About Urban Ratting
Historically, dogs were used to control rat populations in both urban and rural settings. Nowadays versions of this activity have developed as fun and fast-growing dog sports. All forms of the sport provide safe and fulfilling enrichment for dogs of all breeds and ages, while enhancing the bond between dog and handler. Join us for a unique opportunity for your dog to fulfill those biological hunting instincts in a way that's fun and safe for all involved (including the rats)!
In Urban Ratting, dogs and their handlers work as a team to locate and mark rats hidden in a course made up of "stuff you might find in an urban alley." There is more than one competition venue for this type of rat hunting: read more about each below!
Competition Venues
Happy Ratters
NASDA Urban Locating
NASDA Urban Locating
A sport where dogs receive points for finding rats (secured in PVC tubes), crossing "Bridges," and going into "Burrows" ... all on a course made of items assembled just for this purpose. Course obstacles might include boxes, bags, barrels, and other items possibly found in a city alley (with the main difference being that the "trash" is clean).
NASDA Urban Locating
NASDA Urban Locating
NASDA Urban Locating
The North American Sport Dog Association (NASDA) offers both the Urban Locating class & Urban Challenge games that simulate the work of both historic and modern urban hunting dogs. These working tests show the dog's ability to locate rats hidden in a quarry cage in a natural human built environment, whether indoor or outdoor.