don't wear any clothing with obscenities. You may be asked to turn it inside out before you can run. We were debating if you wear a tee shirt with Mother Fluffer on it if that is obscene. We decided it isn't.
We were warned not to be our own scribes because our job is to watch the ring. Some judges make little boxes on their maps to write the rat, tunnel, climb, etc. They take their eyes off the ring to do that and we were warned not to do so. It was funny when course building day came and one of the participants submitted maps with their little boxes on the map!
We were also given instructions on what constitutes training in the ring and also what the judge should to that they don't engage in it. One scenario is if a team is doing something the judge thinks they could do better. The judge tells the handler to do something which is contrary to what their trainer tells them, which could interfere with what the trainer is trying to work through. The judge shouldn't do that. But it is acceptable to ask the judge to meet during a break and give advice.
Don't make the judge think. We were discussing handler practices and if the judge has to think about what you did, you run the risk of a wrong call. Be clear and definite in your handling.
A judge can act on conduct only that which he has seen.
We discussed many ways of cheating. It usually takes two to cheat. For instance, you're in Masters and your husband is ringside watching the tubes being placed, then after you found the last rat, he walks away. The judge will suspect you're cheating. If the same thing happens your second run, the judge will call a hearing that will involve you both and you could end up with a suspension. Or if you're close to a rat and he starts taking pictures, that's suspicious. Remember, don't make the judge think.
The general reasons for terminating a run or letting it continue is to keep the dog a happy worker. If the dog makes an error by calling a litter tube, eliminating in the ring or does something else to NQ, the run is terminated. If the handler touches a bale, gets on the floor or does something to NQ, the dog is allowed to continue the run to enjoy the experience because the dog did nothing wrong. Runs are halted for safety reasons such as running with a collar or tunnel collapse.
It's important to keep the trial moving. If you want to talk to the judge, ask to talk at a break instead of in the ring after the run. If you start asking questions in the ring, the judge may ask you to meet at lunch or a break. Judges are evaluated on time management, so they are not being rude or inconsiderate if they ask you to talk later. If a trial runs long, Robin will inquire for the reasons. They often are legitimate, but if the judge is inappropriately spending time, that is not acceptable.
We were told not to end a judges briefing with the phrase, "Any questions?" because there's always questions and that will hold up the trial. Instead, end with telling the handlers the trial secretary has the rule book and, if the site has any information posted, inform them of such.
We discussed rat wranglers and large breeds. It's an automatic NQ if you drop the rat tube, even during the handoff to the rat wrangler. As you know, some people are afraid of Dobermans and other large dogs. If that describes your rat wrangler, you may run the risk of dropping the tube during the handoff because the rat wrangler is more concerned with his safety than grabbing the rat. It's your responsibility to make sure the rat wrangler has a firm grip on the tube because if the tube is dropped during the handoff, it's your fault and you NQ. This rule also applies when the nearest rat wrangler is the outside wrangler and you pass the tube over the fence.
If the dog knocks the rat tube and the tube lands on it's end, turn the tube back to normal slowly so the rat can get it's footing. If you turn it too quickly, the judge can NQ you. Judges are advocates for the rat was frequently repeated.
Judges have very different standards. We ran courses Novice through Master at the seminar. As a prospective judge, I was teamed with an A-judge. I judged the run and the A-judge judged me. We had an issue of double touching after calling a tube. The three of us had different interpretations of the rule. It came about because the handler (an A-judge) who was running her dog touched the dog twice before handing off the tube. She thought that was legal. I thought that was legal because I was taught you could touch (praise) your dog until you hand off the tube. The judge who was judging me thought that you can only touch your dog once. After the run, all three of us went to Sharon for clarification. It actually is one touch - if you keep one hand on the dog, you can continue petting even after you hand off the tube. So be aware that what you normally do can get you NQ'd by another judge. (I was actually doing it right because I'd keep my arm around AJ while I praised him, picked up the tube, then passed it off and continued the run. I do that in class, but because of the varied interpretations of scruffing, I never touch AJ in the ring.)
You are allowed to touch the four foot fencing or wall for support if the path is narrow. Some judges NQ for that, but it is legal. The judge's call is final and not subject to appeal. My personal recommendation is to write Sharon or Robin so they correct the judge for future runs.
Sharon talked about the origin of Barn Hunt. Robin went to an AKC Earth Dog trial and wasn't allowed to run because her dog Zipper (Miniature Pinscher) wasn't considered an earth dog at that time. Robin then thought about developing what's now Barn Hunt. If you read the rule books, you'll see how blind paths are prohibited in tunnels. That came about because Robin originally recruited Earth Dog judges. One Earth Dog judge did a forty foot tunnel with blind passageways and that messed up a lot of dogs. They got stuck in the blind paths and were terrified of tunnels after that. That kind of tunnel is normal for earth dogs because they can get back on track by the scent of the rat, but in Barn Hunt, there's no clues to help the dog through a dark tunnel. Robin said she should have recruited Agility judges because of that.
Sharon said never lie to Robin or you will get a lifetime ban. If something happens where BHA contacts you, tell the truth. If you know you were wrong, admit it and apologize. If you don't think you were wrong, truthfully tell your side of the story. Robin will dig to get the truth. You may end up with a temporary suspension, but that's better than a ban.
Because it's a new sport, things are being clarified and improved as we proceed. Robin will listen if she's contacted to improve the sport.
We were very lucky with the Covid situation. The county below the seminar was locked down, and the county where the seminar was held is expected to be locked down this coming week. So we were able to enjoy ourselves without the aggravation of masks. A coincidence was that the owner of the site knew about me from herding. I never met her, so it was nice to make a new herding friend as well as Barn Hunt friend.
If you have any questions, I'll answer to the best of my ability or refer you elsewhere. There was nothing secret at the seminar. There were some funny stories such as the time a tube fell apart in the ring and they were chasing the rat all over. After it left the ring, the dog busted through the fencing and continued chasing it. It was finally caught after it ran under a port-a-potty and the owner was bitten on the web of her hand when she reached in and caught it, dragging it out with it's mouth clamped to her hand.