Barn Hunt TRIAL FAQs

Entries for City Sniffers trials are accepted online only on a first come/first served basis. Credit card payment is required at the time of submission to process your entry. This process is the same for early, late, and day of show entries. We do not accept cash or check payment regardless of the timing of the entry.

You can always find online entry links in one of three ways:

1) Visit our BHA Trials webpage (fastest/easiest method)

2) Search the Upcoming Events list on Secreterrier.com

3) Find the link in the Premium document on the Barnhunt.com Events Calendar

Yes, human spectators are always welcome, however, your dog should stay home unless entered in the trial.

Typically we DO take late entries for City Sniffers trials - check our Barn Hunt Trials webpage for any specifics/restrictions on a particular event. 

Late/DoS entries must be submitted online via Secreterrier. Please submit your entry before traveling to the trial location to ensure that you have a spot...

As long as Secreterrier is allowing the entry you have a spot in the trial! If a particular day/ring is full Secreterrier will note that you are being Wait Listed (and your Wait List position) when you go to the Checkout page (see screenshot here). At that point you can decide whether or not to proceed with that entry.
  

Yes, but this process is fast/easy! Just follow the instructions on the Barn Hunt Association website and your number will be assigned immediately and viewable in the Barn Hunt Register. Dog registration is a one-time lifetime fee of $32 per dog (increasing to $34 on 1/1/2026), payable to the Barn Hunt Association. 

Brand new teams are eligible to enter both the Instinct & Novice classes in the same trial. 

Instinct is an optional class where there will be three tubes secured in a cradle on the ground - one with a live rat, one with dirty litter, and one empty. The team has one minute to locate and declare the correct tube by calling "RAT."

In Novice, the same three tubes will be hidden around the course of 20-30 straw bales. The team has two minutes to execute three elements: 1) locate and declare the rat tube, 2) climb on a bale, and 3) go through a straight, short tunnel.

The answer to this question can vary greatly between different dog/handler teams. The best thing to do is to discuss this with your trainer. Need a Barn Hunt training home? Check out our Springfield Barn Hunt training options.

City Sniffers trials typically start at 8 AM each day, with a general briefing at 7:45 AM.   

Barn Hunt trials do not provide exact class start times because of the fluid nature of the event; rather, we use the number of runs in each class to estimate times. To guesstimate approximate class times, plan on 20 minutes per blind for Novice/Open/Senior and 30 minutes per blind for CZ8s & Master. Class counts are provided to all competitors in the Final Confirmation, but please keep in mind there are no guarantees, and the event may run faster/slower than anticipated due to late entries, withdrawals, move-ups, etc. 

In Ring 1: Master & Crazy 8s will run with the Master classes sandwiched between the two Crazy 8s trials as follows: CZ8s Trial 1, Master T1, Master T2, CZ8s Trial 2. 

In Ring 2: Instinct will run first, followed by Novice. Both of these classes will finish mid-morning and be followed by Open and then Senior. Trial 1 and Trial 2 of each level always run back to back as follows: Instinct T1, Instinct T2, Novice T1, Novice T2, Open T1, Open T2, Senior T1, Senior 2.

In Ring 3: Line Drive typically runs during the course change between Open & Senior classes.

IMPORTANT: Always double check your Trial Premium and Final Confirmation documents to confirm start times and class orders. Trial schedules vary between venues, and even the same venue may change things up from time to time!