Farm Dog Duties

Farm life isn’t always fun and games, sometimes there are important chores to be done.

Labor Day Weekend Fun with Ammo the Dachshund

When a big delivery of hay from our farmer friends showed up at the barn, I knew Trooper and I would have a busy afternoon helping to unload it.

Labor Day Weekend Fun with Ammo the Dachshund

So it was up to the hay loft to prepare for some heavy lifting!

Farm Life + Stacking Hay

Farm Life + Stacking Hay

The farmer’s kids tagged along on the adventure, and Trooper and I thought they smelled like dirt, candy, and a hint of worms. You know, all the stuff little boys normally smell like.

Farm Life + Stacking Hay

With the hay elevator hooked up, it was time to get stacking.

Farm Life + Stacking Hay

Only Trooper and I realized that stacking hay was better left to the humans, you know, because of the paws and all.

Labor Day Weekend Fun with Ammo the Dachshund

That’s ok though, because Trooper and I found other ways to be useful and we promptly broke out into a wrestling match to entertain the farmer’s boys.

Farm Life + Stacking Hay

Farm Life + Stacking Hay

After the hay was stacked in place in the loft Trooper and I set out to inspect every last bale. We’re very paw-ticular about what our special ponies are eating. So we go in search of anything that shouldn’t be in there, sometimes we even find smooshed snakes or other rodents!

Farm Life + Stacking Hay

This time everything checked out a-okay though, aside from us picking up a few cobwebs along the way.

Farm Life + Stacking Hay

That’s ok though, the cobwebs are part of our patented “farm dog” smell. The verdict is still out on which scent is better…..little boy, or farm dog. (but it’s pretty safe to say that anything stinky is the BEST SCENT EVER).Ammo the Dachshund // Blog Signature // Celebrity

Does your dog like to help with dirty tasks too?

I went on a Barn Hunt

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

On Mother’s Day I got to go on a very special adventure with my mom (dad came too). We packed up the car and headed south to New Jersey for a Barn Hunt Practice!

Barn Hunts were created to honor the traditional role of “ratcatchers” in ridding barns and properties of vermin. Barn Hunts are open to any dog, of (almost) any size, type or breed. In a Barn Hunt competition you can earn titles and placements at various levels and degrees of difficulty.

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

At this Barn Hunt I met up with my Philadelphian gal pal Liebe, and we were both pretty excited to hunt for some rats! (Especially Liebe who is a city dog – and doesn’t get as many chances as me to hunt for vermin)

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

At a Barn Hunt you are required to go through straw bale tunnels and climb over several bales to earn a qualifying mark – all while in pursuit of a rat.

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

In the lower levels you are then met with various tubes, some of which contain rat bedding and one that contains an actual rat. Your goal as rat hunter extraordinare is to locate the rat and alert your mom or dad that you have found the correct tube containing it. Once found your mom/dad is responsible for telling the judge you have found the rat – in which case the time will stop (as long as you have completed the necessary requirements of completing tunnels and climbing straw bales too).

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

As the day progressed I got better and better at finding my rats. I even began digging at the tubes and making lots of noise once I found the tubes that contained a rat.

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

Mom said in the higher level classes I would even have to find multiple rats in one run – making sure to find them fast enough to not run over the time limit, many of which that are hidden under straw and in crevices. Sounds like a blast!

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

Liebe (who is just over a year old) even had fun locating the rats and as she gets older I’m sure she’s going to be one ferocious rat hunter just like me!

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

I had so much fun looking for my rats, that sitting on the sidelines while the other dogs had a turn was so hard!

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

I can’t wait to return again and actually compete in this fun new sport – it’s totally my kind of competition!

You can learn more about the rules of Barn Hunt and find competitions and practices local to you HERE. Ammo the Dachshund